narrominded
I realize for some people it’s
about as much fun as watching grass
grow, but I really enjoy watching
golf on TV. Men’s, women’s, amateur, it doesn’t matter, I’ll watch.
The bigger the event the more quiet
I need in my house while watching.
Most members of my family do
not enjoy one of my favorite pastimes nearly as much as I do, which
can cause a mild debate from time
to time. However, there are a couple of events that even the most casual golf fan, as even non golf fan,
can watch.
The most compelling and exciting tournament in the world
to watch the The Masters every
spring. It has all the components to
draw you in, and you cannot leave
until it’s over. Drama, excitement,
controversy, beauty, disasters, and
triumph are all played out over four
days of golf.
The Ryder Cup is the second
most entertaining event to watch
and is closing in fast to becoming
taking over the number one spot.
The Ryder Cup has numerous
factors that attracts the avid golf
fans to the TV on a football weekend and is compelling enough to
grab the most casual or non golf
fan as well. Americans vs anybody
is something that can get the juices
going. I’ll get caught up in Olympic
water polo if the USA is playing for
gold.
The “us against them” theme is
easy to sell. To add to that, the European team has 8 wins in the last
10 matches, which of course gives
every golf writer in the country lots
of material to fire up our side.
Another factor is it’s a biennial
match which allows those writers
and promoters two years to build
up the drama. I’m sure Phil Mickelson has been sick and tired of answering why the U.S. can’t beat the
Euros every two years.
Another factor is the team concept for an individual game. As we
know, professional golf is all about
the individual. If you are a world
class golfer you can set your own
schedule and attend the biggest
events. You play for your spot in
history and are rewarded with seven-figure checks when you win. It’s
you and only you.
Then, all of the sudden, you
are playing for your captain and
11 teammates while representing
your country. The passion this inspires inside of the players leads to
unbelievable golf while competing
for absolutely no money – another
great reason to get caught up in the
moment as a viewer.
Match play is also a reason the
ratings soar for the Ryder Cup.
Match play is the most popular format for golfers all over the world.
Generally when four friends get together and play, the balls are tossed
in the air and the two closest together pair up and play a better ball
match against one another. This is
exactly what happens in the Ryder
Cup, minus the balls being tossed in
the air.
While there are two other styles
of match play, foursomes (AKA
alternate shot) and singles, match
play is a format weekend golfers can
relate to very easily. Unlike stroke
or medal play where the winner is
determined by the player who has
the fewest strokes over 18 holes,
the winner is match play is the one
who wins the most holes during the
round. This allows for aggressive
play and lots of birdies, which once
again draws a bigger crowd to the
TV.
Perhaps the most important
reason why the Ryder Cup is closing in on The Masters as the best
golf event to attend, watch or look
forward to is the atmosphere. The
players and fans are in a football-like
frenzy while playing the matches.
Both of their behavior would be
considered extremely out of line at
any other golf tournament.
Just like all other team sports,
the home fans cheer for their team
and boo the visitors. In no other
golf event in the world will a crowd
cheer when a player misses a putt
to lose a hole. Also, this is the only
event where you will see players
jumping up and down, slapping
high fives, and yelling at the top of
their lungs. This new twist to the
game brings in a viewership that
does not normally find the quiet
and calm demeanor expected in
the ultimate game of etiquette.
This year, Ryder Cup lived up
to all the hype and produced the
excitement to rival other sports on
TV. It also was important for the
U.S. team to win as the Euros had
won the previous three matches. It’s
not a rivalry if one side wins more
than the other. Now we get to add
that component to the mix. I can’t
wait for 2018 in France.
Jake
Jake Narro, PGA professional, head golf coach at
Southeastern Louisiana University and Backspin
publisher
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