By Ed Travis
After Golfweek revealed the new popularity-based bonus plan for PGA Tour members most comments were focused on the players and made the point that undoubtedly Tiger Woods would be at the top of the list. This $40 million social media popularity contest will also affect fans, but opinions have been scarce concerning how they, the most important factor in the equation, will be impacted.
Is rewarding PGA Tour stars for their public image rather than what they accomplish with their clubs good, or not so good for the golf fan?
A player’s image is tied to wins, how far they hit the ball, and Top 10’s, not necessarily their personality. In our nose-in-the-phone, app-driven view of the world, image and visibility merge to become the reality.
Will this new stress on social media prompt a “show biz” artificiality? If you had the opportunity to knock down a million dollars, would you hire a Facebook spin doctor to fan your visibility with fans? Does the Player Impact Program bonus bring Hollywood to the putting green?
By way of background the PGA Tour Player Impact Program (PIP) is an obvious response to the Premier Golf League’s attempts to sign the world’s top players for exclusive events separate from the established tours with reportedly $240 million in prize money.
The PIP acknowledges that certain stars “move the needle” creating additional value for sponsors due to above normal media exposure. At the end of the year the top ten, as determined by an ‘Impact Score,’ will split $40 million with $8 million going to the winner. Measurement criteria includes Google search results, time shown on telecasts, social channel engagement, familiarity, as well as, other metrics.
An unknown and not to be overlooked factor was the strategic alliance announced by the PGA Tour and European Tour last November. It was the first step to creating a worldwide series of events for the elite earners on both tours. A move that many though would forever thwart the efforts of the Premier Golf League to entice top tour stars to leave the PGA and European Tours.
The PGA Tour spent $90 million to purchase a stake in European Tour Productions and received a seat on the European Tour’s board of directors. This makes a potentially effective combination of the cash-rich American circuit and less affluent Euro Tour for mutual promotions but more importantly control of players income sources.
What is important is how golf fans, the basic source for the Tour’s funding is affected by this new bonus program. Rabid golf fans buy the tickets, pay ludicrous amounts for pro-am spots, which support the charities, as well as, determine a sponsor’s increased sales because of their PGA Tour exposure.
Will more cynical fan be offended? NBA fan’s don’t seem to be negatively repulsed to the oodles of cash thrown around to the top players.
In addition to getting help to improve their presence on social media and gain other media exposure, celebrities such as Beyoncé, Arian Grande or Taylor Swift, could be enticed to be involved in an exhibition to boost a particular player’s social media and public rating. Media attention would go through the roof.
Some will say that may be farfetched, but if PGA Tour members are getting paid for popularity rather than what they do with their clubs, anything is possible.
Professional golf is entertainment, but it has always been about performance on the course, not off of it.
