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PGA going downhill?

As part of the merger, the PGA will control holes 1-8 and 12-18.

The Saudis do 9-11.
 
Mike95060 said:
Am I the only cynic who sees all this as one group of people trying to buy class, clout, prestige or whatever you want to call it from another group of people who don't have any to sell. :laughing sorry I just hate golf. /ducks.
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I imagine you just haven't looked into how golf is tied to the upper echelon of our society. It's the game of kings. It goes back a long ways and had a spot in the largest colonial spread of our society. People laugh about it, but they laugh about a lot of things. Golf doesn't spotlight volumes of people. Almost ever. It is purely about an individuals conflict with a shared course. And the measuring stick is pretty true.

The blend of cultures is a new twist. How this plays out will be anyone's guess. I can't stand "influencers" on any level. The current contributors suck major shaft. But, they also represent western ideas. How will the new cultures balance their involvement? That's another interesting bit to watch.
 
James said:
I imagine you just haven't looked into how golf is tied to the upper echelon of our society. It's the game of kings. It goes back a long ways and had a spot in the largest colonial spread of our society. People laugh about it, but they laugh about a lot of things. Golf doesn't spotlight volumes of people. Almost ever. It is purely about an individuals conflict with a shared course. And the measuring stick is pretty true.

The blend of cultures is a new twist. How this plays out will be anyone's guess. I can't stand "influencers" on any level. The current contributors suck major shaft. But, they also represent western ideas. How will the new cultures balance their involvement? That's another interesting bit to watch.
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One of my beefs with golf, and country club culture in general, is pretty much what you are talking about. It's classest as hell. :laughing My leftist leanings don't care much about what royals do so, yeah that argument hold VERY little water with me.

I can respect people who play on public courses, don't hire a caddy and walk the course. Otherwise "Golf is a good walk spoiled."
 
I'm with you. I haven't been in a cart since 2020, play accessible courses, and am respectful to the staff. I haven't run into any assholes (aside from egotistical marshals) on a course. I am aware of stories, but I have always had great experiences meeting my fellow man. Watching the disparity in skill from my neighbor vs the pro's is something golf offers that most sports don't.
 
Mike95060 said:
don't hire a caddy
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Last bit: I think consideration for Caddies is warranted. It's a working profession and they are experts. Courses that regularly facilitate Caddies have communities of them in the local area. Bandon Dunes is an example where good jobs are offered to local community members as an example of how a local eco system can develop through recreational activities. Hiring a Caddy can have a significant impact on the experience. And they aren't just there to carry clubs. A group may go in and hire 1 Caddy. They may carry a bag or 2, but they are mainly there to guide the group through the course.

It would be a great step in progress to encourage courses to adopt Caddies .
 
Jammer said:
As part of the merger, the PGA will control holes 1-8 and 12-18.

The Saudis do 9-11.
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There's a new process for quitting the newly-merged tour. They have to fill out a Form of Dismembership.


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this is why some are saying those in charge of the PGA have sold their souls for money
 
James said:
Last bit: I think consideration for Caddies is warranted. It's a working profession and they are experts. Courses that regularly facilitate Caddies have communities of them in the local area. Bandon Dunes is an example where good jobs are offered to local community members as an example of how a local eco system can develop through recreational activities. Hiring a Caddy can have a significant impact on the experience. And they aren't just there to carry clubs. A group may go in and hire 1 Caddy. They may carry a bag or 2, but they are mainly there to guide the group through the course.

It would be a great step in progress to encourage courses to adopt Caddies .
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One of my closest high school buddies was a caddy for a while. I don't disagree with you at all about their importance. I should have said, "carry your own bag." You sound like you do golf right James. I know its hard as hell and I can understand the appeal of a personal challenge. There is just so much social baggage that comes along with it that I can't ignore. The LIV/PGA thing makes me chuckle because I think it reinforces my prejudices against golf. Oil Sheiks and County club snoots sure seem like birds of a feather to me.
 
Mike95060 said:
One of my beefs with golf, and country club culture in general, is pretty much what you are talking about. It's classest as hell. :laughing My leftist leanings don't care much about what royals do so, yeah that argument hold VERY little water with me.

I can respect people who play on public courses, don't hire a caddy and walk the course. Otherwise "Golf is a good walk spoiled."
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I was a caddy at a local country club when I was in my early teens. It was a great job for a kid. You were outside all day. Pay was flat rate plus tips. Got to meet some Pro golfers. We were allowed to play the country club course (best in the region) for free on Mondays. You could make your own schedule so you could work whatever days you wanted. You also got to hear countless filthy jokes that I never really understood; and I went to Catholic school! I got to caddy for some very good amateur golfers in the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur qualifying rounds several times. That was fun and I learned a lot about golf. Members would either donate money or equipment toward "Caddy Day" at the end of the summer. I got my first set of Chi Chi Rodriguez starter clubs and later a full set of Ben Hogan irons; which I still have. All for free.

I didn't take advantage of this but there was a very generous scholarship fund for caddies. The fund even provided a house for scholarship recipients at the University of Kansas. Free tuition and free housing for four years. And, get this, recipients only had to have 2.0 average to maintain the scholarship. ( High Five to "C" students. :laughing )

Downsides were getting rained on OFTEN, some classism, and the grounds crew all being drunk or on acid so you had keep clear of those dudes. The rain wasn't bad unless there was lightning. As far as the classism goes, when I was a kid I thought the movie Caddy Shack was a documentary because it couldn't have been more accurate. :laughing
 
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tuxumino said:
Looks like the PGA just hit it in to the largest sand trap in the world.

The PGA Tour has agreed to merge with Saudi-backed rival LIV Golf in a deal that would see the competitors squash pending litigation and move forward as a larger golf enterprise.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/06/pga-tour-agrees-to-merge-with-saudi-backed-rival-liv-golf.html
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The staunch PGA Loyalists are swearing quite a bit right now, because they (stood by their principles) and missed out on a HUGE Payday, only to be 'merged' with the Devil, in the end.
 
Map8 said:
As far as the classism goes, when I was a kid I thought the movie Caddy Shack was a documentary because it couldn't have been more accurate. :laughing
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You mean it was not?? :laughing

I am on the non-golf fan side of things. I did make one hell of a cool calendar when I was in my early 20's taking MX pictures and pasting them into a golf course calendar. Dudes ripping the bunkers and jumping the greens. Always had a fantasy of shredding a course myself. :laughing
 
budman said:
You mean it was not?? :laughing

I am on the non-golf fan side of things. I did make one hell of a cool calendar when I was in my early 20's taking MX pictures and pasting them into a golf course calendar. Dudes ripping the bunkers and jumping the greens. Always had a fantasy of shredding a course myself. :laughing
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The only thing that I want to do on a Golf Course is to fish the Water Traps. I hear that some of them are loaded with fish.
 
While many of the caddies around here are pretty decent guys, amongst those that do drugs, meth seems to be the stimulant of choice these days.

The guys that stuck by the PGA have every right to be pissed off.
 
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