PGA Shows Online’s Ability to Attract International Fans

Omniture data showed South Korea accounted for .9% of Turner’s record setting web traffic for Thursday of last weekend’s PGA Championship, ranging up to 2.3% for Sunday’s final round. In absolute numbers the 30-50k unique users may not move the needle, and Y.E. Yang may not be the player that captivates a nation (at least [...]

Buick Open Worth Saving (Sponsors Needed)

Did you see today’s Final Round of the Buick Open, likely the last of the annual event in the Detroit area? Outside of Happy Gilmore, never have I seen a golf crowd (gallery for those golf insiders) so into the tournament, having so much fun, yet still respecting the game. Not Bethpage, not the Ryder [...]

Tiger Sets Model for Recovering Golf’s Image

Everything in golf comes easier when Tiger Woods is involved – sponsorships, TV ratings, attendance, media coverage, energy, excitement, everything. So it’s no surprise that the tournament Tiger hosts, last week’s AT&T National, and Tiger eventually won on the final few holes, scored tremendous ratings and record attendance. But how they drew the attendance opens [...]

Golf Needs to Revisit Business Model

Golf is arguably seeing the most direct impact from the economic recession. The higher income, older demographic of golf fans attracts a higher proportion of financial institutions as sponsors than other sports, many of which have had to pull back advertising. Not to mention that Buick and Chrysler have bigger problems than golf sponsorships right [...]

Perfect Storm Damages PGA Tour

When Tiger Woods announced he was done for the season after an historic US Open performance, all eyes were on golf to see if any eyes would watch without Tiger. Greg Norman helped boost generate some interest at the British Open, yet SUnday ratings still tumbled 15% without Woods.
Back in the States, the final major [...]

Can Golf Turn A Problem Into An Opportunity

PGA Officals could not have asked for a a better US Open, other than if Phil played the part of Rocco Mediate, though an aspect of the everday man helped bolster interest. However, a day later, when Tiger announced he was finished for the year, the outlook turned bleak.
It’s well documented that without Tiger TV [...]

ESPN Takes Step in Right Direction With US Open Coverage

ESPN executives would only acknowledge “significant” growth in digital ad sales for its Thursday and Friday coverage of the US Open. Digital is still a fraction of TV – both in revenue and viewership, which can hand in hand – however, as ESPN improves and expands its digital coverage of major sporting events, the revenue [...]

Masters Leaving Money on the Table

CNBC’s Darren Rovell wrote in his blog last week how the Masters is probably the most valued sports entity that tries not to make money (http://www.cnbc.com/id/24065180), citing the lack of sponsorships, reduced ticket sales, and limited merchandise. Going a step further, Augusta is missing unmatched opportunities to capitalize in digital media, both financially and expanding [...]