(JimmysAwards.com)
FACING THE REALITIES of the economic crisis head on, the PGA Tour is considering and implementing a number of belt-tightening moves for the 2009 season. A tour insider, speaking on the condition of anonymity, previewed several things the tour and players are doing.
Those giant winner’s checks and ostentatious trophies are out. The tour has new partners that will be supplying such things as trophies, hospitality supplies and courtesy cars (at right).
“Look, it’s about winning out here, not the ornamentation,” said the tour insider. “I think the players would agree.”
There is one new measure that’s highly unpopular with the players, he confessed.
“We anticipated the uproar over the use of mats,” he said. “But the majority of events will still have grass tees, with mats confined to the practice area.”
Despite a potential sponsorship crisis, new tournaments will be added to replace events falling off the PGA Tour schedule.
“The PGA Tour will now be in communities such as Muncie, Dodge City and Fairbanks,” he remarked. “The players are excited about the new venues.”
Players are getting into the savings act. Rory Sabbatini, for instance, has updated his belt buckle collection (example at right). And many players have said they plan to use family members as caddies or tote their own clubs to save on caddie fees.
Even the richest tour pros are attempting to cut expenses. Some of the top-tier players are considering plane pooling, although negotiations reportedly broke off in one instance when a player wanted to collect a baggage surcharge fee.
The cost-saving moves can have unintended consequences, though. One unnamed player was penalized when he failed to find his ball mark during a recent tournament.
“Pennies tend to blend into the putting surfaces,” he explained.
“I made the ball mark switch when I started throwing all my nickels, dimes and quarters into a change jar to supplement my retirement.”
−The Armchair Golfer
(This is an ARMCHAIR GOLF spoof.)
(Additional Flickr photo credits: Biblicone, Vandys, Tofutti Break.)
just as long as I can see Adam Scott!!!!
Great post. There may be more truth to this than you know…
Well, I could be the caddie of Adam Scott too, and man, where the heck is Muncie??? I’m too mexican to know that place, I’m just a redneckish girl!
Let’s see, that’s two potential caddies for Adam Scott. And Muncie? That’s in Indiana.
Meanwhile, the Valero Texas Open is on a roll and San Antonio, TX is soon to be a major golf destination.
The Valero Texas open will be in the spring beginning in 2009 and will take place at the new AT&T Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio in 2010. With these news… more people are sure to take notice of the great venues available in the area. The AT&T Oaks Course designed by Greg Norman, as well as the AT&T Canyons Course designed by Pete Dye, are two brand new additions to San Antonio, specifically the Hill Country. Surrounded by rolling hills, the courses are part of the new JW Marriott Hill Country Resort & Spa opening in March of 2010. The new resort will be the largest of the JW Marriotts with 1002 rooms and 140,000 square feet of exhibit space. I’m looking forward to the New Year and having a new excuse to drive to the Hill country. The area is full of historic sites, vineyards, music legends and diverse culture. With 300 plus days of sunshine a year my first thought was that it was the perfect choice for these courses and this tournament!
Here's the site: http://www.tpcsanantonio.com
And by “economic crisis”, you really mean “8+ months of a Tiger-less PGA tour…”. I would have thought they would have implemented some of these measures immediately following the US Open! 🙂
Nice post! I like the golf mats on the practice tee. Can you picture that at a PGA Tour event…
Rob Camacho