Minnesota Golfer - Directory 2014 - 8

(editor's letter
)
What the New TV Deal Means
L
ast August, the USGA dropped its
long-time broadcasting partner,
NBC Sports, for a sexier, richer deal
with Fox Sports. The new deal stung fans
of Johnny Miller, who was central to NBC's
experienced broadcasting team that covered
the U.S. Open, and angered others.
But the TV deal means an additional $100
The USGA
takes the
long view
when it
comes to
the good of
the game.
million annually for the USGA, a 119-yearold
organization with a history grounded in
amateur golf and whose mission includes
stewardship of the game for all golfers.
" Ultimately, these funds will go back into
the game (because the USGA is a nonprofit), "
said Mike Davis, the USGA executive director,
at a recent gathering of state and regional
golf associations (SRGAs) in Florida.
The USGA takes the long view when it
comes to the good of the game. Witness last
year's dramatic move to ban the anchored
putting stroke in 2016. Some considered that
an egregious overstepping, but the USGA
takes its role as a steward very seriously. To
that end, the USGA is continuing to study
the distance issue and new ball testing, partly
in order to shrink the overall footprint of
modern golf courses, but also to understand
the issue by gathering " all of the facts. "
The USGA is looking at a global handicapping
initiative-there are six main handicap
systems around the world, and not all
handicap indexes play the same. Like the
Rules of Golf and Implements, the USGA
would collaborate with its governing body
across the waters, the Royal and Ancient, to
jointly administer a global handicap system.
Among other initiatives, the USGA wants
more for the game: more affordable, more
fast, more inclusive and more fun. Part of
this is reflected in its course setup for major
championships. The USGA is moving away
from a setup ethic where " hard equals good. "
The USGA tested longer fairway heights
at last year's Open at Merion. They raised
the mowing height from .25 to almost half
an inch so that the club could use less water
for firmer playing surfaces. Among the best
players in the world, not one golfer complained.
" Of course we like a good test of
golf, but beating yourself up is not what we
strive for, " says Davis.
The USGA is set to hold the men's and
women's U.S. Opens on consecutive weeks
in June at Pinehurst's No. 2 course. They intend
to make the course play relatively the
same for both Opens, and presumably will
collect enlightening analytical comparisons
between the world's best golfers.
The USGA contributes $1.2 million in
staff support at 110 state and regional golf
associations across the United States, including
the MGA, in the form of P.J. Boatwright
internships. Since 1991, the program has
contributed $20 million to SRGA bottom
lines.
In addition, by " poking into the current
realities, " through research called Project
Links, the USGA aims to make SRGAs
" better at what you do and financially
stronger, " says Davis.
" There is no shortage of data, but [there
is] a lack of actionable data, " said Cathy
Tunheim, partner of a Minneapolis-based
consulting firm working on Project Links,
during the SRGA meeting in Florida.
One of our current realities is that the
United States makes up about half of the
world's golfers. Of the 25.7 million golfers
in this country, four million carry a USGA
Handicap Index through their local SRGA.
A lesser, unknown number carry a league or
other type of handicap, while something like
80 percent carry none at all.
The four million golfers mentioned above
represent the single most important revenue
source for SRGAs and drive the engine that
funds amateur golf programs at the local
level. If the USGA can move this needle,
thanks to the Fox Sports windfall, than
Johnny Miller's pain is golf's gain.
See you on the tee.
W.P. Ryan, Editor-in-Chief
6
MINNESOTAGOLFER Directory 2014
www.mngolf.org
http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Directory 2014

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