American Tour Golf: Made For TV

Scotty X has been playing the great game of golf for decades. When he is not missing putts he is writing stuff about why he is missing putts. Scotty changes putters more often than he changes his sheets. Rain, hail, or shine you will find him on the links lining up a shot. Losing by one stroke in the monthly medal is his bread and butter. Worrying about head movements, weight shifts, and shaft angles is par for the course for this gentleman. Nobody struggles with the transition like Scotty and no one suffers from golfer's elbow and a bad knee like this fella. If god existed he would be a golfer in this golf tragic's philosophy. There are far more than 10 commandments in the rules of golf.

Watching the Houston Open at Memorial Park it was interesting to observe the majority of the field struggle to make birdies and pars. Unlike most American tour golf events the scores were not double digit under par. This is a timely reminder that the Americans generally set up their courses to make the players look good, so that the sponsors associated with the event are part of a good news story. Sport in the USA is manipulated to become a highly sellable commercial product. Golf fans need to remember that they are watching golf through this kind of filter.

The home of capitalism is all about selling stuff and the game of golf is just another vehicle.

American tour golf: Made for TV to carry the sponsor’s message.

US Golf Fans Fed Golf Lite on PGA Tour

The Houston Open was more like a golf tournament played at Royal Melbourne or The Australian, featuring tough conditions on a challenging course. The golf fan is usually fed a diet of made for TV golf in the majority of televised tournaments outside of the majors. It gives a false sense of what the game of golf is like. This is the world we live in. It is a bit like the fake news associated with the movies and world championship wrestling. The whole experience is made to entertain kids and the kind of fans you hear hooting and calling out at American golf tournaments. US golf fans fed golf lite to go with the beer.

Sponsors Rule in American Tour Golf

The number of ads shown in a televised golf tournament in the US gives you an idea of what is going on. The sponsors are paying the players their pumped-up salaries via prize moneys. So, they own the whole kit and kaboodle in the States. The kind of golf served up to fans and sponsors cannot be dour and too tough. It is an entertainment industry designed to sell stuff to consumers. The odd real golf championship like the US Open is okay every now and then. American fans want plenty of sauce with their burger and fries.

Golf on TV Aint Real Golf

American tour golf: Made for TV means highlights aplenty. This means receptive greens and fairways to furnish plenty of birdie and eagle opportunities. Soaring high shots landing on greens and bombed drives finding fairways are the order of the day.

Higher, bigger, and longer are the adjectives that the sponsors want associated with the game of golf they pay for. So, remember to pinch yourself when watching golf on TV and remind yourself this is a made for TV product.

They show the best shots on TV. They screen the putts that go in the hole. This is an edited version of the real game of golf that you and I actually play.

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