Posting from Geoff Shackelford.com

This post is a follow up to a thread from Geoff Shakelford's blog discussing Steve Elling's Up and Down piece. You can see the full thread here.

I think both Steve E and BenSeattle touched on some the silver-lining surrounding this TW fiasco that many in the golfworld overlook: the groupthink tendencies of the game's hierarchy are prohibiting the game's organic growth that it so desperately needs. With all the eyes on the golf world, it's a huge opportunity to grow the game and capture a new audience. Filtering the media might ensure some degree of decency and integrity (which is fine), but the extent to which and how they have controlled the media and one's access to the game will undoubtedly keep potential golf consumers outside the ropes. It leaves a bad taste in people's mouths when the 'prince' doesn't have to answer the tough questions....Maybe I'm reading into it far too much, but I think it reminds people of all the reasons why they haven't picked up a golf club or watched on Sundays: it's a country-club sport where the game, the venues and its players are protected from the outside world. Does the game lose integrity when Tiger answers these questions? I'd argue it promotes integrity, if anything.
They might be protecting a product that's responsible for the game's growth the past ten years, but they're making a long-term mistake by turning fans away and clinging to their self-prescribed etiquettes and integrities. How do they plan to capture a progressive generation? These are their future consumers. Adapt a little. I wonder how - and to what extent - they would filter the media if we were in Phoenix this week. Some of this needs to change or we'll have all these new courses with no one to play them. Hey, at least it won't be backed up!