Another (better?) idea for promoting women's golf
The reaction to my (crazy?) idea for promoting the LPGA by giving a sponsor's exemption to a man has been less than enthusiastic. Indeed, such a gambit would be a risky stunt, and I am pretty sure the LPGA would never seriously consider it. But, way back when this blog got started, I floated in this post a far more realistic idea for promoting women's golf that I want to raise again.
How about, at least one time, staging a men's and a women's pro golf event on the same course at the same time?
Strange as this may sound for golf, this is essentially how tennis runs its major events, and many other sports (e.g., ice skating, track and field) have men's and women's competitions in the same setting at essentially the same time.
Consider how fascinating it would be to see women playing at Augusta (from moved up tees) during the same week that the men are playing the Masters. The women would not be competing directly against the men, but we would get to see their skills tested in the same setting and under similar (though shorter) conditions. In terms of promoting women's golf, I such parallel play would enable the many PGA fans (and media) who attend the event and/or watch on TV to see coverage (and the impressive skills) of many women golfers.
Of course, I can imagine reasons why the PGA and the LPGA would not like such a combined event, and I am sure we won't see it at Augusta anytime soon. But I think it would be nice to see it tried somewhere; the start-of-the-year Mercedes Championship (which only has event winners from the prior year in the field) might be an ideal setting.
8 Comments:
Dumb idea. The LPGA has no interest in seeing their players embarrassed.
Erik...
Damn dude.
Instead of bashing the LPGA and their players, why don't you come up with an idea.
I watched them for the first time this weekend, and I agree with the comments of Douglas and AllCarry, these women can play. And I appreciate the fact that Douglas is trying to initiate discussion on the subject, but comments like yours provide nothing.
Erik, why do you think the LPGA players will be embarrassed if they are playing on a shorter course? The implication of your comment is that women pros are much, much, much worse than the men.
I agree that it would be bad for the women to have to play at the length (7000+ yards) that the men play at. But, after watching the women stuff wedge after wedge from 100 yards this week at the Wendy's, I am convinced that the women can keep up if they have a course shortened so that they are hitting approach shots with the same clubs as the men.
I think it is very telling and important that Wie can almost keep up with the men, and yet has not (yet) dominated the women when she has played in women's events. This is further proof to me that it is length, and not that much else, that separates male and female golfers. Though I do think PGA pros may have somewhat better short games, I am certain that the short games of LPGA pros are not "embarrassing" (unlike mine, which is embarrassing).
Might you explain why you think the LPGA players would be embarrassed if playing on a shorter version of the same course as the men? Are you essentially saying that they do not deserve to be on the same course?
To attempt to be the all knowledgeable (quickly shot down by my foursome) middle man, I have an argument:
Regarding Erik's comment, what he may have been implying by his comment is that (ignoring length), if the rough/green speed/tightened fairways were the same for the LPGA players on a weekly basis, the ladies would have a very tough time scoring well. While length is a factor, you also must think about the fact that the rough on the PGA Tour is long enough, that most women would not be able to take a mid-iron at a green and could only punch out. Not to put down the ladies, but the times that I have tried to play a course that just held a PGA tour event, it takes a huge amount of strength to get a ball to the green from over 100 yards (depending on the course, of course...i.e. Augusta, which has no rough)
So then you get to green speed...could the women adjust to green speeds several points faster on the Stimpmeter? It could be embarrassing if they were consistently three putting (visions of the men's US open two years ago dancing through my head).
And, as described in last weeks LPGA event, the fairways are wide enough that players were having no problem hitting to 100 yards without much fear of missing the fairway. Sure, the women are great from 100 yards in the fairway...it is their job. But put them 150 yards away in PGA Tour type rough, and lets see how they do. Looking at stats (women playing in men's events), probably not very well.
So...it would be a fun event to watch right? So why was the Battle at Bridges (or whereever they played) with Tiger and Annika not a huge draw for viewers? Time of year perhaps, not a big enough field perhaps, but it wasn't something that I was particularly interested in.
So if you made the event on a course set up as the women are used to, the men may have a field day (slow greens, light rough), or if you find a medium, it will be a course that neither tour is used to, and neither particularly enjoys. Not only that, but because of the number of players the event could hold, the fields would have to be limited in half, making it either an invitational event or a silly season event, and unless they could get the amount of money to draw the big names, it wouldn't draw in many viewers.
The women are strong players, no doubt. And there are definitely women who I think could make the cut on a PGA tour event, but I doubt that such an event could ever occur, and we'll have to just watch Wie continue her attempts on the PGA Tour.
Regarding the comment that other sports do it...none of those sports has different playing surfaces for men and women. That is where the quandary lies.
And as we know, Augusta would never have a LPGA event there, nor would the LPGA probably want to associate with a club that does not have women members.
I think the best way to accomplish this feat is to have the LPGA compete on the same track as the men one week after they do (at an adjusted yardage). Of course this depends on whether they could get the course back into shape, but with the technology today, it seems possible.
I'll throw another log on the fire with this one...
What about a CO-ED, foursomes format, where the LPGA and PGA players would play alternating shots, Ryder-Cup style.
Mix 'em up from week to week...
I think it would be pretty cool to see Tiger and Natalie against Annika and Chris DiMarco, and then switch 'em up a couple of weeks later.
With an alternating shot format, the blend of the power game combined with the finesse game could make for some interesting matches...
Riffing off the last comment, it would be good fun to see an event in Pro-Am style format but with men and women grouped together rather than pros and amateurs. The men would be ranked against each other, as would the woman, and the teams would have a third-ranking (once again, a la Pro-Am). To use a tennis analogy: sort of a men's singles, women's singles and mixed doubles all rolled up together.
Of course, it would be a bad idea to run this type of event on a major-style course with brutal rough, lightning fast greens, etc. A normal sedate PGA course would be fine. I bet this would be a huge crowd pleaser and introduce a lot more people to the LPGA.
It's easy to stuff wedges at pins on soft greens while men have to stuff them on hard greens. However, a bit more water on fairways would put both tours in perspective and could stop the controversy on courses becoming obsolete.
JP
Well, i've got the answer for that, Let them play on the mens PGA..
wayne,
http://www.ncgolfers.com
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