The Year that Was in the World of Pro Golf
With Christmas now in our rearview mirror, and the New Year right in front of us, the time has come to both take a look back at the year that was and look forward to what’s in store in 2024.
2023 was quite the year for me personally and professionally. While I could sit here and thank you all for watching, listening to, and reading us here at Golf Unfiltered this year, that’s just not my style.
Instead, I thought I would take a look at some of the stories and events that had the biggest impact on me in golf in 2023, as well as look ahead to what 2024 may bring.
2023 Recap
There’s a Great Big World Outside Men’s Professional Golf
Working with GU this past year, I was able to do a lot of really cool things that reminded me that men’s professional golf is such a small and, in reality, insignificant part of the greater golf landscape when you really think about it. The true lifeblood of the game is all of us who may never step foot “inside the ropes” in our lives.
You may remember that I had the opportunity to check out Steph Curry’s UNDERRATED Golf Tour at their season-opening event in South Florida in June. Getting to talk to those involved, from the kids playing in the event to those putting on the event reminded me why we are all golf sickos in the first place: because we love to play the game of golf. These kids would spend the day on the golf course trying to beat each other and then would spend the evening at the hotel having dinner together, playing video games, and just hanging out and being kids. It was golf in its purest form.
I also had the chance to talk to designer Gil Hanse and PGA of America head Seth Waugh. During that 30 mins or so that I talked with them we talked about a wide range of topics, and yet, very little of that time was spent talking about the PGA Tour (it was on the heels of the Michael Block experience at the PGA Championship so of course Seth and I talked a little about that. More on Block later.) We spent the majority of the time talking about how people like us go out and enjoy the game every day whether it’s going to the driving range, playing a full round of golf, or even the continued success of places such as TopGolf and Drive Shack.
It was an amazing experience and helped me reinvigorate my love of the game.
The #BlockParty
This wouldn’t be a “year in review” of sorts without bringing up Michael Block and the #BlockParty. We all know my opinions on the man in terms of what happened after the PGA Championship, but, being this is an end-of-the-year wrap-up of sorts I did want to take a moment to remind myself and everyone else just how cool the #BlockParty was in the moment.
As fans of golf I feel like, when it comes to the majors at least, we are constantly looking for that real-life “Tin Cup” moment. The random everyday Joe golfer who shows up on the biggest stage and under the brightest lights and hangs around with the big boys.
Well, for 4 days we found that in Michael Block…or at least so we thought. Before we found out that Blockie was more Omar Uresti than the guy folding shirts at your local course’s pro shop (not that there is anything wrong with either of those), we all got to follow along as the guy who was the closest thing we had seen to an “everyman” not just competed with the big boys of men’s professional golf but held his own, at times even dominating. After all, who could forget his walk-and-talk with SVP during the first two rounds or his hole-in-one in front of Rory on Sunday?
While the #BlockParty has mostly come to an end, for those 4 days in May it was truly electric.
The Divide With the PGA Tour Grows
I could spend this entire recap just talking about all the ways the Tour screwed things up in 2023, but that’s not what I mean here. For all the fighting with LIV and the infighting within its own ranks, the one thing the PGA Tour managed to accomplish this year is widening the divide between the men’s professional game and the fans. You know, the ones that actually pay for the Tour to remain profitable as a “non-for-profit” organization.
While Jay Monahan may have been trying to keep the entity that is the Tour strong and the fans from jumping ship, every single move he made in 2023 seemed to do the exact opposite.
While there is no indication - at least from TV ratings numbers - that his faithful fanbase has jumped to LIV, there is also little indication that they are sticking with the Tour either, instead choosing neither in this battle for men’s professional golf supremacy, and, frankly, I can’t say I blame any of them.
We are all golf sickos here at GU and I have never been less interested to watch PGA Tour events than I was in 2023 and trust me, it had nothing to do with the guys that were playing on LIV. All the fighting and bickering over money, OWGR points, “elevated events,” and “strategic partnerships” widened the divide between the men’s professional game and the average fan to a point where I’m not sure there will be an opportunity to shrink it, at least not with Monahan in charge. He may have lost the room when it comes to his own players but, he also lost the room when it comes to those that he needs the most…the fans.
TGL Was Coming…Until It Wasn’t
One good thing that seemingly came from all this fighting for dollars was the creation of a new, laid-back golf league called the TGL. Started by Rory and Tiger it was going to pit Tour pros against each other in a state-of-the-art simulator golf setting. The concept seemed fun and, since it was going to take place during the week, wasn’t going to interfere with Tour schedules. Add in the fact that it was going to be televised on ESPN and it looked like we were going to get the closest thing to what it would be like to see these guys play golf with their buddies that we could.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other ideas.
A freak storm down here in November led to strong winds and power outages. Unfortunately, it also led to damage to the building that was going to be housing the TGL and its events and, with just under 2 months before the launch date, the damage was bad enough that the league had to be pushed back a year to 2025.
What I’m Looking Forward To in 2024
Tiger’s Back?!
Like we usually do this time of year, we got a glimpse of Tiger Woods at the Hero World Challenge and the Father-Son. Unlike in past years though, what we saw was a Tiger that appears to be ready to get back at it on the PGA Tour on a regular basis…or at least a regular basis for him in his current state.
Barring any unforeseen setbacks or injuries, it would appear that Tiger is going to try and play in at least 1 Tour event (including majors) a month this upcoming season. That means we could see Tiger as many as 8-10 times this year!
The PGA Show
GU will be well-represented at the 2024 PGA Merchandise Show, with yours truly being there. While I have had the opportunity to attend the show in the past for other outlets, this will be my first time there with GU.
Much like my time covering the UNDERRATED Tour, going to the PGA Show will be another nice reminder of just how much the game of golf is thriving beyond the men’s professional game.
Bringing More Non PGA Tour Stories To Life
Beyond just the PGA Show, the thing I think I am most looking forward to in 2024 is continuing to bring more stories to you all that aren’t PGA Tour or men’s professional golf related. Whether it’s the UNDERRATED Tour or Jim Furyk designing his first golf course, it’s important, at times, to remember that there is this great big world out there when it comes to golf beyond just the men’s game.
Overall I’m looking forward to what 2024 has in store and I hope you all enjoy coming along for the ride with not just me, but all of us at GU.
(Featured image by Kris McEwen.)