Capelle On Golf

Is Tiger Woods good for the game of golf? Absolutely not.

He violates the game’s traditions with his over-the-top celebrations, his sulking, and his disregard for his playing partners as witnessed by his many walk offs while his opponents have yet to putt out.

He’s been teaching kids for over a decade that swearing, spitting, and club throwing are tolerated in the adult game, undermining what juniors learn from their parents and organizations like the AJGA and The First Tee. And as for the lesson of accountability, the PGA Tour has fined him token amounts which are never made public for his countless on course “transgressions,” reinforcing the notion of unequal justice for the rich.

Even Tiger’s mom must be disgusted with his behavior. Here’s what she had to say about playing golf (courtesy of Geoff Shackleford and The Gigantic Book of Golf Quotations):

I tell him  (Tiger) the golf game is a gentleman’s game. I point out…John McEnroe playing Jimmy Connors in tennis and him cursing and throwing his racket. I tell him not to do it, because it will ruin my reputation as a parent. I will not have a spoiled child.
Kultida Woods

There is no question that Tiger is bad for golf, the game, but his behavior has been downplayed or ignored altogether by the media because Tiger is supposedly good for golf, the business.

Purses on the PGA Tour have tripled since he turned pro, and more people are watching golf, at least when he plays, than ever before. Big deal – so he attracts football and basketball fans who buy Gillette razors and sports drinks. They would consume those items anyway. As for his impact on the game, golf participation in the U.S. has declined since he turned pro, so those new eye balls are not hitting golf balls.

As for the pros getting rich thanks to those huge Tiger inspired purses, how does that improve golf for the rest of us? I say it doesn’t, and may even make it worse. How often, for example, have you wanted to throw your Gatorade bottle at the TV when they go into the mode of showing 3 shots – break for commercial – showing 2 shots – break for another commercial? And why are there so many commercials? Do we have Tiger to thank for that?

About the experience of watching Tiger play, what really is so great about that? He can’t hit a fairway. He acts worse than a child, he looks like it’s killing him to play, and his intimidating nature has, on so many occasions, killed off the kind of close competition that makes the majors such great theatre.

Let’s suppose there never was a Tiger Woods.  Phil Mickelson, the ever smiling gallery favorite, might have broken loose in the late ‘90s and become the modern day Arnold Palmer. And perhaps Mickelson-Els would have emerged as a great rivalry. The PGA Tour would have also had to learn to market its product better, skills it will need more than ever should Tiger’s game suffer next year or his popularity fail to return to previous levels.

It’s anybody’s guess how badly the business of golf will be impacted by Tiger’s transgressions. But what is bad for the sport might be good for the game. Imagine this: Woods comes clean in front of the public and is forgiven, he pulls his marriage back together, he gets his mind back on golf, he adopts a fan friendly on course demeanor, and he dumps the brand and becomes a real person. The possibilities for a new Tiger are endless.

A short time ago we were eagerly looking forward to the 2010 season because of Tiger’s return to form following surgery, the juicy line up of major venues, Phil Mickelson’s improvement, and the emergence of a host of young talent. To that we can now add the chance for a new and better Tiger. Let’s hope he changes his stripes.