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Golf... Without Tiger?

The Tiger phenomenon is the reason for the renaissance in golf in the new century. That being said, I think his popularity has "jumped the shark", but if he started winning like he used to it would return very fast. The problem is I don't think it will ever happen because players of his ilk aren't playing enough to stay sharp. There are too many hungry, talented young guys out there every week busting their hump to be competitive.
 
I have said it all along... Golf needs Tiger more than Tiger needs golf.

Not saying that from the start of his career, but as of recent, golf needs Tiger more. He moves the needle and he makes people watch.

Tiger Woods made golf a "cool" sport in my eyes. Back when I was in high school... if you played golf, you were a dork, un-athletic and couldn't play another sport. I honestly do not think I would be playing golf if it wasnt for TW.
 
I don't think so. Tiger, whether you like him or not, brought so many followers to the game.
 
No I do not. No one else has come along and done what he has recently.
 
I don't believe golf, as a business, would be the same if phenomenon known as Tiger hadn't happened. Whether you like him or not, he completely dominated every weekend. Just the fact that he was playing caused the rest of the field to play differently, sometimes to their detriment.
On the equipment side not only did Nike become a household word outside of the track/running world they also grabbed a decent chunk of the golf equipment and clothing market from the established brands.

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Not a chance, the massive increase in interest and participation is directly linked to Tiger. He is still a huge draw for the casual fan/consumer and when he does well it drives TV ratings and sales.

You can still see his effect on the players that are coming up, how many say they chose to play golf over another sport after watching Tiger win X tournament with a dominating performance? Overall the game would look much different today had Tiger not burst onto the scene.
 
I don't think it would be the same game it is right now....Love him or Hate him...Tiger is a very polarizing figure.

I think Phil would probably have 6-8 majors without Tiger though.
 
probably not, but myself I never watched golf at all in the early Tiger years, as the camera followed him around exclusively whether he was having a good round or not. There was always a few players I was always interested in, but could only watch Tiger... who I dislike with a passion (I respect his talent though). So I never watched golf again until recently. I'm not the only one who felt this way either.
 
Golf wouldn't be any where close to where it is now. He not only brought in larger purses but a more athletic golfer like DJ, Scott, Rors, Sergio, fowler and woodland.

His presence and winning was ushered in sweeping changes in the golf industry. Courses lengthened, gear changed and I believe scores went lower.
 
Golf........without Hogan, Jack and Arnie?!!.........unthinkable!!!
 
I read trough this thread, and I can't come up with anything new :D Yes, Tiger did change the game, he gave a face to the sport to those billions of people who have never even touched a club.
 
Watching Tiger win his first Masters is what got me to first pick up a club. I doubt I'd be playing if it weren't for TW.


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War Eagle said:
Like him or not, many believe that Tiger put Golf back on the "map." Be it from having bigger crowd draws or increasing prize money for the tournaments. Tiger and his dominance were so prominent over the years, that many put the two hand in hand; Professional Golf & Tiger Woods.

Do you think without the Tiger Woods era that Golf would be where it's at currently?
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No I don't think Golf would be anywhere close to where it's at today without Tiger Woods, at least not from a financial standpoint.

Golf was around before Tiger and it will be around long after Tiger, there are no doubts about that. But when you look at the huge surge that came when Tiger went on his run, I just don't think we will see something like that for a very long time.
 
mikedean441 said:
Nope, not even close. While I dont think it would be like boxing which has fallen off the map, it would not be near what it is today. Dude just moves the needle plain and simple
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I agree. The OEM's, the tours and the players all owe Tiger a little even though I'm not a fan of his. He moved the needle in a big way.
 
As everyone else has already said, Tiger changed so much about the game of golf. He brought a whole new audience to the TV which has led to longer courses and bigger purses on tour. He's also the biggest reason an entire generation stopped viewing golf as an "old man's" game. There's millions of people playing the game because of Tiger that otherwise never would of picked up a club.

As some other's have briefly touched on, what happens when Tiger leaves will be very interesting. Even now with his struggles, people tune in. You go to ESPN.com and the headline for golf is "Just Enough" and it talks about Tiger. Meanwhile Rory, who is probably the third most recognizable golfer, is the leader and is a footnote. Tiger still drives golf and when he leaves I think the PGA will go through a rough patch.
 
Don't think I'll even be playing if I hadn't witnessed what TW did for the game. He peaked my interest for sure.

I used to catch a glimpse of the Open when it was on TV in the early 90's, and even watching all the greats of that era didn't do anything for me.
 
I doubt their would have been as large a youth movement without tiger. He made the game seem cool and fun to lots of kids/young adults.
 
Golf is always changing but Tiger accelerated the change during his "glory" years. He certainly moved the needle like no other. I remember my grandmother being in ICU when she was in her early 90's during Master's week. When I went in to visit her she asked "how's Tiger doing." That says a ton to me about how much he has meant to golf.
 
Without Tiger, I think golf would be a lot like tennis is today; a small but avid following and everyone else pays attention on Sunday of the Masters and US Open.


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teed-off said:
Golf........without Hogan, Jack and Arnie?!!.........unthinkable!!!
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Every generation has had someone who stood out above all others and Tiger is just the guy of this time. There will be others well after all of us are gone.
 
Well..in all honesty...being a tiger fan forever.. His skills are deteriorating,,, if he doesn't win a major this season..than I think his quest to chase the Nicklaus record is,over...IMO. He will still win events and such, but I personally think this year for him will make or break his quest to reach the Nicklaus record.
 
Tiger needs to play in more tournaments. He can't skip as many as he has historically skipped and expect to play at his best.
 
moosejaa said:
No, but he is the last reason I'm a huge golf fan.
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100% agree with that. Tigers presence on the tour made the game more interesting for many people, some are now golf fans, some others are just Tiger fans. He certainly was a big factor in the increased $$ amounts for purses, I think all PGA Tour pros are thankful for that. There will be someone after Tiger that makes a big impact on the game just as there was before him.
 
I think golf has been effected by Tiger Woods yes. "Back on the map" not so sure, carried it to another level perhaps.
 
Brought a lot of people into the game.,but when they realized how expensive and hard it is..alot,quit.
 
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