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What Does the LPGA Need?

Not enough women play golf. I would start there.
Prize money hardly matters to me as a spectator, although I benefit from it.
Woman's Golf is one of the easiest athletic college scholarships available.

There are damn good woman golfers, but just not the depth of field. I also rather watch men's golf if I have an option. That's a kill joy.
 
I think blended events go a long way towards helping. It allows regular PGA viewers a sense of "comfort" while opening their eyes to the potential of a newer product. For example, something like the Zurich or an entire Alternate shot blended tournament might do well.

That however relys on the participation of key names in the sport. You would need the DJ's, Rickie's, JT's, Fleetwood's and Rose's of the world to play in such an event to garner the attention.

I'm just thinking how badass it would be to see Rickie and Lexi as a pairing for example.

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MPlefty said:
Brooke is Canadian, and I can say her doing well has spiked interest for the LPGA around here
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Yep. When Brooke is in the hunt it's just as talked about around my Proshop/course as the PGA is.

All Brooke, all the time!
 
I think for me it's just the following:

We always talk about how the PGA players play a completely different game and are on another planet skill wise. I just dont ever get that feeling watching the LPGA. I feel like they are hitting the same shots I can hit, just 1000000000x more consistently. Consistency doesnt breed excitement to me.
 
Nappy said:
Perhaps if they became the anit-PGA, by which I mean they start punishing slow play.
Let them wear what they want as long as it's appropriate.
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I think this is one of the best answers so far: the anti-PGA part. It's actually a marketing idea(s) that could get attention.

If you watch enough LPGA coverage, you will hear about their groups being on the clock way more often than you hear about it during the PGA events.

I actually really like the LPGA and the way they do things, so I hope we don't see a huge change just to appeal to non-golf fans.

I think patience is the key; they are building something and sometimes that just takes time.
 
As one poster said the schedule needs to change. Start Sunday and end Wednesday.


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More Americans contending, preferably attractive ones.

For me, I have no interest in random Asian lady win almost every week.

For instance, I'm not watching when Jeonguen Lee the 6th is leading any tournament.

When they can't wow me with shots, because I can hit them too (just not near as consistent) there has to be some reason to watch.
 
I think if Michelle Wie had fulfilled her promise, this would be a different conversation. She was positioned to really move the needle for the LPGA, and not by sex appeal nearly as much as by ability. But, whether it was injury or her failure to progress from her junior promise, it never happened. My theory was that she didn't grow up learning how to win, how to dominate, but rather was an exhibition on the PGA. I think it can still happen if the right player gets the early hype and delivers, but even PGA golf viewership is miniscule compared to major sports (unless Tiger contends), so LPGA viewership is never going to be overwhelming, but merely a niche product.
 
More players that speak English and sex appeal would help the viewership and attract sponsors. It's hard for business executives to get excited about playing in a pro-am when there's a good chance the player you get grouped with doesn't speak English. There will always be a big gap(10X) in prize money from the men. I occasionally go to an LPGA event and will attend the LPGA Championship in a few months but it's not nearly as exciting for me to watch mostly golfers that have less power than I do off the tee and don't play much better tee to green than I do.
 
I think it needs more mainstream coverage. Sure, it's on the Golf Channel somewhat often but when is it on ABC/CBS/NBC/ESPN etc? Maybe a crossover event or 2 (think format like the tournament this past weekend) where guys and girls play on teams to get people familiar with the guys game more familiar with the female players.
 
I am a fan of the LPGA and would love to see it increase in popularity. I agree that absolutely nothing can be done to get it to the popularity level of the PGA. I believe the best thing that could happen for the LPGA is for Brooke Henderson to get to a dominant level. I believe she is the current English speaking LPGA player that could have the appeal to draw new fans in. She is attractive, well spoken, has a good attitude and presence and a good social media presence. All of these qualities, along with an increase in wins (especially a couple of more majors) would make her a very marketable personality IMO.
 
JB said:
Do they need more American presence?
Do they need a dominant American?
Do they need more sex appeal?

What do you think they need or can do?
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Definitely more American presence. Most of the time the leaderboard is filled with foreign players (including Brooke Henderson, the soon to be world #1). Now don't get me wrong, I love watching Brooke play and she is one of my favorites, but when you don't see any U.S. flags when they show the leaderboard, you have to wonder what's ups and why.

A dominant American would help. Michelle Wie could have and should have been but her parents effed her up by thinking she was all that and could match up with the guys on the PGA tour. We've had a few girls win some majors and tournaments here and there but nothing that you would call domination. Nancy Lopez was the last really dominant U.S. golfer (48 tour wins, but still only 3 majors). Meg Mallon and Juli Inkster come to mind as recent, but not really dominant in my opinion. Inkster had longevity and won multiple majors in 3 different decades, but I don't think I would consider her dominant in the way you expected her to be the favorite every time out.

Sex appeal? Eye candy is nice, for sure, but I'd rather see good golf from tour players than all the short skirts from earlier this century.


Also, look at the schedule. How many events are not even in this country? I haven't looked at this year, but in the past it has been a lot.
 
They need a good rivalry and a good American player in the middle of it.


I think a couple crossover events would be fun too like having the PGA tour join with an LPGA player for matches that have skin in them, maybe like a co-Ed Ryder Cup style event
 
JB said:
Let me pose this question as I posed it to my friend.
Let's say there was a female golfer that hit it a LONG way. I mean Bubba Watson/DJ kind of action off the tee. Maybe they win a couple of times, but not dominant.
Do you think that changes things and makes more tune in? I kind of think it does. People like the long ball.

I think there is a lot of truth to the International Golf being an easy target, but when Creamer and others were doing well, people were not jumping in in a huge way. I think some could make the case that the golf is a bit boring. Shorter courses than they normally play (sad but true), slow as can be on the greens and near robotic. Fairway, green, two putt par.
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That would be Brittany Lincicome. And yes, I do like to watch when she is contending. On a side note, still my favorite THP interview ever.

c0ncept said:
More airtime. More marketing. More Americans.

I really think showing more college golf would help a ton.

Look at Women's soccer and see if you can emulate their success. USWNT is much more popular than the USMNT.
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Really, women's college golf? I don't know many people who watch men's college golf. As far as amateur events go, the only time I really watched the U.S. Am was when Tiger was in them.
 
They need Tiger Woods.
 
Schedule the weekends so they could get network time as a lead-in to the PGA coverage.
 
Sox_Fan said:
I am a fan of the LPGA and would love to see it increase in popularity. I agree that absolutely nothing can be done to get it to the popularity level of the PGA. I believe the best thing that could happen for the LPGA is for Brooke Henderson to get to a dominant level. I believe she is the current English speaking LPGA player that could have the appeal to draw new fans in. She is attractive, well spoken, has a good attitude and presence and a good social media presence. All of these qualities, along with an increase in wins (especially a couple of more majors) would make her a very marketable personality IMO.
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Brookie has 74k IG follows, Michelle Wie has 540k, Paige Spiranac has 1.7 million

that's the state of women's golf to the average person
 
aljaklaw said:
Brookie has 74k IG follows, Michelle Wie has 540k, Paige Spiranac has 1.7 million

that's the state of women's golf to the average person
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It's unfortunate but it is what it is. My sister was recruited as a 3 sport athlete to college but ended up only taking on Ice Hockey and Soccer because the US Women's teams offered more appeal to her than potential to play on the LPGA. It wasn't a financial decision as sports medicine is her ultimate goal, it was the lack of exposure for one sport compared to the others.

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Alez367 said:
i honestly think it's male ego arrogance that is hindering the LPGA. Their product and play is great each and every week. As you say their marketing and social is great. There's not much more they can do until golf's main viewership changes their ego driven opinion about women's golf being a sporting event.
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I agree with this whole heartedly. I think it's sad, because those ladies play some great golf. I also think their airtime hurts them in making them appear to be a lesser league. Always seems it's odd times that I see LPGA tournaments on, but maybe I just am poor at catching when tourmanents air.
 
aljaklaw said:
Brookie has 74k IG follows, Michelle Wie has 540k, Paige Spiranac has 1.7 million

that's the state of women's golf to the average person
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Paige is a social media personality. I would not really consider her an LPGA player. If she had the talent to win, she could certainly help grow the tour.
 
greekelite said:
Dominant American(s), but also a different schedule is not the same days PGA is

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Agreed. I have said the same thing about the PGA tour championship, if you think you are going to beat football in this country on a saturday/sunday with golf... you are crazy. Adapt, do something different.

If the PGA and the LPGA are on at the same time... I am going to watch the PGA. Not because I think less of the ladies, but I have more interest and think the PGA overall is a better product on TV. There is a pretty limited market share for golf, football saw the same thing which is why Friday night is high school, saturday is NCAA and Sunday is the NFL. That has morphed a bit, but you get the idea.

I watch the most LPGA when it is a) on before the PGA (asian or european events) or after the PGA (west coast and hawaiian events). If they can, monitor the PGA schedule and try to have live events on TV when they will not be competing with golf fans that have to decide between watching PGA or LPGA.

I also think they would be very well poised to have a couple really successful players with some real charisma, that might get some real rivalries going. Lexi and Michelle wie are intriguing because they bring everything you could want to the table. Talented, powerful, personality and I cringe writing this, but they are both attractive. There are many others who check all those boxes, but when you have had champions win who seem nice but also have what is not really much of a personality, it is tough to care who wins.
 
EnglishTurn said:
X 10000000. It's basically the South Korean tour at the moment.

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I agree. But, how do you fix it?
 
Snickerdog said:
Get them off just the Golf Channel and get them on regular channels more.
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I’m good with the first half of your statement, but could care less about the second part. It’s because of this:

ArmyGolf said:
I think for me it's just the following:

We always talk about how the PGA players play a completely different game and are on another planet skill wise. I just dont ever get that feeling watching the LPGA. I feel like they are hitting the same shots I can hit, just 1000000000x more consistently. Consistency doesnt breed excitement to me.
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I just won’t ever get into it. And sex appeal makes no difference to me, or more Americans, or anything else.

I get super annoyed when I want to watch golf and the LPGA is on. I don’t care to watch the Champions Tour or European either (unless some American power player’s are competing).
 
-CRW- said:
I’m good with the first half of your statement, but could care less about the second part. It’s because of this:
I just won’t ever get into it. And sex appeal makes no difference to me, or more Americans, or anything else.

I get super annoyed when I want to watch golf and the LPGA is on. I don’t care to watch the Champions Tour or European either (unless some American power player’s are competing).
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See for me, I just love to see good golf. I don't care who it is, what nationality, whether they're sexy or not. It is just awesome to me to see great golf being played. I know this is probably not the norm for sentiment on watching golf though. Most people I know think golf in general is boring to watch.
 
checkered said:
See for me, I just love to see good golf. I don't care who it is, what nationality, whether they're sexy or not. It is just awesome to me to see great golf being played. I know this is probably not the norm for sentiment on watching golf though. Most people I know think golf in general is boring to watch.
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I don’t know what the normal/average sentiment is, but you are probably spot on.

I think I would probably be better served with a PGA Live subscription to watch what I want on demand. Golf Channel’s On Demand content is pretty poor, but probably because the PGA wants me paying for the live subscription.
 
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