How about...

Tiger creating his own world golf association called the TWGA (Tiger Woods Golf Association or The World Golf Association). Where the "Best Players in the World" compete 2-3 months in each of the following areas: Australia, Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and North America enjoying the best weather each continent has to offer while competing the globalization of golf.

Sounds like a mad scientist speaking, but WHY NOT??? It seems like every other sport is aiming to move in that direction

Tiger may want to consult with Greg Norman on that plan.

hmmm...Outside of the majors, maybe they'll only play Tiger designed courses on the TWGA.

As George Santayana said, "Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it," (from Reason in Common Sense, the first volume of his The Life of Reason.)

Mostly because most of the sponsorship dollars are in the United States and because the USPGA is not about to release its stranglehold on said dollars.

If it aint broke, dont fix it

but Tiger does control the TV ratings...

And if you control TV ratings, then you control advertising dollars.

We'll soon see what the interest in golf is like without Tiger Woods. Will anyone care who wins the British, the PGA, FEDEX Cup, or Ryder Cup? I can't wait too see those ratings.



US Sponsorship dollars???

We are talking about the "Biggest Guy in Sports!!!" at a time where media is bigger then ever. Who cares about U.S. sponsorship dollars when he would have an opportunity to rival the biggest sport in the world: Soccer/Futbol/Football/Whatever want to call it!!! Or maybe Rugby in Australia? Or maybe Formula One? Are you telling me more money is in golf sponsorship than the most popular sport in the world: Soccer!!!



Point taken. However, how many of us watched Tiger play the Johnnie Walker??? How about play in Australia??? How about Singapore??? How about Hong Kong??? How about Dubai???

Now, what was the importance of those tournaments??? Other than Tiger Woods: NOTHING!!! They were the most irrelevant tournaments ever to be aired on cable television. They included places most Americans will never visit, let alone play. And they were aired with the worst broadcasts ever. Now, I have a feeling the commercials aired in other countries were different than the one's aired here. Some of us even watched parts of the live broadcasts (I'll admit I did) and even some of the re-broadcasts in the evening.



Money would not be an issue. If other countries can come out and pay astronomical appearance fees today, I don't see how anyone can be worried about the purse of a tournament.

G-L-O-B-A-L-I-Z-A-T-I-O-N!!!

The biggest thing is, the purse prises for finishing second in the newly found tiger woods league, would have to be more than the first place purse for the regular PGA, because why would anyone play to come in second to tiger woods, where instead they can elevate their game and place first in the PGA tour.

True, but it isn't just ratings. It has to be ratings in a place that can actually buy the products being advertised.

You'd have to answer this question: why are the Accenture World Championship events, a series of events that was supposed to be global, see all of their events played in the USA? I have a feeling the answer to that will be the issue that dooms any global tour.

In any case, the bigger problem would be getting Tiger to buy into it. I don't think he is interested in anything except the major record at this point, and when that is broken I think he'll retire.

never gonna happen

I think the average golf fan will be fine with the makeup and climate of golf. The casual golf fan will not watch golf, even if the majors were played naked. Not that I would want to see that! But no one can deny that Tiger absence will hurt and a lot, maybe not at first, but if the first couple of tourneys with him being gone will tell the tale of how many advertisers pull their dollars.

It is the casual fan that watches Mr. Woods (not majors), enables him to sign $100 million dollar contracts, and will be sitting on the couch drinking Tigerade. I can only imagine how many advertisers wanted to re-negotiate their contracts with the networks when Mr. Woods said he was out for the season.

ISN'T THIS FUN!!!

A:
We'll soon see what the interest in golf is like without Tiger Woods. Will anyone care who wins the British, the PGA, FEDEX Cup, or Ryder Cup? I can't wait too see those ratings.




A:
US Sponsorship dollars???

We are talking about the "Biggest Guy in Sports!!!" at a time where media is bigger then ever. Who cares about U.S. sponsorship dollars when he would have an opportunity to rival the biggest sport in the world: Soccer/Futbol/Football/Whatever want to call it!!! Or maybe Rugby in Australia? Or maybe Formula One? Are you telling me more money is in golf sponsorship than the most popular sport in the world: Soccer!!!




A:
Point taken. However, how many of us watched Tiger play the Johnnie Walker??? How about play in Australia??? How about Singapore??? How about Hong Kong??? How about Dubai???

Now, what was the importance of those tournaments??? Other than Tiger Woods: NOTHING!!! They were the most irrelevant tournaments ever to be aired on cable television. They included places most Americans will never visit, let alone play. And they were aired with the worst broadcasts ever. Now, I have a feeling the commercials aired in other countries were different than the one's aired here. Some of us even watched parts of the live broadcasts (I'll admit I did) and even some of the re-broadcasts in the evening.




A:
Money would not be an issue. If other countries can come out and pay astronomical appearance fees today, I don't see how anyone can be worried about the purse of a tournament.

G-L-O-B-A-L-I-Z-A-T-I-O-N!!!

Although it is unlikely it will occur, why can't golf globalize!!!

1) It has the biggest star
2) A game that all ages can play
3) A golfer's career is longer than any other sport (longevity)
4) The media loves Tiger
5) Every man's sport (don't need to be the strongest/fastest/smartest)

Then again...if Tiger told everyone he had torn ACL and said, "He was going to win the U.S. Open," you would also say,

Here's a few reasons to consider while you return to reality...

#1. How much money did Tiger win at Dubai? While you're looking it up, you might want to think about the fact that Greg Kraft won more money in an opposite-field event in Puerto Rico this year.

#2. Time Zones. Americans (i.e. the people who advertisers pay to have their products flogged to) want to watch sports on Sunday afternoons. Why do you think that NBC wants every Olympic Games from now until the end of time hosted in North America? Kind of hard to get live golf in Singapore on TV on a Sunday afternoon.

#3. Constant global travel plays hell with your golf game. Ask Ernie Els.

#4. The USFL, the XFL, the NASL, the ABA, the WHA... I could go on.

#5. Why? This is like golf in the Olympics: a solution to a non-existent problem.

1) How much was paid out in appearance fees in Dubai??? PLENTY $$$
By the way, when was the last time you filled your gas tank? The Middle East has plenty of $$$
Don't underestimate the amount of money other countries are willing to pay for 4 tournaments of advertising or sponsorship on the biggest stage. If a small % was taken from Formula 1 or Soccer, it would definitely go a long way. Or how about the golf association spreading out the money to balance out the purses in less affluent countries? We're talking $25 million dollar purses.

2) Time Zones are not a problem. Most people work on Thursday and Fridays and watch the re-broadcast in the evening. How about a live broadcast of Tiger at dinner time or before bedtime. Remember, we are not the only ones watching. It's being broadcast everywhere earning money. While it may be difficult to watch a broadcast in Singapore for you, it might not be for a few hundred million others. With the main tournaments being played in America, how many more people are there around world missing out on golf then there is now? Not to mention, if you have no choice, then eventually you will watch. On the weekends, don't tournaments air at noon anyways. I can't remember the number of times I have watched golf "live" from a foreign country either in the morning or evening on the Golf Channel. I know I'm not the only one.


3) Although not nearly as successful, Tennis has been doing this for decades. So, travel shouldn't be an issue. 2 months here, then 2 months there, and so on. If Gary Player can travel with turbo prop planes, Jet lag is just an excuse when most players are flying in chartered planes. This is a global sport, not just American, or for Europeans, or Australians living in America or have homes here. Golf has already out grown tennis around the world and Tiger is it's biggest star.

4) Golf is full of "Independent Contractors!!!!" If they don't make the money list, then they don't have a job. Also, it's insulting to compare Tiger Woods to Herscehl Walker, a professional wrestler/nacho libre, an aging David Beckham creating excitement in the MSL, or the inferior NASL, and I could go on and on. There are no collective bargaining agreements and there is no draft in golf. There is only free agency in golf and every player has that right!!! All those other leagues are comparable to the Hooter's tour, minor league basketball, and minor league hockey. Not one of those had the biggest and soon to be greatest athlete to ever play their game, in his prime, along with the money start.

5) Golf does not belong in the Olympics.

Hasn't anyone noticed that the name Tiger Woods adds validity to anything he puts his name on. Before Tiger, golf was played by old retired people and for business reasons. Now, men are handing golf clubs to their toddlers instead of a baseball, baseball glove, bat, football, basketball, soccer ball, or any other sports item. And not just the boys, but the girls too. We now have 2 and 3 year olds swinging golf clubs around the house or following dad or mom to the driving range. That's right, women are playing golf!!! It's not only happening here, but in Europe, Australia, India, and Asia too.

Haven't you noticed how players, networks, and sponsors are lining up to be part of Tiger tournaments?

While this is not reality yet...please come up with a better argument if you are going to be condescending

Well, all the tournaments you mentioned are part of the European Tour's International schedule. Now, I don't know how many americans watched Tiger play in any of those tourneys, but rest assured they might have missed something. Just take Dubai for example...I bet that a lot of you guys would have wished to have seen that final round!! That includes me, as I was in AZ on that weekend and am still hot for not being able to watch that one...
The Johnny Walker and the Dubai event are actually two of the more notable events on the European Tour, even when Tiger is not playing.
As for the money...Tiger can make way more money playing internationally than he can playing on the US tour. He received a rumored $3m for playing in Dubai, and he does that every year, even builds his first own course down there (and not in the US)!

As for the quality of the broadcast...I'd take a European Tour coverage over US PGA Tour coverage any time...24-7-365, cause there you actually get to watch golf for a change! The only thing you get to see on the US PGA Tour is Tiger's every shot and a couple of others putt. I sometimes have the feeling it's an advertising program with golf breaks...however I think that you guys over there get a different broadcast/commentary as we do, so I understand it's not easy to value it.

There are plenty of VCs out there ready, willing, and able to fund great business plans. I see a lot of argument why TW is God and his tour would work, but not only do I not see the business plan, I don't even see the makings of a viable/sustainable business.

Comparing Golf to F1 or soccer in any monetary terms is an absolute joke. TV viewership of the most popular golf event, the Masters, is 17 million, for FIFA, it is somewhere around 260 million, and a typical F1 race around 100 million. An average PGA Tour event is well under 5 million.

And heaven forbid, what if TW's rehab doesn't go so well, he needs another swing change, and his winning percentage drops by half? He still wins, but not 8 - 10 events a year, then what?

Golf is becoming more and more globalized, we don't need a TW tour to accelerate that. The Dubai tournament is a perfect example. How many years has it been going on? When they started paying big appearance fees to TW and others, many questioned the economic sanity, but what most people don't understand is for Dubai it's a big TV commercial to promote tourism and business that lasts for a year (until the next tournament), overall for them, it is a very good deal. Other cities may want to get in the mix, but not all cities are a Dubai.

The World Golf Championships were/are an effort to get the top players world wide to play against each other around the world. But again, sponsors have the most say and we end up with most events in the U.S. It is starting to change a little, but it takes time. And TW is in these events, so here is perfect proof that a TW tour is really not ready yet as a viable business model.

As posts #2 & #4 were trying to point out, Greg Norman tried this before, when he was at his most marketable. He failed miserably, and was hammered by the PGA Tour.

As Frederick Douglass said, "Power concedes nothing without demand. It never has and never will."

Sorry I came across a little snarky there. But you didn't answer question number 5. Why? I guess I don't get why this is such a great idea. The PGA Tour isn't broken, so why fix it? As for the rest, you and I and a few thousand other people might be watching the European Tour at odd hours, but the people advertisers are paying big bucks for are certainly not. Would people get up at 5 AM to watch Tiger Woods? Once a year at the British Open, but other than that, not so much. And I wasn't comparing Tiger Woods to Herschel Walker, I was listing leagues which have tried to take on an established sports organization and gotten crushed. For Woods, this would be a huge risk without much of a payoff. It's not like he needs the money.

I don't see the need for people to compare Greg Norman to Tiger Woods. Greg Norman's career and public interest pales in comparison. An Australian man that tried to globalize a game played in the U.S. when it lacked popularity. A man with 2 major championships (doesn't JD have 2). A man that a majority of people refuse to relate with. Who played a majority of his golf when MTV was new and the internet was in UNIX.

"How do you know unless you try?"~Bruin_golf

Man you're really tryin to keep this thread goin huh?...Every time I click new posts this one shows up...The only problem is it's always Bruin golf as last post. Any way It's inpolite to put words in peoples mouth's. I never doubt tiger on the course..and actually still would have thought him a favorite even If I would have known exactally what his injuries were. And why do you keep saying golf isn't global? There is way more diversity on the Tour than in any other sport we got Americans (of many different backrounds) South Americans, Canadians,Australians, English, Spanish, French, Swedes, South African, South Korean....Should I go on...New Zeland, Norway, Fiji....Ya I said Fiji, and I have been hearing a lot of buzz about russian golf lately...Could go on but I am pretty sure you get the jist. That short list is longer than any other pro sport. Let me guess who the next post is gonna be from....Give it up man

You've got it. Haven't you noticeed the posts and comments were made directly at me. Next time show some class and PM me if you want to make it personal. You don't have to read the post.

Don't try and take the high and mighty road now pal..I get that your passionate about the topic you started but you started it two days ago and there has only been 25 post...and ten of those are yours. The posts were not all aimed at you you just took it that way...This worthless thread would be history but you keep posting new comebacks to other posts to keep it alive...Once again give it up, It aint gonna happen. I would have sent this in a pm but you sent me 4 before I could respond so I figured I would post it in a place where I new you would get it.

There's little doubt in my mind that a global tour will be attempted again in the next 15 years or so. It may or may not be successful. The potential of those huge markets (growing larger every year) for the golf companies, advertisers or some clever entrepreneur is something that won't be left alone, no matter how many times it fails.

But nothing has really changed. Norman was popular and recognizable, regardless of how many majors he won. You are talking about building a tour around one person's popularity, not his record.

You can't build a tour around one person.

You are also highly, highly overestimating the popularity of golf both here and abroad. Especially abroad.

The demand for this just isn't there. Sponsors won't sink money into it, and the USPGA isn't going to spend their money to subsidize it. It has already been pointed out, but in places like Dubai and China they spend money to get big names (including Tiger) to play there not because it is popular locally but as a sort of advertisement to Europe and the United States. If you go to Dubai, the course is virtually deserted during the tournament! People in Dubai don't care - except for the expats.

Golf can't be globalized now because nobody cares about golf. We're lucky we have it on television here. Ask yourself why the Golf Channel is televising Thursday and Friday rounds (and some full tournaments) instead of CBS or ABC. If golf were that popular the big networks would have picked it up, but Day of Our Lives and General Hospital are more important than golf... and that is in one of your strongholds of golf.

It isn't going to happen. I don't need to try it to know, I can read the writing on the wall clearly enough. Many very good reasons it would not succeed and no good reason it would. No need to try it out.

I wouldn't be surprised either if it is attempted, there is always a billionaire with too much ego to be found.

No doubt golf is growing in other markets of the world albeit not as fast as some would have you believe, but it takes a lot more than a growing market to rationalize the significant investment a new tour would take.

I think a major problem would be getting the top players in the world to play on any type of world tour. I think you would have some, but other (see Mickelson) don't travel outside the U.S. a great deal and probably have no desire to start.

So write a business plan, and bring it to a venture capital firm for funding. Or six. Or more.

Golf is a middle and upper class pastime in the USA, with reach into the lower class via the programs such as the First Tee and the various philanthropic efforts of Tiger, et.al. Where is the market with sufficient leisure time and disposable income to play and get interested in the Third World? My understanding is that golf is growing in popularity in India, but are new courses being built at a very high rate there yet?

IMO, if I were a venture capitalist looking at this proposal, I would see a payback period of greater than two years. In that world, that is assurance of an automatic thumbs-down. Sorry.

You guys are harshing Bruin_golf's mellow.

Not to mention failing to unequivocally support the clearly enormous man-crush he has on TW.

Greg Norman is no Tiger Woods.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3469971

They could get around some of the traveling/jet lag problem by staying in one place/region for multiple tournaments. Of course to be beneficial that would mean the players would have to hang around that timezone between tourneys.

I think as the rest of the world, particularly China and India with their huge populations, get more affluent that there will be more demand for this. Read a story recently about how baseball is actively trying to make inroads in China, building fields etc, starting leagues for kids to bring them up with an interest. Not sure if golf is doing the same, but golf to a certain degree is a status symbol across the world.

Having Tiger onboard or at least as a participant would be required for success of any world tour, without the marquee player it would not make an impact. At least not enough to attract other big name golfers and enough sponsorship money to pay big purses.

Wow, who saw that coming???

I guess Eric Adelson is a fan of golfwrx.

It will be interesting to see what happens in Dubai next year if the players go where the money is?
Dubai started a horse race a few years ago and has attracted the best horses on the planet because the money was too big to give up?
Money seems to talk in all walks of life.

Dubai has been a part of the European Tour for some time. I don't suspect more Americans are going to go next year - no reason for them to go. Or are they doing something different in Dubai next year?

I think it was already mentioned, but the interesting thing about Dubai is that the only people who care about the tournament in Dubai are the expats and television audiences. If you go to the event the grounds are deserted. The event is held as an advertisement to the generate tourism.

That interest doesn't exist globally. Unless there is a special underlying reason such as Dubai, why have a tournament (let alone several) where there is no interest?

Assume for a moment that Tiger is interested, what happens to your tour when Tiger retires? Or just gets old?