Opinion & Analysis

Why golf industry organizations must do more (and what they can do)

Published

9 years ago

Apr 29, 2015

When we look at the current state of golf, there are more questions than answers. There is more confusion than clarity. There are more initiatives than you can shake a golf club at, but there have been fewer results than there are believers that Dustin Johnson’s leave of absence was voluntary.

Against a backdrop of declining popularity and participation, we’re presented with confusing and seemingly irreconcilable behavior from our industry organizations, who are themselves experiencing varying fortunes.

And on the subject of fortunes, there are some curious realities in executive compensation and hard questions to be asked. For example, why does Joe Barrow of the First Tee reportedly earn $1 million annually? What has the CEO of the NGCOA (National Golf Course Owners Association) done to merit earning 10 percent of the organization’s net assets in annual compensation, the NGF’s (National Golf Foundation) nearly 10 percent?

In a recent article titled “Golf Industry Associations: A Tale of Two Cities,” Jim Koppenhaver, of golf consulting group Pellucid Corporation, offered an interesting take on all of the above. I reached out to hear more about his take on the current state of industry associations.

Koppenhaver’s contention is simple. The PGA Tour, USGA, and PGA of America are doing well as they have the mother’s milk of lucrative TV deals. The WGF, GCSAA, NGCOA, NGF— lacking those contracts — not so much. And based on the collective net assets of these non-profit organizations, it doesn’t seem like anyone’s change purse is totally devoid of coin to allocate to industry growth.

A word of explanation regarding some of the potentially lesser known acronyms:

The WGF is the World Golf Foundation. Its mission is to “develop and support initiatives that positively impact lives through the game of golf and its traditional values.”

The GCSAA is the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. The organization “provides education, information and representation to more than 17,000 members in more than 72 countries. GCSAA’s mission is to serve its members, advance their profession and enhance the enjoyment, growth and vitality of the game of golf.”

The NGCOA (National Golf Course Owners Association). It “is the leading authority on the business of golf course ownership and management. The Association represents the industry’s key decision makers with ultimate responsibility for golf courses throughout the world.”

The NGF (National Golf Foundation) “is an objective and independent information resource dedicated to supporting all the people, companies, facilities and associations that earn their living in the golf business. NGF delivers market intelligence, insights and trends to fulfill its mission: To Help Golf Businesses Succeed.”

Koppenhaver’s data on the organizations’ net assets bears this out.

For the “best of times” group, net assets are both substantial and growing.

Koppenhaver-1-

For the “worst of times group,” much less so (save for the WGF’s strange 2012 cash infusion).

Koppenhaver-2-

The non-profit USGA recently struck a $56 million TV deal with Fox to add to its coffers. Likewise, the PGA of America cashed in thanks to its deal with CBS, and the PGA Tour, of course, as Koppenhaver writes, “Very intelligently locked in their partners at favorable…and long terms.”

The bottom line: these non-profit organizations are sitting on piles of cash that would make Scrooge McDuck blush.

Likewise, the “worst of times” crew has a bit more money in the bank than might be expected. For example, they had more than $50 million in their collective treasure chests in 2012.

As Koppenhaver writes:

[quote_box_center]“The final question that any reasonable person would ask here is, “What have the various industry Association heads done over the ’10-’13 period that has significantly advanced either the industry as a whole (NGF & WGF) or their specific constituency (NGCOA and WGF)?” Given that we’re not seeing exponential growth in the NA base of any of the orgs (WGF potentially excluded although without a breakdown of that $30M infusion it’s hard to tell) and the industry has declined in participants and rounds and basically held flat in Total Golf Facility Revenue, it doesn’t seem that the members contributing their hard-earned money to those Associations are getting much (any?) bang for their leadership buck?”[/quote_box_center]

Not having a good answer to this question and hoping there was something I was missing, I decided to ask the author of the report, as well as each of the organizations mentioned in it.

The PGA Tour declined to comment. The USGA, PGA of America, WGF, NGCOA and NGF all failed to respond to repeated inquiries.

The GCSAA provided this statement, per J.D. Dockstader, chief business development officer:

[quote_box_center]“There are some good things happening within the golf industry right now, and our revenues have increased consistently over the last four years. The association is continually exploring new models for membership growth, both within the U.S. And internationally, as well as greater industry collaboration, which is key to creating a critical mass of influence and economies of scale. Our relationship with other governing bodies is stronger than ever.”[/quote_box_center]

Koppenhaver, fortunately, was willing to discuss his findings at length.

What’s the problem here?

J.K. In any business that you’re in that’s declining, you need a.) A strategy and b.) money.

At the end of the Golf 20/20 conference, they passed the hat. Obviously they didn’t get a lot of takers … equipment manufacturers and golf course owners have the least cash of anybody. Their strategy has failed miserably. They can’t really set their feet and point themselves in a direction…this year it’s women, the next year it’s minorities…

You’re not going to get a great strategy out of asking 50 different people to do this as a 10^th job.

Since Golf 20/20, we’re about 8 million golfers light of where we were; we’re about 60 million rounds lights of where we were. We have no strategy, and we still have no money. Fifteen years after this initiative, we’re actually going backwards at a faster pace than when we started, and everyone is still passing the hat to everyone else without a strategy.

Should the PGA Tour, USGA, and PGA of America be compelled to put forth cash to grow the game?

The big guys shouldn’t be compelled to contribute that money; they should feel a responsibility to.

If you look at the USGA and their pattern of giving, they give out hundreds of tiny grants. It’s more about PR…that’s not investing, that’s a PR campaign.

I tossed out the idea of a 1.5 percent tax [of each organization to fund initiatives].

It’s tens of millions of dollars that would be put into play for coming up with a strategy and actually deploying it. Feed your winners and starve your losers! Put five or six things in the marketplace. One or two of them work. You give them more money, shut down the others. Put four more in the hopper…

Do they care?

Institutions get to a certain size and it’s very hard to knock them off center. You’re not going to knock the USGA off center if they just stick to message and ignore. There’s no incentive for any of those organizations to help stabilize the game.

Something will have to shift in the funding mechanism or around public sentiment as it relates to the USGA and their willingness and ability to actually put real money and brains toward fixing the game rather than saying “our job is to maintain a handicap system, teach people how to grow grass, and to run tournaments.

What’s going on at the NGCOA?

Look at the track record of the NGCOA for the past few years. Can you identify any initiative or progress that they’ve made that has advanced the good of the members or impacted the industry?

I can’t think of many places like that where you give somebody a $100,000 raise. I would love to know what the rationale was for rewarding somebody a third more in base compensation. I had a guy from the NGCOA board rip me a new one. I said, “Bring me the facts.” I haven’t heard back from him.

What explains the relative absence of successful initiatives?

There hasn’t been concerted strategic information gathering conducting. We’ve lost 8 million golfers over the past decade and we still don’t have solid, quantitative reasons why we lost them, can they be reacquired, and what it is we would need to reacquire them.

You have to have some system for reviewing and prioritizing the ideas and what you’re going to put in the marketplace. Hack Golf: they got the ideas but no triage. They opened this website and let it lay in agony. Somebody has to sort through the crap: Here’s 1,000 ideas…of them, 100 have merit. We can only finance 10. The back end of that is you have to have reporting and tracking mechanisms.

We did this Get Golf Ready thing. It’s been in the market for like six years now. They’re not even having structured exit interviews. They have no mechanism for keeping track of [participants]: where they’re playing, how much they’re playing, how much money they’re spending. They’re simply sending them an email survey a year later and saying, “What was your impression of the program?”

I know you’re not high on the First Tee…

You take something like the First Tee—A colossal waste of resources, time, and money. We started out with noble intentions: We wanted more diversity in golf, not just ethnically but among the incomes. They go out and raise a ton of money. They go start building golf courses. They build courses in a time in which the golf industry already had too many courses.

When [Joe] Barrow and the boys put this up as a criteria of success, they’re saying, “We built this in a place where your golf course doesn’t reach…we built it in the inner cities.” But when charitable funding is taken away, it’s not self-sustaining.

From 2000 to 2005, they touted how many courses they were building. In 2005, voices like myself were finally heard saying, “This is stupid.” Now it’s changed to “lives touched.” Now they’ve “touched a million lives.” But what does golf have to do with that? I can touch a million lives through church…through the Boys & Girls Club.

The industry is just littered with this stuff. There needs to be accountability on the back end. We need to be willing to feed our winners and starve our losers.

What will sustained growth take?

Somebody has to fund this thing [programs] with real money for an extended period. We come up with a program, and we fund it for the first year—it’s a PR campaign. But you can’t build good programs banking on runaway success in year one. Good programs take time. There’s a process of refinement and making mistakes. You can’t do that when somebody simply writes you an adequate check for year one alone.

It’s going to take people who aren’t part of the good-old boy network…aren’t allied to everybody and their cousin. But nobody’s going to insert the Save the Golf Industry Czar, who isn’t aligned with all this crap.

What are the root issues here?

We don’t have very good financial accountability. We don’t have very good governance over CEO compensation as it relates to the organization and its productivity. And there’s this other stuff where things just go sideways for eons and nobody ever calls it out and says we either need to kill this conversation or we need to set firm timelines.

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22 Comments

Mojo

May 1, 2015 at 7:17 am

Excellent article but nothing will change. All the time the public are paying through the nose for equipment that the professionals are getting free, high green fees and a rule book with hundreds of items in it you will see a big decline in people playing golf. At our club we have a junior team and we can’t put out a full team of 7 – not enough junior players, and one junior girl member tells you there is something seriously wrong with the way golf is being run by people with their hands in the kitty. Instead of supplying professionals with everything they need, yes I have seen them coming out of the tour vans loaded down with equipment and shoes, let juniors play for nothing and give them some equipment.

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Dave C.

May 1, 2015 at 6:12 am

The golf non profits are just like the regular non profits. Just looking for more money for its officers and key employees. I once interviewed for an accounting position for a huge national non profit. The local officer was making over 100K at the time, and was married to a successful attorney. When we discussed the salary of the open position, I was appalled to hear, they were looking for someone for $4-5 per hour. (This was thirty years ago.) The lady replied that they were looking for a community minded individual.

I left that place with a bad taste. Non profit corporation only means an exemption from federal income taxes, not really any interest in the public well being. Ask the 1 million dollar CEO about it. Like politicians, their job is to keep their jobs.

My opinion.

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Golfgirlrobin

Apr 30, 2015 at 6:54 pm

Nobody has convinced me yet that anything needs to be done at all. Golf has always been a niche sport and only those who need to make a buck off of it need sustained growth. The Tiger boom was never going to last, and lots of professional business people failed to grasp that. Courses went up with little thought to sustainability, prices went up simply because they could, and the market was flooded with product. The closing of one of these courses is not a tragedy, TaylorMade having trouble selling one of their 397 new club offerings every year is not a tragedy. That the number of golfers reverts to its historical norm is not the end of the sport.

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ComeOnSense

Apr 30, 2015 at 9:42 am

Greed is what’s killing our game, Greed destroys everything in society ,and sadly, Greed is now moving faster and more powerful than before. A person or Organization that’s is full of Greed is consider to be “successful” in society.
We can’t ignore that most of the people that left Golf came in because of Tiger Woods and a booming economy. And What the Golf club manufactures and Golf course builders did during that Boom?.They turn on their Greed switch, $400 for a driver and ,supposedly, upscale golf courses for $100. per rounds. But wait, I know why is that, it’s the #1 excuse for Greed mentality…. ‘Supply and Demand”.
Demand in High? let’s jack the price up. This is not only in Golf but everything in society. Have you noticed when the demand is low the price it’s not lower,but actually higher? Funny how prices wont go down, Greed wont let it come down.
Talking about “Jack’ the price up. Take 2 of our golf ambassadors , Jack & Arnie, who build golf courses. Do you see them building courses with green fees in the $30’s? Even now when Golf its hurting? Are they promoting the game of golf now that golf needs them the most? Omg, how there I say that of Jack & Arnie right?,but in my opinion, they are not helping by building these ” you cant afford fee” courses with Clubhouses so big ,that you can’t find the bathrooms even if you do a ‘google search”, Greed won’t let them ,or simple, they need more money…to be…successful…in golf and leave behind a.. Legacy… of HighEnd… HighPrice… GolfCourses…so when they passed away, they can leave Golf in the same place they found it when they first started playing …in the hands of those with Greed .
Excuse my honesty.
” the moment you go to far right or left, you will miss the truth” Me

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Mad-Mex

Apr 30, 2015 at 12:22 am

Best article so far, by far, unfortunately like many CEO’s they don’t look at the bottom of the ladder, only at the bottom line. As long as the premium courses are full and still getting premium pay, they don’t care about the municipal course on which a break even day is a struggle.
Golf companies have no incentive to bring down the price when you have people buying $500 dollar shafts and even grips are quickly surpassing the $10 per grip barrier.
But there is plenty of blame to go around, for example:
The 36 handicapper playing from the tips while using ill fitting equipment only because he saw Joe Pro using.
The scratch player analyzing and describing EVERY single shot to his group
The beer per hole player driving around like a moron
And of course, the jam as many as I can so I can get a bigger cut Club Pro.

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GolferC

Apr 30, 2015 at 12:21 am

It is an interesting article and while I agree with most of it, I disagree about the section on “The First Tee”. I think having a program to bring kids into the game is huge, especially in a world where kids are losing out on baseball because it is too slow. Aren’t they the future customers? The First Tee makes the game fun and engaging for kids. It is about impacting lives, not just touching them. “But what does golf have to do with that” Do you play golf? Seriously. As a golfer, there are many valuable lessons it can teach us, especially in the form of adversity and perseverance, something it seems most successful people manage pretty well. Golf is the vehicle for reaching all kids, to reinforce honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, and others that too many adults on the golf course and in life could benefit from using a few of those lessons. Kids just don’t show up to learn to swing a club. What I have seen with The First Tee is it has introduced the game to kids who may not have ever given it a try and have later ended up in the golf industry or has become an avid golfer. Our home course has benefitted from the revenue created from parents giving golf a try because their kids are in the program and so they have been buying green fees, range balls, and lessons on a regular basis. Yes, the organization had a little greedy start, but at least they have recognized the downside and have positively emphasized partnering with local courses/ practice facilities.

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Mark

Apr 29, 2015 at 11:42 pm

I agree with everything that has been said but nobody ever seems to talks about the poor economic conditions of this country and unemployment, under employment or partime employment that so many have had to accept. Personally speaking, I belonged to a private club and played a lot of golf – and so did everyone else at the club. (by the way, golf took just as long to play then as it does now – it not like they extended an official round of golf to 25 holes). Everyone appeared to be doing well financially and enjoying life and playing golf. Then the firings, layoffs, downsizing, rightsizing, reorganizations or what ever bullshit name they’re calling it now. I had to resign from the club and quit golfing because my new job paid half of my previous one and I don’t have the flexibility or the time anymore. I’m not looking to cry the blues here I’m just saying there are more people like me and there’s nothing the “golf industry” people can do to change that.

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Shallowface

Apr 29, 2015 at 9:45 pm

One thing that Golf 20/20 suggested that no one has tried is the idea of allowing “twosomes only” during certain times of day or as a means for struggling operators to do something to stand out from the crowd.
Most of the places and times I play twosomes dominate. But throw a foursome into the middle of the mix and everyone’s day is shot.
There is no question that the biggest waste of time in this game is having to watch THREE other people play. But the possibility that the PGA of America may be the most resistant to change of any organization in the history of American business means that it is highly unlikely such a simple but effective idea would ever be tried.
I keep hoping they will prove me wrong.

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- TR1PTIK
  
  Apr 30, 2015 at 8:24 am
  
  I’d even be okay with the foursomes so long as the course marshals would do something about the groups of 5 or 6! I still contend that one of the best ways to improve pace of play and save course operators some money is to provide some better education on etiquette – and perhaps the rules. My local muni doesn’t even outfit each cart with the necessary tools to fill in fairway divots – only on SOME of the tee boxes and no one uses it. I’m constantly fixing other people’s ball marks or having a good putt stop short because of one… There just needs to be more accountability at every level I guess. I mean, what would happen if golf courses actually started booting golfers that either disrupted pace of play or failed to take proper care of the course? None of it is that hard, but a lot of us here in America are just lazy and a touch ignorant (or arrogant – take your pick). We as a whole, just don’t seem to care enough to change what we’re doing and fix the problem.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Shallowface
    
    Apr 30, 2015 at 6:20 pm
    
    TR1PTIK, I hear ya, but I’ve been at this game for over 40 years. There have been attempts at educating people, but people have to want to be educated. I’ve seen it all, including etiquette posters hanging over the urinals. It’s just like fixing slow play on the Tour. All talk, no action.
    All we hear is that the biggest cause of people not playing is how long it takes to play. So much of that time is spent watching other people play, and I have suggested the simplest of fixes. I have heard there are courses in the UK that don’t allow foursomes until after 10 AM. That’s a great place to start.
    Now, if your course is booked solid with foursomes and everyone is happy (and there are still places like that, particularly in Florida), don’t change a thing. But if you are a struggling operator looking for an edge, try a Twosomes Only day one day a week and see what happens. What do you have to lose?
    
    Reply Report comment
- Shallowface
  
  May 5, 2015 at 10:26 am
  
  Taking this a step further, I’m sure you’re like me in that you get a lot of email special offers from courses trying to get your business. Virtually every one of these I’ve received recently have been “foursome specials.” Why can’t “the management” understand that between kids activities, work obligations and the modern day wife who really doesn’t understand why she has a problem with golf except she knows she’s supposed to because she saw it years ago on “Everybody Loves Raymond,” it has become nearly impossible to get four people to show up in the same place at the same time. Unless you have a list of ten or fifteen names to call, you’ve got a real problem.
  The answers don’t lie in the past. Try a “Twosomes Only” day. If it doesn’t work, you’re out nothing.
  
  Reply Report comment
Barry S.

Apr 29, 2015 at 9:20 pm

I suggest that all the Golf Industry Organizations be consolidated under the umbrella of the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation.

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UA Golfer

Apr 29, 2015 at 6:54 pm

Money talks…follow the money

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Golfer Steve

Apr 29, 2015 at 6:54 pm

The industry needs some changes.

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GMatt

Apr 29, 2015 at 6:03 pm

Excellent article, as some have said “follow the money” that’s a gross understatement given the USGA, PGA Tour and their operations….. I say take away their tax exempt status and let them report true earnings, once they are accountable to someone then maybe transparency will enlighten all

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michael

Apr 29, 2015 at 3:00 pm

Golf industry is like washington. Upper managements lips move and nothing comes out!

I quit playing golf. t v commentators and thats all golf commentators are more concerned

about being politically correct than telling the truth! tim fincham is a looser!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Lou

Apr 29, 2015 at 2:47 pm

This idea speaks a lot like the growing problem of the state of executive compensation that is sorely evident in business, sports, entertainment and politics. Extremely evident when we see the beggars with their collective hands in our pockets yet failing to connect with our desires. Ask around your golfing buddies how they really feel about the US Open being played on British open style courses. Fairly evident that a few Asian countries are creating a growth of the game for their future golf millionaires. A scattering of other countries have similar entries and now the PGA and & USGA are pushing Latin and South America into the fray. In my mind there is sincere doubt that this will help grow the game here in the US. We cannot maintain this past time as a spectator sport while losing the daily fee players and the daily fee players obviously do not like where the game is going.

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other paul

Apr 29, 2015 at 2:24 pm

One of your better articles Ben. Good job.

Reply Report comment
- Marc
  
  Apr 29, 2015 at 9:49 pm
  
  I agree. Well done Ben. That was very well done.
  
  Reply Report comment
Scud

Apr 29, 2015 at 1:33 pm

I attended a few “Golf Summit” meetings in the late 80’s and early 90’s and they all had good intentions, but no strategy, no leadership, etc. And nothing has happened.

Reply Report comment
Greg V

Apr 29, 2015 at 1:21 pm

Golf is a great game if you are walking and playing with 10 or less clubs that you can carry easily. But that game started to go out of style in the 1930’s with 14-club sets. It further eroded in the 1960’s and 1970’s with the advent of the electric cart.

So, if most golf these days is played out of carts on courses that are too long to walk, it is not a beneficial game for exercise; recreation has turned into a social activity.

Why grow the game? The PGA Tour has grown magnificently as a wealth generator for professionals. The USGA has benefited handsomely from its new TV contract. Who is hurting? Course operators and golf equipment companies.

I would contend that golf course operators would benefit from a shorter ball, shorter course set-ups and game that is not so dependent upon high tech. Play would be faster, and easier from tee to green (but scores wouldn’t change much). But those very factors might hurt equipment sales. And, I suppose the PGA Tour benefits from pros who hit the ball over 300 yards. So there are major conflicts between the interests of each of these parties.

Who is supposed to preside over the conflict? The USGA. But I contend that they have been asleep at the switch for decades. That is not hard to fathom – their membership is largely derived of wealth members of private clubs, where golf exists in a tiny bubble that is just fine, thank you very much.

Until the membership composition is changed at the ruling body, the game is going to slip down the current path. And, I would argue that the current path is not healthy. But, largely, we are all victims of our desire to hit the ball longer and longer through technology, instead of improving our accuracy through practice.

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IowaHacker

Apr 29, 2015 at 12:26 pm

Great article. I think a lot of the principals not only apply to the golf industry, but to a lot of companies. When your upper management is not held accountable and stays in the same stagnant ways, no progress happens. It doesn’t matter if your in the golf, equipment, clothing, etc industry, constant innovation and progression is what moves industries forward. And don’t get me started on executive salaries…..since when does making 100 times more than your middle management make sense both financially and practicality wise.

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19th Hole

Vincenzi’s 2024 RBC Heritage betting preview: Patrick Cantlay ready to get back inside winner’s circle

Published

17 hours ago

Apr 15, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

Just a two-hour drive from Augusta National, the PGA TOUR heads to Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, S.C. Hilton Head Island is a golfer’s paradise and Harbour Town is one of the most beautiful and scenic courses on the PGA TOUR.

Harbour Town Golf Links is a par-71 that measures 7,121 yards and features Bermuda grass greens. A Pete Dye design, the course is heavily tree lined and features small greens and many dog legs, protecting it from “bomb-and-gauge” type golfers.

The field is loaded this week with 69 golfers with no cut. Last year was quite possibly the best field in RBC Heritage history and the event this week is yet another designated event, meaning there is a $20 million prize pool.

Most of the big names on the PGA Tour will be in attendance this week with the exceptions of Hideki Matsuyama and Viktor Hovland. Additionally, Webb Simpson, Shane Lowry, Gary Woodland and Kevin Kisner have been granted sponsors exemptions.

Past Winners at Harbour Town

2023: Matt Fitzpatrick (-17)
2022: Jordan Spieth (-13)
2021: Stewart Cink (-19)
2020: Webb Simpson (-22)
2019: CT Pan (-12)
2018: Sotoshi Kodaira (-12)
2017: Wesley Bryan (-13)
2016: Branden Grace (-9)
2015: Jim Furyk (-18)

In this article and going forward, I’ll be using the Rabbit Hole by Betsperts Golf data engine to develop my custom model. If you want to build your own model or check out all of the detailed stats, you can sign up using promo code: MATTVIN for 25% off any subscription package (yearly is best value).

Key Stats For Harbour Town

Let’s take a look at key metrics for Harbour Town Golf Links to determine which golfers boast top marks in each category over their past 24 rounds.

Strokes Gained: Approach

Strokes Gained: Approach is exceedingly important this week. The greens at Harbour Town are about half the size of PGA TOUR average and feature the second-smallest greens on the tour. Typical of a Pete Dye design, golfers will pay the price for missed greens.

Total SG: Approach Over Past 24 Rounds

Scottie Scheffler (+1.27)
Tom Hoge (+1.27)
Corey Conners (+1.16)
Austin Eckroat (+0.95)
Cameron Young (+0.93)

Good Drive %

The fairways at Harbour Town are tree lined and feature many dog legs. Bombers tend to struggle at the course because it forces layups and doesn’t allow long drivers to overpower it. Accuracy is far more important than power.

Good Drive % Over Past 24 Rounds

Brice Garnett (88.8%)
Shane Lowry (+87.2%)
Akshay Bhatia (+86.0%)
Si Woo Kim (+85.8%)
Sepp Straka (+85.1%)

Strokes Gained: Total at Pete Dye Designs

Pete Dye specialists tend to play very well at Harbour Town. Si Woo Kim, Matt Kuchar, Jim Furyk and Webb Simpson are all Pete Dye specialists who have had great success here. It is likely we see some more specialists near the top of the leaderboard this week.

SG: TOT Pete Dye per round over past 36 rounds:

Xander Schauffele (+2.27)
Scottie Scheffler (+2.24)
Ludvig Aberg (+2.11)
Brian Harman (+1.89)
Sungjae Im (+1.58)

4. Strokes Gained: Short Game (Bermuda)

Strokes Gained: Short Game factors in both around the green and putting. With many green-side bunkers and tricky green complexes, both statistics will be important. Past winners — such as Jim Furyk, Wes Bryan and Webb Simpson — highlight how crucial the short game skill set is around Harbour Town.

SG: SG Over Past 24 Rounds

Jordan Spieth (+1.11)
Taylor Moore (+1.02)
Wyndham Clark (+0.98)
Mackenzie Hughes (+0.86)
Andrew Putnam (+0.83)

5. Greens in Regulation %

The recipe for success at Harbour Town Golf Links is hitting fairways and greens. Missing either will prove to be consequential — golfers must be in total control of the ball to win.

Greens in Regulation % over past 24 rounds:

Brice Garnett (+75.0%)
Scottie Scheffler (+69.9%)
Corey Conners (+69.0%)
Shane Lowry (+68.3%)
Patrick Rodgers (+67.6%)

6. Course History

Harbour Town is a course where players who have strong past results at the course always tend to pop up.

Course History over past 24 rounds:

Patrick Cantlay (+2.34)
Cam Davis (+2.05)
J.T. Poston (+1.69)
Justin Rose (+1.68)
Tommy Fleetwood (+1.59)

The RBC Heritage Model Rankings

Below, I’ve compiled overall model rankings using a combination of the five key statistical categories previously discussed — SG: Approach (24%), Good Drives (20%), SG: SG (14%), SG: Pete Dye (14%), GIR (14%), and Course History (14%)

Shane Lowry
Russell Henley
Scottie Scheffler
Xander Schauffele
Corey Conners
Wyndham Clark
Christiaan Bezuidenhout
Matt Fitzpatrick
Cameron Young
Ludvig Aberg

2024 RBC Heritage Picks

Patrick Cantlay +2000 (FanDuel)

With the exception of Scottie Scheffler, the PGA Tour has yet to have any of their star players show peak form during the 2024 season. Last week, Patrick Cantlay, who I believe is a top-5 players on the PGA Tour, took one step closer to regaining the form that’s helped him win eight events on Tour since 2017.

Cantlay limped into the Masters in poor form, but figured it out at Augusta National, finishing in a tie for 20th and ranking 17th for the week in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. The former FedEx Cup champion will now head to one of his favorite golf courses in Harbour Town, where he’s had immaculate results over the years. In his six trips to the course, he’s only finished worse than 7th one time. The other finishes include three third places (2017, 2019, 2023) and one runner-up finish (2022). In his past 36 rounds at Harbour Town, Cantlay ranks 1st in Strokes Gained: Total per round at the course by a wide margin (+2.36).

Cantlay is winless since the 2022 BMW Championship, which is far too long for a player of his caliber. With signs pointing to the 32-year-old returning to form, a “signature event” at Harbour Town is just what he needs to get back on the winning track.

Tommy Fleetwood +3000 (FanDuel)

I truly believe Tommy Fleetwood will figure out a way to win on American soil in 2024. It’s certainly been a bugaboo for him throughout his career, but he is simply too talented to go another season without winning a PGA Tour event.

At last week’s Masters Tournament, Fleetwood made a Sunday charge and ended up finishing T3 in the event, which was his best ever finish at The Masters. For the week, the Englishman ranked 8th in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, 10th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking and 16th in Strokes Gained: Putting.

Harbour Town is a perfect layout for Fleetwood, and he’s had relative success at this Pete Dye design in the past. In his four trips to the course, he’s finished inside of the top 25 three times, with his best finish, T10, coming in 2022. The course is pretty short and can’t be overpowered, which gives an advantage to more accurate players such as Fleetwood. Tommy ranks 8th in the field in Good Drive % and should be able to plot his way along this golf course.

The win is coming for Tommy lad. I believe there’s a chance this treasure of a golf course may be the perfect one for him to finally break through on Tour.

Cameron Young +3300 (FanDuel)

Cameron Young had a solid Masters Tournament last week, which is exactly what I’m looking for in players who I anticipate playing well this week at the RBC Heritage. He finished in a tie for 9th, but never felt the pressure of contending in the event. For the week, Young ranked 6th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and 6th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking.

Despite being one of the longest players off the tee on the PGA Tour, Young has actually played some really good golf on shorter tracks. He finished T3 at Harbour Town in 2023 and ranks 20th in the field in Good Drive% and 16th in Greens in Regulation in his past 24 rounds. He also has strong finishes at other shorter courses that can take driver out of a players hand such as Copperhead and PGA National.

Young is simply one of the best players on the PGA Tour in 2024, and I strongly believe has what it takes to win a PGA Tour event in the very near future.

Corey Conners +5500 (FanDuel)

Corey Conners has had a disappointing year thus far on the PGA Tour, but absolutely loves Harbour Town.

At last week’s Masters Tournament, the Canadian finished T30 but ranked 20th in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach. In his past 24 rounds, Conners ranks 3rd in the field in Strokes Gained: Approach, 3rd in Greens in Regulation % and 24th in Good Drive %.

In Conners’ last four trips to Harbour Town, his worst finish was T31, last season. He finished T4 in 2021, T12 in 2022 and ranks 8th in Strokes Gained: Total at the course over his past 36 rounds.

Conners hasn’t been contending, but his recent finishes have been encouraging as he has finished in the top-25 in each of his past three starts prior to The Masters, including an impressive T13 at The PLAYERS. His recent improvement in ball striking as well as his suitability for Harbour Town makes Conners a high upside bet this week.

Shane Lowry (+7500) (FanDuel)

When these odds were posted after Lowry was announced in the field, I have to admit I was pretty stunned. Despite not offering much win equity on the PGA Tour over the last handful of years, Shane Lowry is still a top caliber player who has the ability to rise to the top of a signature event.

Lowry struggled to score at The Masters last week, but he actually hit the ball really well. The Irishman ranked 1st for Strokes Gained: Approach on the week and 7th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking. As usual, it was the putter that let him down, as he ranked 60th in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting.

Harbour Town is most definitely one of Lowry’s favorite courses on the PGA Tour. In his six starts there, he’s finished in the top 10 three times, including third twice. Lowry is sensational at Pete Dye designs and ranks 7th in Strokes Gained: Total in his past 36 rounds on Dye tracks.

Lowry is perfect for Harbour Town. In his past 24 rounds, he ranks 5th in Strokes Gained: Approach, 2nd in Good Drive% and 5th in Green in Regulation %. If he figures it out on the greens, Shane could have his first win in America since 2015.

Lucas Glover +12000 (FanDuel)

This is one of my weekly “bet the number” plays as I strongly believe the odds are just too long for a player of Glover’s caliber. The odds have been too long on Glover for a few weeks now, but this is the first event that I can get behind the veteran being able to actually contend at.

Glover is quietly playing good golf and returning to the form he had after the understandable regression after his two massive victories at the end of 2023. He finished T20 at The Masters, which was his best ever finish at Augusta National. For the week, Lucas ranked 18th for Strokes Gained: Approach and 20th in Strokes Gained: Ball Striking.

Over his past 24 rounds, Glover ranks 9th in Strokes Gained: Approach and 13th in Good Drive %. Harbour Town is a short course that the 44-year-old will be able to keep up with the top players on Tour off the tee. He’s played the course more than 20 times, with mixed results. His best finishes at Harbour Town include a T7 in 2008, but recently has a finish of T21 in 2020.

Glover has proven he can contend with the stars of the Tour on any given week, and this number is flat out disrespectful.

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Vincenzi: The 6 biggest takeaways from the 2024 Masters

Published

20 hours ago

Apr 15, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

The 2024 Masters offered up plenty of excitement throughout the week with Scottie Scheffler delivering when it mattered to live up to his pre-tournament favorite tag. With the year’s opening major now in the books, here are my six biggest takeaways from the 2024 Masters.

Scheffler In a League of His Own

In the most impressive way possible, Scottie Scheffler won the Masters without having his absolute best stuff. For the week, Scottie ranked 19th in Strokes Gained: Approach, which is a category the number player in the world typically dusts the rest of the field in. After a strong approach day on Thursday, the 27-year-old lost strokes to the field on approach on Friday and Saturday, before gaining on Sunday. The iron performance was more than solid, but it was an all-around game that helped Scheffler get it done around Augusta National.

For a year or more, the narrative around Scheffler has been, “With his ball striking, if he can just putt to field average, he’ll be unbeatable.” At Augusta, his ball striking came back down to earth, but his touch around the greens and ability to manage the golf course demonstrated why he is the best player on the planet right now. For the week, Scheffler ranked 1st in the field in Strokes Gained: Around the Green and 24th in Strokes Gained: Putting.

For the time being, there is a major gap between Scottie Scheffler and the second-best player in the world, whoever that may be.

The Future is Now

Ludvig Aberg went into his first back-nine at the Masters with a legitimate shot to win the tournament. When he teed it up on the treacherous 11th hole, he was one behind Scottie Scheffler, who had just stuck one to a few feet on the 9th. By the time he approached his tee shot, which was perfectly striped down the left side of the fairway, he was two behind. Unfortunately, the 24-year-old got too aggressive with his approach at the 11th and found the water, making double bogey. Ludvig rebounded nicely and finished the event in solo second place.

With the Masters now in the rearview, it’s never been more evident that Ludvig Aberg is no longer an “up-and-comer” — he has arrived. The Swede has been an integral part of a winning European Ryder Cup team and has now contended at Augusta National. With a calm demeanor, a picture-perfect swing, and a build and stature that appears as if it was built in a lab, Ludvig Aberg is already amongst the world’s best. I’d be extremely surprised if he wasn’t in the mix at next month’s PGA Championship at Valhalla.

Nostalgia Wins

I try to avoid as many cliches as possible, but there’s something about the Masters that brings out the sentimentality in me. Tiger Woods strategically making his way around Augusta National without all of the physical tools that made him arguably the most dominant athlete in the history of sports will always be riveting, regardless of what score he shoots. Woods made it interesting until a tough stretch of holes on Saturday, but he ultimately wore down, shooting 16 over for the week in difficult conditions. It’s remarkable that the 15-time major champion was able to put together a few solid rounds of golf despite barely playing any competitive golf in 2024. As long as Woods tees it up at Augusta, we will all continue to be mesmerized by it.

Verne Lundquist’s 40th and final Masters Tournament was also a must-watch aspect of the event. The iconic voice of Lundquist and his calls throughout the years still give me chills each time I hear them. Verne is an icon of the game and will be missed in future renditions of the Masters.

The Masters also brings another element that is unique to the tournament. Former champions turn back the clock to battle with the golf course again which creates some amazing stories. There are a few that stick out this year and were an absolute pleasure to witness. 61-year-old Vijay Singh made the cut for the first time since 2018 and shot a pretty incredible even-par, 72 on Sunday. 58-year-old José María Olazábal made the cut as well, reminding us why fellow Spaniard Jon Rahm sought his valuable advice prior to his Masters victory in 2022.

Regardless of who wins, the Masters always delivers.

Bryson Moves the Needle

Plenty will disagree with me on this point, but outside of Tiger Woods, and potentially Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth, no one moves the needle in golf as much as Bryson DeChambeau. The uniqueness in which Bryson approaches the game has always been fascinating, and if he gets near the top of the leaderboard at any major championship, whether it’s to root for him or against him, people are interested.

It began on Monday with a pretty bizarre story of DeChambeau using 3D-printed irons that got just got cleared for use by the USGA when the week began. It once again felt like a storyline that would only be possible with a character as eccentric as Bryson. He then raced off to a first-round lead in tough conditions, reminding the world of what made him such a great golfer to begin with. He made some mistakes on the weekend, but still finished a career best T6 at The Masters.

Bryson is more than just quirky; he is a former U.S. Amateur Champion and U.S. Open who I believe will contend for more majors in the future. I will continue to root for DeChambeau, but I’m perfectly content with the fact that plenty will root against him, and I encourage those people to do so. That’s what makes it fun.

LIV Walks Away Empty-Handed

Last year, there were a multitude of questions about LIV players coming into the year’s first major. They had played very limited tournament golf, and critics of LIV questioned whether the 54-hole events were enough to sharpen the players enough to compete against the best in the world on the biggest stage.

The results were fascinating, with LIV players all over the leaderboard. Brooks Koepka held the 36- and 54-hole lead, with Phil Mickelson and Patrick Reed finishing T2 and T4, giving LIV three golfers in the top-4 of the leaderboard.

This season, with even more time removed and with some more massive additions to the roster, the intrigue surrounding LIV players at Augusta was once again palpable. While some players, including Bryson DeChambeau, exceeded expectations, I can’t help but walk away from the Masters feeling underwhelmed by the performance of the LIV players.

Brooks Koepka finished runner-up last season and is a certified major championship killer. The 5-time major champ was never involved and simply didn’t have it at Augusta. Dustin Johnson put together a putrid performance, shooting 13 over for his two rounds, making it fair to wonder if his days of contending at major championships are over as he rapidly approaches his 40th birthday.

Jon Rahm and Joaquin Niemann were both players who were amongst the favorites this week, but Rahm was faced with the daunting duties of defending champion and Niemann proved he was still not quite ready to master the quirks of Augusta National, bleeding strokes both around and on the greens.

To be fair, when all was said and done, LIV had four players in the top twelve at The Masters. Tyrrell Hatton stormed the leaderboard early on Sunday, finishing T9 and earning himself an invite back to Augusta next season. Cam Smith and Patrick Reed put together gritty performances, which isn’t too surprising considering the fact that they both absolutely love Augusta National, but neither ever felt a real threat to win. There’s no doubt the players on LIV are good, and that’s why some encouraging leaderboard positions aren’t enough. They needed to contend.

With no players part of the storyline on Sunday, I view the first major of the year as a disappointment for LIV. The players will head into next month’s PGA Championship at Valhalla with a lot to prove.

Rory’s Struggles Continues

Rory struggling at Augusta National is no surprise at this point. The four-time major champion has now had 10 attempts to complete the career grand slam and has never had a chance to win. His T2 in 2022 was deceiving, the Northern Irishman stormed the leaderboard on Sunday, but was never in contention, and never got within three shots of the winner, Scottie Scheffler.

I didn’t expect Rory to win, but I have to admit that this year felt a bit different. McIlroy played the week prior to the Masters, which he typically doesn’t do, and finished third at the Valero Texas Open. He gained 7.56 strokes on approach and 2.0 strokes off the tee, which told me that his visit with world-renowned swing coach, Butch Harmon, after the Players Championship paid dividends.

McIlroy also approached the media quite differently. He cut his pre-tournament press conference short after only 10 minutes and seemed to be laser-focused on just playing golf.

Despite the different approach to the Masters, the results were the same. McIlroy struggled over the course of the week, finishing T22 (+4) and never sniffed a decent weekend position on the leaderboard. It’s back to the drawing board for McIlroy, and I have doubts that he will ever figure it out at Augusta.

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Vincenzi: The 8 best prop bets for the 2024 Masters

Published

7 days ago

Apr 9, 2024

Matt Vincenzi

We’ve finally reached The Masters and excitement is at an all-time high. The world of golf has been fractured for the better part of two years, but for a week at Augusta National, all of the outside noise will disappear. All of the best players in the world will be together seeking to make history.

RELATED: Vincenzi’s 2024 Masters betting preview: Niemann to play star role at Augusta National

In addition to betting on The Masters champion. This is one of the few weeks of the year where there are so many more markets to explore, with value to be had in plenty of different categories.

Throughout this article, I’ll discuss all of my favorite props and players for the 2024 Masters.

Placement Bets:

Tony Finau Top 5 +750 (DraftKings):

I badly wanted to include Tony Finau in my outright betting selections, but I simply ran out of room on my card. Additionally, it’s slightly difficult to see him hitting the putts necessary to win the Masters on back nine on Sunday. However, I do strongly believe he will play great golf this week at Augusta National.

In his past 24 rounds, Finau ranks 4th in Strokes Gained: Approach is always amongst the best drivers of the golf ball in the game. Back in 2019, Finau had a great chance to win The Masters. I expect him to be hanging around over the weekend once again in 2024.

Gary Woodland Top 20 +550 (DraftKings), Gary Woodland to make the cut -110 (DraftKings):

Last season, Gary Woodland had his best ever finish at The Masters in his eleven tries. The 39-year-old finished T14 and played incredibly steady across all four rounds.

In Woodland’s most recent start at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, he struck the ball incredibly well. He led the field in Strokes Gained: Approach (+8.8) and Strokes Gained: Ball Striking (+10.0).

Gary has been working with Butch Harmon and absolutely flushing the ball both in tournaments and during practice.

Woodland appears to be healthy once again and in a great place physically and mentally. If he can build off his impressive performance at Augusta last year, he can place inside the top ten in 2024.

Additionally, the make the cut number on Woodland seems generous considering the number of players who miss the cut will be relatively small this week. Woodland is striking it well enough to make the cut even if he’s hindered by a balky putter once again.

Thorbjorn Olesen Top 20 +400 (FanDuel):

The Thunder Bear, Thorbjorn Olesen, made his Masters debut in 2013 and finished an incredibly impressive T6 for the week. In the two additional starts he’s made at Augusta National since then, the Dane has continued to be incredibly solid, finishing T44 and T21.

This week, Olesen heads into the week playing some good golf. He gained 3.8 strokes on approach and 5.52 strokes around the green at last week’s Valero Texas Open on his way to a strong T14 finish. Back in January, he won the Ras Al Khaimah Championship on the DP World Tour.

Olesen has the skill set to be successful at Augusta and seems primed for a good performance this week.

Top Nationalities:

Sergio Garcia Top Spanish Player +280 (DraftKings):

I believe Sergio Garcia can get into contention this week with the way he’s striking the ball in addition to his good vibes with a refurbished version of the Scotty Cameron that he used at the 1999 PGA Championship at Medinah.

I am slightly concerned about the emotional letdown he may face after losing in a playoff at LIV Miami, but I believe a veteran and former Masters champion should be able to regroup and focus on an event far more meaningful.

This is essentially a tournament head-to-head with Jon Rahm at +280. While Rahm deserves to be respected this week, the history of the lack of success of defending champions at The Masters is difficult to ignore.

Joaquin Niemann Top South American Player -230 (FanDuel):

While I hate paying this much juice, I don’t see a world in which Joaquin Niemann isn’t the top South American this week at The Masters. Joaco comes in playing better golf than anyone in the world not named Scottie Scheffler and has a serious chance to win the green jacket.

He only needs to beat two players: Emiliano Grillo and Camilo Villegas.

Tournament Head-to-Heads:

Justin Thomas -110 over Collin Morikawa

JT isn’t having his best season but is playing a lot better than he is getting credit for at the moment. In the past three months, there are only six players on the PGA Tour who have averaged 1.7 Strokes Gained: Tee to Green or better. Justin Thomas (+1.7) is one of the six and is currently tied with Rory McIlroy (+1.7).

Morikawa, on the other hand, has been extremely poor with his irons, which is incredibly uncharacteristic for him. I can’t help but feel like something is completely off with the two-time major champion.

Tony Finau -110 over Wyndham Clark

I explained in the placement section why I’m so high on Tony Finau this week. With how well he’s striking the ball, it seems as if his floor is extremely high. I’m not sure if he can make the putts to win a green jacket but I believe he will be in the mix similarly to 2019 when Tiger Woods emerged from a crowded pack of contenders.

Clark is a debutant, and while some debutants have had success at The Masters, it certainly poses a challenge. I also don’t believe Augusta National suits Clark as well as some of the other major championship venues.

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