We bring this news to you carefully — and hopefully — my golf-watchers of the world.
You, too, can make your voice heard in the fight to improve golf on television.
We bring this news to you carefully not because we believe it unimportant — but rather because we’re choosing to be optimistic. Could this be the first step to the best news golf watchers have received in years?
For the first time in recent memory, you can give feedback on the state of golf’s broadcasts directly to the PGA Tour. And for the first time maybe ever, the PGA Tour is asking to receive it — and considering your changes, in real-time.
The survey is not new. At least not technically. The PGA Tour’s “Fan Forward” program has been in existence since the middle of the summer, when Tour commissioner Jay Monahan first rolled out plans for a survey for fans to offer feedback on the PGA Tour product.
At first, the program seemed to be the latest in a string of half-hearted “fan-focused” efforts by the PGA Tour; pursuits taken to show golf’s audience wasn’t completely forgotten in broader discussions about the state of golf’s future. But in recent months those changes have taken on a new form, with the Tour and its partners committing to a new, TV-focused “pilot program” for the PGA Tour fall season aimed at listening to those very changes.
The new program, as we’ve written about in the past here on the Hot Mic, is meant to test several new Tour TV innovations in the coming months, including the expansion of on-course interviews, the realignment of the Friday afternoon telecast, and a keener focus on pieces of live golf television that appeal to fans. But it’s also meant to earn feedback from fans in real-time, assessing the state of the Tour’s telecasts and its innovation efforts as they’re being tested.
While it remains unclear exactly how this data will help the PGA Tour serve its audience — right now the survey is only that, a survey — the Tour’s broader pursuit in its Friday evening telecast experiments shouldn’t be overlooked. For the first time in recent memory, the Tour is addressing its broadcast woes head-on, and taking actionable pursuits in the public eye to fix them.
The biggest desired change of golf fans — fewer commercials — remains a pipe dream for the immediate future. The Tour is locked up in media rights agreements through the end of the decade that necessitate a certain number of commercial interruptions per tournament round. But broader changes remain up for debate, things like advertising packaging and golf TV positioning.
Fans who wish to participate in this survey can follow the link here. Happy hunting!
