Justin Thomas has written a letter to his fellow PGA Tour professionals, urging them to help the tour's network partners improve their overall brand and product. Gabby Herzig The Athletic I got the memo first.
The network's viewership has declined in recent years, likely due to the increased visibility of LIV Golf or the rapid rise of YouTube Golf. Those who watch golf are golfers themselves, and a large portion of that population would rather play on some course than watch the game altogether. That's the simple truth. But whatever the reason, numbers don't lie. Viewership on the PGA Tour is declining, a worrying trend for everyone involved.
Accordingly, Thomas, Max Homa, Adam Schenk, and Mackenzie Hughes make up the Tournament, Fan, and Sponsor PAC subcommittee. The group is in talks with both CBS and NBC about ways to improve the PGA Tour's broadcasts, and Thomas believes a focus on the players will help the whole thing.
“Our broadcast partners have made a commitment to us and our fans to modernize their production and make our players the true focus of our television broadcasts,” Thomas wrote.
“I'm not asking anyone to become something they're not or to change anything in their daily lives that would affect their performance. Instead, I'm open to possibilities and change. Please. I play before the round like a football game with the head coach. I was thinking of an interview where they pan to the coach, he's asked one question (a question he knows will be asked before it's asked), and he has 5-10 seconds to answer. always pay attention to how they explain their game plan and lay out their approach. .
“Imagine that happening on your first tee shot before you get into the last few groups, or even after your first tee shot leaves the tee. All we know would be an innocuous question. But it really makes the fans feel like they're inside our heads and with us. The more we work with NBC/CBS/ESPN, the more they should be able to work with us as well. Let's support.”
This suggestion in itself isn't terrible, and would have helped give viewers more insight into each golfer's mind. Fans want to engage with these players on a human level while learning about their games and strategies. Part of the appeal of golf broadcasts is that viewers want to learn something they can apply to their own games.
In any case, here are two other suggestions that may help improve your PGA Tour broadcasts.
1. Improved pace of play allows for more live golf
The final group on American Express completed the round in nearly six hours, but the slow pace turned away viewers and forced them to switch to other channels. Broadcasts have a lot of downtime and players have to wait, wait, wait.
Pace of play is an issue not only on the PGA Tour but across the sport. But Ponta Vedra Beach's big names may have to follow the lead of golf's newest venture a few hours south and enforce a 40-second shot clock to stop players. Everyone competing in these events has a high level of talent, so they should be able to make decisions quickly. Also, while the contestant is playing, he must prepare for the next shot and maintain a steady pace.
If that doesn't happen, producers and directors have no choice but to show Charlie Hoffman and Sepp Straka chatting on the tee box. No offense to these two players, but who wants to see something like that? Golf fans tune in to television broadcasts to watch golf shots. They want to know where the ball is going to fall. They want to be inspired by the world's best players and apply their skills and insights to their own games. They don't want to see professionals fuss about their flight time home.
The biggest way to improve PGA Tour broadcasts is to improve the pace of play. After all, domestic fans want to see more golf shots and more action, so everyone needs to contribute.
2. Walks and talks are great, but keep them to 60 seconds or less.
Live walks and talk interviews have become a staple of PGA Tour broadcasts in recent years. These are great additions and provide insight into the player's mind mid-round.
They can sometimes produce raw emotions, like Matt Wallace at last year's Mexican Open. While doing a live walk and talk, Wallace hit a shot into the water, drastically reducing his chances of winning the golf tournament. Immediately after the shot, Wallace put his earbuds back in and continued the interview like a true professional. Without a doubt, it was one of the most underrated moments of the 2024 season.
However, these interviews must not exceed 60 seconds. In some cases, reporters and players end up talking for up to two minutes, eliminating the opportunity to showcase live golf coverage from other spots on the course. The key to live golf production is that there is always action. There is never a dead period.
Similar to the first point, fans want to see more live shots of golf. Making sure this walk-and-talk interview lasts less than a minute will help you achieve that.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
