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PGA Tour Is About to Admit Its Largest Crowd of the Year

The Players Championship plans to welcome 10,000 spectators each day, and the golfers hope they don’t gather around the 18th hole all at once.

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average pga tour attendance

By Bill Pennington

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — After eight months of hosting events without fans, the PGA Tour recently began cautiously welcoming back a limited number of spectators to its tournaments. This week, at the celebrated Players Championship in northeast Florida, the tour will take a leap with as many as 10,000 fans on the grounds, the most for any event this year.

A crowd of that size, however, poses a predicament for golf that sets it apart from most other sports, in which the spectators are generally confined to grandstands or at least enclosed within a stadium or arena. Golf has the advantage of being an outdoor sport contested across hundreds of acres with plenty of open space, and it has instituted numerous safety protocols during the coronavirus pandemic.

But previous tour events this year have shown that thousands of fans who are used to walking from hole to hole will ignore social-distancing guidelines and will be prone to gather shoulder-to-shoulder around the leaders of a tournament during the pivotal final holes on a Sunday afternoon.

Last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational — which permitted about 6,000 fans, the largest crowd so far — a throng eagerly followed Bryson DeChambeau as he closed out a victory . Scores of spectators, especially those holding a beverage in one hand, had removed the face masks that tournament officials mandated on admittance.

Signs around the grounds of PGA Tour events this year have prodded fans to wear masks and stay six feet from one another. Hundreds of on-course volunteers remind the spectators of the requirements, but as golf continues to exit its fan-less experience — the Masters tournament next month will welcome an undefined number of fans, and the P.G.A. Championship in May said it would allow 10,000 fans — the sport will have to continue to find ways to control a crowd used to migrating around a course with few restrictions.

On Tuesday, Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour commissioner, said there had been efforts to devise new strategies for the Players Championship, which in past years has sold more than 45,000 tickets daily. He also said that because the T.P.C. Sawgrass golf course was built in the style of an amphitheater, with hillsides rising around holes to offer multiple vantage points for spectators, it should naturally dilute the crowds. The stadium-style setting can also lead to an atmosphere as raucous as one that might be found in the outfield bleachers at a Major League Baseball game.

Monahan attended the Palmer Invitational and admitted that he saw fans disregarding the mask requirement. Asked how an event, and its volunteers, can impose what may be an unenforceable rule, Monahan answered, “You do the absolute best that you can.”

He added: “We continue to stress the importance of it. I’ve been encouraged by the number of people that have been wearing masks. And while I have seen some that aren’t, we want everyone to be wearing masks and we’re going to continue to reinforce that.”

The players tend to see the return of spectators at golf events as an especially welcome development — with some reservations.

“We’ve missed them,” Jon Rahm, the world’s second-ranked player, said Tuesday. “But at the same time, I want everybody to be safe. I’ve known of too many people personally that have been affected by the virus, and I wouldn’t want anybody to go through that and lose loved ones because of it.”

Rahm added: “I hope that not all 10,000 get on one hole — on one group. I think they’re all going to be separated.”

For his brethren trying to protect themselves from possible exposure to the coronavirus during a tournament, Rahm had a suggestion based on the fact that players do not usually come into close contact with fans unless they hit a wayward shot.

“Keep it in the fairway,” he said.

Rory McIlroy, who is the reigning champion at the Players even though his victory came in 2019, wondered if the change golf is going through right now paralleled what other parts of American society have been experiencing.

Last week, McIlroy said he read about the state of Texas lifting myriad restrictions, including mask mandates.

“There’s a part of me that likes that,” McIlroy said. “There’s a part of me that likes people to have freedom and to have their own choice and all of that. But then you walk into a busy restaurant in Florida and you’re sort of taken aback, and you’re like, ‘Whoa, maybe we’re not quite ready for this yet.’

“The idea is great, but then when you actually start to live it, it’s like, ‘Whoa, maybe this is a little too soon.’”

McIlroy had a final thought. Recalling that the PGA Tour shut down all its tournaments almost exactly a year ago, one day after the opening round of the Players Championship, he said: “Certainly, everyone is looking forward to the day when things can go back to where they were pre-the 2020 Players Championship.”

9 Golf Viewership Statistics That Drive The Industry

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Updated:  Mar 06, 2024

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One of the world’s most-watched sports is golf. Despite the absence of screaming fans and action-packed scenes, this stroke of a play still manages to draw viewers across America and Europe.

The 2023 Masters peaked at approximately 15 million viewers between 7:00 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. EST, with an average of around 12.06 million viewers during the match.

Find out how golf viewership statistics change over time and why despite being a sport for the elite, it still maintains its vast fanbase attracting all age brackets.

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Highlights of the Article

  • ADT reached 423 million viewers in the APAC region broadcasting through 27 sports channels.
  • LIV is up for a good start; its TV debut recorded average viewers of less than 300,000.
  • 16.251 million combined total viewers tuned in to The Masters 2023 Finals.
  • 15% of women watch golf sometimes or often as of mid-2022
  • In 2022, LIV golf piqued the interest of 71% of people aged 18-34 .
  • Mid- to high-income individuals make up 74% of golf viewers.
  • PGA Tour 2023 saw a 31% increase in social media engagement.
  • 2.9 viewer ratings in U.S. Open Finals 2022, a record low for U.S. Open since 1988.

How Many People Watch Golf?

Jon Rahm’s victory recorded 15.02 million viewers during the 2023 PGA Masters Tournament at Augusta. On average, there were 12 million people who watched the finals; this is a 19% bump in the 2022 Masters Finals, where Scottie Scheffler won.

The CW Network reported that the average number of viewers for the LIV Golf 2023 was under 300,000 . This is low compared to the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic finals broadcasted the same day on NBC, which averaged 2.38 million viewers.

The following section will give you insights into viewership statistics of golfing events. It will explain the factors driving these numbers and their significance to the tournament and the broadcasting networks.

Golf Viewership Statistic Worldwide

golf viewership statistics

Golf is among the world’s most popular sports , with approximately 450 million fans. The sport is most prevalent in Europe, Asia and the Pacific, and the North American region.

Below are global stats on golf viewership to help you identify where the sport is most followed.

1. ADT 2022 broadcast reached 423 million viewers in the APAC region.

(Danang Leisure, AB Magazine)

Golf’s popularity in Asia is on the rise. Asian Development Tour has been held since 2010, only temporarily stopping during the pandemic. In 2022, ADT was expected to set 19 tournaments held in:

  • Saudi Arabia
  • United Arab Emirates (UAE)

It was expected that around 140 professional golfers would participate in the competition. The tour was broadcast on 27 local and international sports channels, reaching:

  • 423 million viewers in the APAC region
  • 380 million worldwide viewers.

One of the critical factors in the rise of the popularity of golf in the region is that Asian consumers start to turn to leisure activities as they get richer. The number of courses tripled in less than a decade in China alone.

2. The PGA Tour 2023 recorded over 1.7 million audiences more than LIV Golf.

(The Athletic)

LIV had its TV debut this year. In its second season, held at Mayakoba, almost 300,000 watched the tournament on CW. That amount is just a seventh of viewers of the weekend broadcast of the PGA Tour on NBC, with 2.4 million viewers.

Despite the big gap, LIV’s first broadcast showed a promising start. Although it may take some time for LIV’s viewership and ratings to be at par with PGA, LIV and CW’s partnership shows excellent potential.

CW ranked 25th in the US in 2022 with 574,000 average daily viewers after the changes in management and to its original programming, focused on teens and young-adult.

3. The Masters 2023 toppled PGA Tours and LIV by averaging over 12 million viewers.

(Sportskeeda)

During over five hours of broadcast, The Masters reached 16.25 million combined total viewers. The final round peaked at over 15 million viewers between 7:00-7:15 p.m. EST and averaged 12.06 viewers.

Golf Viewer Demographic Statistic

People refer to golf as the “ Rich Man’s Sport. ” This is due to the costs linked with playing. The sporting gear and equipment, membership fees, and even travel to golf courses will cost you a fortune.

Being dominated by male adult athletes , viewer demographics are leaning toward more middle-aged mid-to-high-income adult men. But, with the increase in female athletes and younger generations taking an interest in the sport, viewer trends are shifting.

Explore the profile of golf fanatics and see how the dominance of a particular group, based on demographics, affects viewership.

4. Only 15% of women watch golf sometimes or often as of June 2022.

(Statistica, National Golf Foundation)

Between 2019-2022, the number of women playing golf increased by 15%. Despite the increase of women playing golf, viewership is still predominantly men.

For respondents that answered often or sometimes, males make up 66%, while females are only 34%. This is consistent with the number of players, where 77% are male.

5. 71% of ages 18-34 followed LIV Golf in 2022.

(The Bay State Banner)

Non-traditional tournaments like exhibitions and LIV golf thrive in the younger generation. 71% of the respondents, aged 18-34, follow LIV Golf.

Meanwhile, PGA’s rating in the same age bracket is dwindling. 80% of Gen Zs claim that they do not like golf at all. Only 18% of those aged 18-34 consider themselves casual fans.

All sports attract this age bracket. As the younger generation takes over, sports organizations must capture their attention. This is to ensure that the industry will continue.

6. Golf viewers with an annual income of 70,000 and above make up 74% of the audience.

(Wichita State University)

Many of the world’s wealthiest are known to be golfers. Though this does not directly impact the income level of fans and viewers, 74% were discovered to be earning mid-to high-income.

Of the total respondents:

  • 22.2% have an average income of $70,000-$99,999
  • 37.9% have an average income of $100,000-$199,000
  • 14% have an average income of $200,000 or more

Golf Viewership Statistic by Year

The number of fans watching golf fluctuates year-on-year. Tiger Wood’s winning match in 1997 reached 44 million viewers , the most-watched game ever recorded.

Meanwhile, the 2023 Masters peaked at 15.021 million between 7:00 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. ET, with an average of approximately 12 million viewers.

Take a look at the number of viewers in the major tournaments year-on-year.

7. Viewership for the PGA tour sees a 31% uptick in social media engagement in 2023.

(Front Office Sports)

PGA Tour viewership has seen an uplift of numbers across the board this year, with social media having the highest uptick by 31%. Other channels reported:

  • 15% increase – Golf Channel
  • 4% increase – CBS
  • 19% increase – Masters Finals
  • 3% increase – NBC

This shows that support from fans of the PGA Tour is increasing yearly.

8. U.S. Open 2022 recorded a 2.9 rating, the lowest since 1988.

9.2 million tuned in during Matt Fitzpatrick’s final hole, the highest viewership of the U.S. Open championship since 2013.

Ratings crashed to 2.9, a record low since the 1988 U.S. Open Championship. Despite this, the tournament is still the fourth most-watched event in 2022. The top 3 most-watched matches in 2022 are:

  • PGA Championship (Final round)
  • Masters (Third round)
  • Masters (Final round)

9. US TV Networks recorded a 16% increase in total audience delivery during the Open Championship in 2022.

(NBC Sports)

150th Open Championship reached Total Audience Delivery of 2.5 million viewers across NBC, USA Network, and Peacock. This sets a 16% increase in TAD in 2021 and a 27% increase in 2019.

The 2022 Open Championship is the most-streamed golf event in NBC Sports history. Streaming reached 262 million minutes for all rounds.

The four rounds of the event were the most-watched sports event on their respective days. The finals averaged a TAD of 4.725 million viewers, a 12% increase from 2021, and peaked from 1:30-1:45 p.m. ET with more than 7.1 million viewers.

The statistics show that Golf is not just famous for the elite but is still steadily growing in players, fans, and viewership.

The Asian region shows a significant increase in people interested in the sport. Events such as LIV Golf help gain younger viewers. The challenge lies in enticing more women, younger people, and lower-income people to participate in the sport as viewers or players. 

Golf viewers and players have been predominantly mid to high-income men for years. It is essential to reach a broader market to increase viewership and keep the sport alive.

PGA viewers on regular weeks are averaging 2 million viewers. Championships can reach more than 10 million viewers.

Globally, there are approximately 450 million fans of golf.

Tiger Wood’s most famous victory in Augusta in 1997 recorded 44 million viewers, the most-watched tournament ever.

Yes. Major golf tournaments have seen a significant increase in viewership in 2022 and 2023 compared to previous years.

  • Danang Leisure
  • AB Magazine
  • The Athletic
  • Sportskeeda
  • National Golf Foundation
  • The Bay State Banner
  • Wichita State University
  • Front Office Sports
  • River’s Edge

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Once wrote serious life-saving stuff for the government, now unleashes his inner geek on the blog world. When not taking a deep dive into comics and video game lore or performing music, he dreams of chilling in a cold, cozy spot with a beer in his hand – probably somewhere the government won't find him. Sports and gaming enthusiast by day, cartoon and gastronomy detective by night.

Report: PGA Tour ratings increase for NBC, CBS and Golf Channel

Nbc racks up tad of 2.27m viewers across seven pga tour events this season..

average pga tour attendance

Getty Images

The PGA Tour’s viewership on US broadcasters NBC, Golf Channel and CBS has increased during the ongoing 2023 season, according to Sports Business Journal (SBJ) .

  • Through seven events, viewership on NBC increased three per cent year-over-year (YoY) with a total audience delivery (TAD) of 2.27 million viewers
  • The Honda Classic and WGC Dell Match Play on NBC were the most-watched in four years
  • The Valspar Championship hit a five-year high, with 2.59 million viewers tuning in to NBC for the final round
  • Golf Channel has seen a nine per cent YoY jump in its audience through 15 events, notching up a TAD of 519,000 viewers
  • CBS has averaged 2.59 million viewers for four PGA Tour events, excluding the Masters, marking a four per cent jump YoY
  • The average weekly digital visitors to the PGA Tour’s website rose by eight per cent YoY in Q1 2023, while the number of iOS downloads of the tour’s app were up 60 per cent 
  • Video views across the tour’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube channels were up 31 per cent compared to last year
  • ESPN reported that streaming of PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ was up “significantly” in Q1, adding that the Genesis Invitational and Players Championship were the most-watched PGA Tour events ever on ESPN+.

This season, the PGA Tour increased its prize funds and put more FedExCup points on offer for several new ‘designated’ events in response to the breakaway LIV Golf circuit. Viewership numbers for those events have seen strong increases over 2022.

SBJ notes that two of the PGA Tour’s tournaments scheduled against LIV Golf’s three events saw a decline in viewership. The Valspar Championship, however, grew its audience for the final round by five per cent, despite going up against LIV Tucson.

Coming next:

The viewership figures for the PGA Tour will be well-received by its broadcast partners. The numbers also come a little over a month on from the tour announcing a shakeup of its schedule that will see cuts scrapped and tournament formats more closely aligned with those on LIV Golf at certain events from the start of next year.

average pga tour attendance

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  • 0 My PGA TOUR Guide

Facts and Figures (1970 through 2021-22)

Low first 18, low first 36, low first 54, highest 72-hole winning score, largest winning margin, low start by a winner, high start by a winner, low finish by a winner, high finish by a winner, largest 18-hole lead, largest 36-hole lead, largest 54-hole lead, low 36-hole cut, high 36-hole cut, fewest to make 36-hole cut (not including masters nor u.s open), most to make 36-hole cut, most tied for lead, 18 holes, most tied for lead, 36 holes, most tied for lead, 54 holes, most consecutive events in the money, consecutive seasons with win (since 1970), holes-in-one, by year (since 1971), three eagles in one round, double eagles (since 1970), longest birdie streak, best birdie-eagle streak, best come-from-behind last day to win, three or more victories, wire-to-wire winners, first-time winners, average driving distance.

RADJSMODALBODY

Ranking All the PGA Tour Events

Ranking all pga tour events.

Rory McIlroy won the 2019 Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

Don’t let your eyes deceive you. Just because the courses you see each week on telecasts of the PGA Tour look flawless on your big screen, they’ve all got issues and warts that are constantly being picked apart and complained about by the golfers making their living from shot to shot, and putt to putt, clubhouse to clubhouse.

We polled a handful of those players, as well as some of the nation’s most noted and knowledgeable golf writers and experts, and compiled a ranking of every event on the PGA Tour and the courses where they are played.

We took into consideration the location of the event, its history, its payouts, the likely quality of the fields that compete in the tournament and the courses for each tour stop. Those that paid higher purses may have been elevated over those with better courses, and vice versa, but there was a method to the madness of our results.

48. QBE Shootout

QBE Shootout

Location: Tiburon Golf Club, Naples, Florida

Established: 1989

Month played: December

Total purse (winner's share): $3.4 million ($442,000)*

*Note: All numbers and rankings are from the 2019 PGA Tour season.

Bottom Line: QBE Shootout

QBE Shootout course

A three-day team event founded by Greg Norman and held on a course designed by the Great White Shark himself.

The teams play a scramble in the first round, greensomes in the second (each player hits a tee shot) and fourball in the final round.

It’s too much like a country club shootout to be important.

47. Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship

Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship

Location: Corales Puntacana Resort & Club, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Established: 2018

Month played: March

Total purse (winner's share): $3 million ($540,000)

Bottom Line: Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship

Brice Garnett holding up trophy

After being a Web.com Tour event for two years , this alternate event is played by the pro golfers who aren’t eligible for the Match Play, a nd it plays a distant second fiddle to the World Golf Championships (WGC) event.

The Dominican Republic is a fine golf destination, but the pros would rather be elsewhere.

46. Barbasol Championship

Keene Trace Golf Club

Location: Keene Trace Golf Club, Nicholasville, Kentucky

Established: 2015

Month played: July

Total purse (winner's share): $3.5 million ($630,000)

Bottom Line: Barbasol Championship

Jhonattan Vegas chips onto green

The Barbasol Championship was born in 2015 in Alabama as an alternate event for those tour players not making the trip across the pond to Britain for the Open Championship.

It moved to Kentucky in 2018, becoming the first PGA Tour event (excluding the PGA Championship in 1996, 2000 and 2014) in the state in 59 years.

45. Sanderson Farms Championship

D.J. Trahan

Location: Country Club of Jackson, Jackson, Mississippi

Established: 1968

Month played: September

Total purse (winner's share): $4.4 million ($792,000)

Bottom Line: Sanderson Farms Championship

Spain's Sergio Garcia holds Sanderson Farms Championship

Played the same week as the WGC HSBC Champions, this alternate event can sometimes be an afterthought for those that follow the game.

The course, redesigned in 2007 by John Fought, is the draw. The drawback is the small purse and second-tier status.

44. Barracuda Championship (formerly Reno-Tahoe Open)

Reno-Tahoe Open

Location: Montreux Golf and Country Club, Reno, Nevada

Established: 1999

Bottom Line: Barracuda Championship (formerly Reno-Tahoe Open)

Bronson Burgoon lines up putt at the Barracuda Championship

Two words — Stableford scoring — illustrate how this alternate event to the WGC event in Memphis the same week is so unique. This points scale encourages aggressive play, since the reward for scoring under par is higher than the penalty for scoring over par.

The event is played on one of the best courses in the West and is known as the Barracuda Championship after Barracuda Networks became the title sponsor in 2014.

43. Puerto Rico Open

Martin Trainer

Location: Coco Beach Golf & Country Club, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico

Established: 2008

Bottom Line: Puerto Rico Open

Nate Lashley of Arizona prepares to hit putt

The Puerto Rico Open is played on the Tom Kite-designed Championship course.

It is the only PGA Tour event ever held in Puerto Rico and is low on this ranking because of its small purse and the fact that it’s an alternate event, played on the same dates as the WGC-Mexico Championship.

42. 3M Open

Bryson DeChambeau

Location: TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minnesota

Established: 2019

Total purse (winner's share): $6.4 million ($1.152 million)

Bottom Line: 3M Open

Richy Werenski lines up birdie putt during final round of the 3M Open

The inaugural tournament in 2019 was the first official PGA Tour event in Minnesota since the 2009 PGA Championship, in which Y.E. Yang of South Korea defeated Tiger Woods at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska.

The 3M Open takes the place of the 3M Championship, a PGA Tour Champions event, which was played in August 2018 for the final time.

41. Rocket Mortgage Classic

Detroit Golf Club

Location: Detroit Golf Club, Detroit, Michigan

Month played: June/July

Total purse (winner's share): $7.3 million ($1.314 million)

Bottom Line: Rocket Mortgage Classic

Bryson DeChambeau holds Rocket Mortgage Classic golf tournament trophy

This tournament started in 2019 and is the first PGA Tour event ever to be held in the city of Detroit.

The area had not hosted a tour event since the Buick Open in 2009 at Warwick Hills in Grand Blanc.

The course, designed by Golden Age architect Donald Ross, is part of the draw for players.

40. Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

TPC Summerlin

Location: TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada

Established: 1983

Month played: November

Total purse (winner's share): $7 million ($1.260 million)

Bottom Line: Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

Peter Uihlein hits out of dirt at Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

Few of the PGA Tour pros like this course, but many will play the tournament because of its charitable bent (Justin Timberlake has long been involved) and the fact that they get a week in Sin City along with the event.

39. CIMB Classic

Pat Perez

Location: TPC Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Established: 2010

Month played: October

Total purse (winner's share): $7 million ($1.26 million)

Bottom Line: CIMB Classic

Nick Watney follows his shot in CIMB Classic

All you need to know about this tournament is Kuala Lumpur, which is Malaysian for "muddy confluence." 

The limited-field event was replaced in the 2019–20 PGA Tour season by the Zozo Championship in Japan.

38: Zurich Classic of New Orleans

Jerry Kelly and Steve Stricker

Location: TPC Louisiana, Avondale, Louisiana

Established: 1938

Month played: April 

Total purse (winner's share): $7.3 million ($1.313 million)

Bottom Line: Zurich Classic of New Orleans

A general view of course

The event changed to a team (pairs) competition in 2017, but there’s little pizazz surrounding tournament week in the Big Easy.

The course features 103 bunkers, multiple mounds, and tough greens, all designed on a swamp by Pete Dye.

Golf pros consider the track to be one of the most unforgiving on the PGA Tour schedule.

37. Valspar Championship

Henrik Stenson

Location: Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club’s Copperhead Course, Palm Harbor, Florida

Established: 2000

Total purse (winner's share): $6.7 million ($1.206 million)

Bottom Line: Valspar Championship

Sam Burns sets up to putt at the Valspar Championship

This was first played as an alternate event, then given status and its own weekend on the schedule.

But the Valspar Championship still is skipped over my many pros because of the events before it (formerly the Arnold Palmer Invitational and now the Players) and after it (WGC Match Play).

The course’s par-4 16th hole, the opener of the "Snake Pit," is one of the toughest on tour.

36. John Deere Classic

John Deere Classic

Location: TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Illinois

Established: 1971

Total purse (winner's share): $6 million ($1.08 million)

Bottom Line: John Deere Classic

Michael Kim tees off the TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois

This event is played every year in July in this Quad Cities community, and always the week before the British Open.

In order to help attract players, since 2008, the John Deere Classic has sponsored a charter flight that leaves the area on Sunday night and arrives in Britain the next morning.

35. Desert Classic

PGA West Stadium Course

Location: PGA West Stadium Course/PGA West Course/La Quinta Country Club, La Quinta, California

Established: 1960

Month played: January

Total purse (winner's share): $5.9 million ($1.062 million)

Bottom Line: Desert Classic

Phil Mickelson at the 2019 Desert Classic in La Quinta, California

This tournament is played on three different courses, and in a pro-am format.

The early-season date as the first event back on the mainland in the calendar year sometimes affects the field and other players.

Its hodgepodge keeps it from ranking higher.

34: Sony Open in Hawaii

John Oda

Location: Waialae Country Club, Honolulu, Hawaii

Established: 1965

Bottom Line: Sony Open in Hawaii

Cameron Smith kisses the champions trophy

Most players — meaning all those that didn’t win the year before but still have a hankering for the islands — begin their calendar seasons with this event (Fall Series, be darned).

The course often is panned for being too easy, but sometimes, these guys deserve a break, too.

33. The Honda Classic

Honda Classic

Location: PGA National Resort Champion Course, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Established: 1972

Month played: February/March

Total purse (winner's share): $6.8 million ($1.224 million)

Bottom Line: The Honda Classic

Matt Jones raises ball after winning Honda Classic golf tournament

The Honda Classic at PGA National is home to the infamous "Bear Trap," a trio of nearly unplayable holes that keep even the professional golfers honest and creates an "anybody-can-lose" mentality.

The 2019 event had six players atop the leaderboard with four holes to play.

32. Safeway Open

Aaron Baddeley

Location: Silverado Resort and Spa North Course, Napa, California

Established: 2007

Total purse (winner's share): $6.4 million ($1.152 million )

Bottom Line: Safeway Open

Tom Kim walks with his caddie to 11th green

A staple of the Fall Series, the Safeway Open usually sports a less-than-stellar field, even with the Johnny Miller-designed (and partially owned) course and the appeal of wine country.

The event opens the PGA Tour schedule each year.

31. Valero Texas Open

Valero Texas Open

Location: TPC San Antonio AT&T Oaks Course, San Antonio, Texas

Established: 1922

Month played: April

Total purse (winner's share): $7.5 million ($1.35 million)

Bottom Line: Valero Texas Open

Corey Conners after winning the 2019 Valero Texas Open

The Valero Texas Open has plenty of history on tour, but all those good vibes, as well as its burgeoning purse and record-breaking charitable contributions, have taken a back seat in recent years because most of the pros really hate the Greg Norman-designed golf course.

It moved to the week before the Masters in 2019 to help draw a better field.

30. Hero World Challenge

Hero World Challenge

Location: Albany, New Providence, Bahamas

Total purse (winner's share): $3.5 million ($1 million)

Bottom Line: Hero World Challenge

Justin Thomas hits from bunker

This event benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation and is hosted by the man himself, with just 18 players invited to participate and a guaranteed payout.

If you're one of the lucky players to be asked, you would be crazy to let down Tiger, right?

29. Mayakoba Golf Classic

El Camaleon Mayakoba Golf Club

Location: El Chameleon Golf Club, Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Total purse (winner's share): $7.2 million ($1.296 million)

Bottom Line: Mayakoba Golf Classic

Jose Coceres waits to putt

There are a lot worse things than playing golf on the Mexican Riviera, and this event has become one of the Fall Series’ best because of its steady purse increases.

The draw of a week’s vacation in the sun and surf doesn't hurt either.

28. RSM Classic

RSM Classic

Location: Sea Island Resort, Sea Island, Georgia

Bottom Line: RSM Classic

Kevin Kisner at the 2020 RSM Classic

The RSM Classic is played on one of the best courses on tour and deserves a better placement on the schedule.

As it is, it’s the last full-field tournament on the Fall Series, and it’s a fun final run around the course before the doldrums of the holiday season.

27. AT&T Byron Nelson

Adam Scott

Location: Trinity Forest Golf Club, Dallas, Texas

Established: 1944

Month played: May

Total purse (winner's share): $7.9 million ($1.422 million)

Bottom Line: AT&T Byron Nelson

Scenery at AT&T Byron Nelson

The Byron Nelson used to be a player favorite when it was held at TPC Four Seasons in Las Colinas (Irving, Texas) because of the amenities the stop offered families.

The course there was not as popular as the resort, and in the 2017-18 season, the event moved to a new Coore/Crenshaw-designed track that was not player or fan friendly.

26: Wyndham Championship

Wyndham Championship

Location: Sedgefield Country Club’s Ross Course, Greensboro, North Carolina

Month played: August

Total purse (winner's share): $6.2 million ($1.116 million)

Bottom Line: Wyndham Championship

Bud Cauley at the 2020 Wyndham Championship

The Wyndham Championship, played on a peerless course designed by Golden Age architect Donald Ross, represents the last chance for players to earn a spot in the FedEx Cup.

Here, in 1965, the legendary Sam Snead, less than two months shy of age 53, set PGA Tour standards for his eighth win at an event and became the oldest winner of a tournament.

Both records still stand.

25. Arnold Palmer Invitational

Arnold Palmer Invitational

Location: Bay Hill Club and Lodge, Orlando, Florida

Established: 1966

Total purse (winner's share): $9.1 million ($1.602 million)

Bottom Line: Arnold Palmer Invitational

Bryson DeChambeau

Arnold Palmer didn't start the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but he bought the resort and its two golf courses and placed his fingerprints on every corner of the property.

The event wouldn't be as popular as it is now if it wasn’t so associated with the King, but it’s still a fun course to watch and play golf on.

24. The CJ Cup at Nine Bridges

CJ Cup

Location: Nine Bridges Golf Club, Jeju Island, South Korea

Established: 2017

Total purse (winner's share): $9.5 million ($1.710 million)

Bottom Line: The CJ Cup at Nine Bridges

Justin Thomas after wining the 2019 CJ Cup

The CJ Cup is set on the other side of the world, but the course, ranked among the top 50 ever built, is as flawless as it is tough.

Hall of Fame golfer Chi Chi Rodriguez once called the course the "Taj Mahal of golf" because every hole looks like a postcard.

23. Farmers Insurance Open

Torrey Pines Golf Course

Location: Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course), La Jolla, California

Established: 1952

Total purse (winner's share): $7.1 million ($1.278 million)

Bottom Line: Farmers Insurance Open

Jon Rahm,Adam Scott,and Viktor Hovland walk on sixth fairway

The first two days of the Farmers Insurance Open are split between the North and South Course, with the best scores at the cutline carded on the easier North.

There’s little middle ground between players about the South course. They either really like it or really hate it, but the views make for a great day of golf.

22. Travelers Championship

Travelers Championship

Location: TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Connecticut

Month played: June

Bottom Line: Travelers Championship

Dustin Johnson after winning the 2020 Travelers Championship

The Travelers Championship is a favorite on tour and garnered the "Players Choice" award (voted on exclusively by PGA Tour members) in 2018 for the second straight season.

The award is based on players' experiences with tournament services, hospitality, player and family amenities, community support, attendance, golf course and other attributes.

21. Waste Management Phoenix Open

Waste Management Phoenix Open

Location: TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course, Scottsdale, Arizona

Established: 1932

Month played: February

Bottom Line: Waste Management Phoenix Open

Fans in gallery watch the Waste Management Phoenix Open

The TPC Scottsdale course is the home of the loudest hole in golf, the famed par-3 16th. Upward of 20,000 mostly intoxicated fans harshly judge shots hit both well and poorly.

Usually played on Super Bowl Sunday, the tournament still draws some 85,000 patrons for the final round.

20. RBC Heritage

RBC Heritage

Location: Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Established: 1969

Total purse (winner's share): $6.9 million ($1.242 million)

Bottom Line: RBC Heritage

Stewart Cink watches drive off 11th tee

Known by golfers and fans as "That Tournament After the Masters," this event is perhaps the most underrated on tour.

The tournament beautifully fills the post-Masters space with a laid-back weekend in lush Hilton Head, a near-perfect destination for people trying to flee winter’s dying breath.

19. Wells Fargo Championship

Wells Fargo Championship

Location: Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina

Established: 2003

Bottom Line: Wells Fargo Championship

Wells Fargo Championship trophy

The Wells Fargo Championship has a great pedigree, a great course (designed originally by George Cobb and renovated through the years by Arnold Palmer and Tom Fazio) and a great spot on the schedule.

The event also is known to have one of the tougher finishes as its 16th, 17th, and 18th holes, commonly known as the "Green Mile," often rank among the PGA Tour's toughest closing stretch.

18. RBC Canadian Open

Glen Abbey Golf Club

Location: Various courses around the country (including Glen Abbey Golf Course, Oakville, Ontario, Canada, and the Hamilton Golf & Country Club, Hamilton, Ontario)

Established: 1904

Total purse (winner's share): $7.6 million ($1.368 Million)

Bottom Line: RBC Canadian Open

Rory McIlroy analyzes ball on course

The only PGA Tour event held north of the border, the RBC Canadian Open is the third-oldest continuously running tournament on the tour, after The Open Championship and the U.S. Open.

A Canadian has not won the Canadian Open since Pat Fletcher in 1954.

17. Genesis Open

Genesis Open

Location: Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, California

Established: 1926

Total purse (winner's share): $7.4 million ($1.332 million)

Bottom Line: Genesis Open

Tiger Woods at the 2019 Genesis Open

One of the oldest tournaments on the tour is played on one of its most iconic courses, with the march up the 18th fairway at Riviera toward the clubhouse ranking as the best jaunt anywhere.

There are a handful of holes here, including the par-3 seventh, the short par-4 10th and the 18th that are some of the best ever designed.

16. AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Phil Mickelson

Location: Pebble Beach Golf Links/Spyglass Hill Golf Course/Monterrey Peninsula Country Club, Pebble Beach, California

Established: 1937

Total purse (winner's share): $7.6 million ($1.368 million)

Bottom Line: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in 2019

Crooner and actor Bing Crosby founded the Pebble Beach Pro-Am as the "Crosby Clambake."

Played at two other top-drawer facilities, as well as the course considered among the top two or three in the nation, this event is highly regarded by players and fans.

Pebble Beach also has been the site of six U. S. Opens, in 1972, 1982, 1992, 2000, 2010 and 2019.

15. Sentry Tournament of Champions

Dustin Johnson

Location: Plantation Course at Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii

Established: 1953

Total purse (winner's share): $6.5 million ($1.3 million)

Bottom Line: Sentry Tournament of Champions

Justin Thomas hits from the seventh tee at the Kapalua Plantation Course on Kapalua, Hawaii

You have to win a tournament in the previous season to be invited to play in this event.

It's in friggin' Hawaii and played on a course on which the golfers hit 400-plus yard drives downwind and downhill.

This is a nice event and sweet to be a part of.

14. Charles Schwab Challenge

Kevin Kisner

Location: Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas

Established: 1946

Bottom Line: Charles Schwab Challenge

Jordan Spieth at the 2021 Charles Schwab Challenge

This event, also known as the Fort Worth Invitational, is perennially one of the best on tour, thanks to its traditional layout and the prestige carried by a win here.

Held each year at the venerable Colonial Country Club, the tournament is one of only five given "invitational" status by the PGA Tour, and consequently has a reduced field of approximately 125 players.

13. Memorial Tournament

Daniel Summerhays

Location: Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio

Established: 1976

Month played: May/June

Total purse (winner's share): $9.1 million ($1.638 million)

Bottom Line: Memorial Tournament

Patrick Cantlay watches hits putt at 2021 Memorial Tournament

Another of the invitational tournaments on tour, the Memorial is hosted by the legendary Jack Nicklaus on a course he designed and has tweaked regularly through the years.

Tiger Woods has won the event a record five times.

12. The Northern Trust

Tiger Woods

Location: Rotates between New York City and Boston areas (Liberty National Golf Club, Jersey City, New Jersey; TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts)

Established: 1967

Total purse (winner's share): $9.25 million ($1.665 million)

Bottom Line: The Northern Trust

Dustin Johnson holds trophy

The first FedEx Cup playoff event was held in 2019 at the some-players-like-it, some-players-don’t course across the Hudson from Manhattan that backs up to the Statue of Liberty.

The field for the Northern Trust, formerly known as The Barclays, is limited to the top 125 players in the end-of-season FedEx Cup standings.

The tour returned to New England and TPC Boston in 2020 and rotates between the NYC and Boston area.

11. BMW Championship

BMW Championship

Location: Various (including Medinah Country Club’s Course No. 3, Medinah, Illinois;  Olympia Fields Country Club North Course, Olympia Fields, Illinois; Caves Valley Golf Club, Owings Mill, Maryland)

Established: 1916

Bottom Line: BMW Championship

Hideki Matsuyama at the 2020 BMW Championship

The BMW Championship is the penultimate event of the FedEx Cup playoffs and is limited to the top 70 golfers in the standing after the prior week’s Northern Trust.

Born as the Western Open in 1899, this tournament was played at Medinah for the fourth time in 2019 but first since 1966.

It will be played at the Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland, in 2021 and the Wilmington Country Club in Wilmington, Delaware, in 2022.

10. Tour Championship

Tour Championship

Location: East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia

Established: 1987

Bottom Line: Tour Championship

Dustin Johnson after winning the 2020 Tour Championship

The top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings get a chance to test their skills on this Donald Ross-designed, Rees Jones-renovated track for the event’s purse and a $15 million bonus.

The golf course hosted its first Tour Championship in 1998 and became the tournament’s permanent home in 2005. 

9. World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions

WGC-HSBC Champions

Location: Sheshan International Golf Club, Shanghai, China

Established: 2005

Total purse (winner's share): $10 million ($1.7 million)

Bottom Line: World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions

Justin Rose after winning the 2017 WGC-HSBC Champions

Every WGC event is desirable and important for professional golfers because of the limited fields, the guaranteed payday and the prestige of being among the top players in the game.

And because the event is in China, and everyone wants the golf market in that country to grow, winning here carries a lot of clout.

8. World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship

Phil Mickelson

Location: Club de Golf Chapultepec, Mexico City, Mexico

Total purse (winner's share): $10.25 million ($1.745 million)

Bottom Line: World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship

Hideki Matsuyama walks to the 7th green

This event moved to Mexico a few years ago from Doral in Miami.

It ranks high for the quirky, and relatively short, course design, and playing at elevation makes the pros’ shots even more impressive.

The fact that it’s a limited, elite field and has a large, guaranteed purse also works to its advantage.

7. World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational

WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational

Location: TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee

Bottom Line: World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational

TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee

This tournament took over as a WGC event for the first time in the 2018-19 season (taking the place of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational), and it added instant prestige after being just a run-of-the-mill event for years.

It’s ranked so highly because of its huge purse and prestigious field.

6. World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play

WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play

Location: Austin Country Club, Austin, Texas

Bottom Line: World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play

World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play Trophy

What’s not to like about spending a week in Austin, a guaranteed payday, and at least three matches in pool play before elimination.

The top 64 players in the world qualify for this event, which is played at one of the nation’s most underrated golf courses.

A winner every year.

5. The Players Championship

The Players Championship

Location: TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course, Ponte Verde Beach, Florida

Established: 1974

Total purse (winner's share): $12.5 million ($2.25 million)

Bottom Line: The Players Championship

Bryson DeChambeau hits tee shot

This devious Pete and Alice Dye-designed course was fashioned to be difficult for the best golfers in the world and takes its pound of flesh from whoever tees it up here.

It is home of perhaps the most famous golf hole in the world, the devilishly short par-3 17th with its island green.

This event, which considers itself the "Fifth Major," carries the largest purse outside the major tournaments.

4. PGA Championship

PGA Championship

Location: Bethpage State Park Golf Club’s Black Course, Bethpage, New York

Month played: May (formerly August)

Total purse (winner's share): $11 million ($1.98 million)

Bottom Line: PGA Championship

Phil Mickelson holds the Wanamaker Trophy

The fourth-ranked major for this list got a boost in the 2018-19 season when it was played at the incomparable Black Course, one of the world’s sternest challenges and likely one of the best courses in the U.S. that anyone can play.

The tournament’s move to May helped remove the afterthought status it’s suffered as compared to the other three majors.

3. U.S. Open

Curtis Strange

Location: Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, California

Established: 1895

Total purse (winner's share): $12 million ($2.16 million)

Bottom Line: U.S. Open

Tiger Woods plays a shot at the 2020 U.S. Open

The course for America’s national championship varies every year. But one thing never changes — it's always a great one.

In 2019, the tournament returned to Pebble Beach, the course many consider to be the finest in the nation. The fabled course on the Monterey Peninsula celebrated its centennial that year.

It had hosted five previous U.S. Opens, four U.S. Amateurs and two U.S. Women’s Amateur Championships.

2. The Open Championship

Jack Nicklaus

Location: Royal Portrush Golf Club’s Dunluce Links, Antrim, Northern Ireland

Established: 1860

Total purse (winner's share): $10.5 million ($1.89 million)

Bottom Line: The Open Championship

The Open Championship scene

The British Open is the biggest golf tournament in the world to all but the Americans because of its history and prestige and the demands it places on the best golfers.

The event returned to Northern Ireland in 2019 for the first time since 1951, when it became the first club outside of the mainland United Kingdom to host the tournament.

1. The Masters Tournament

The Masters

Location: Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia

Established: 1934

Total purse (winner's share): $11 million ($1.980 million) *2018 purse

Bottom Line: The Masters Tournament

Hideki Matsuyama celebrates

The Masters is far and away the best tournament on tour each year just because it's always played at the same course — and that course is one of the best in the world — and because of all the perks that come with a win.

It’s an honor to even be invited to play at Augusta, and every round is cherished by the golfers and must-see television for fans.

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average pga tour attendance

Has LIV Golf attendance, viewership improved since the Masters?

After a bumpy start to its sophomore season, LIV Golf appeared to start turning things around following the exposure some of its golfers got at the Masters back in April. 

So with the PGA Championship getting underway on Thursday, it's a good time to check in and see if the rogue golf circuit really is drawing bigger crowds and growing its fanbase.

Good morning from the Cedar Ridge range. Final round of LIV Tulsa getting started in about 30 minutes. Yesterday, Tulsa sold out the 2nd round here, and had the largest domestic attendance since LIV Golf began. #LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/KpdvI9lFVY — TJ Eckert (@TJEckertKTUL) May 14, 2023

At first glance, it does appear that more fans appear to be attending LIV Golf events. While LIV Golf Adelaide was the first event of the season to really draw crowds, last weekend's LIV Golf Tulsa reportedly pulled in over 40,000 attendees to become the most successful of the stateside events, according to  Tulsa World . 

But while the number of LIV Golf attendees is increasing, there is still room for growth. As Golf Week pointed out, the LIV Golf Tulsa turnout still pales in comparison to the turnout for PGA Tour events -- and is exponentially smaller than the 2022 PGA Championship crowd that was present 10 miles away at Southern Hills Country Club last year.

"[LIV Golf Tulsa attendance] does, however, compare more to the Senior PGA Championship that was held at Southern Hills in 2021," Golf Week added.

LIV Golf reportedly had about 40,000 people attend this weekend's tournament in Tulsa. That makes it their most successful US event so far. Although, it was still significantly behind the roughly 150,000 people at this weekend's PGA Tour event in Dallas. pic.twitter.com/v1ww0r8Msm — Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) May 15, 2023

There's also still the issue of TV viewership. Viewer numbers for LIV Golf since the Masters haven't readily been made public, and viewership was a dismal   473,000 average through the first three events prior to Augusta. 

And even if viewership went up for LIV Golf Tulsa, it surely didn't help that the CW cut away from the end of the dramatic final few holes to show a wide range of non-golf programming.

CW dropped LIV to show some parade. This is amazing https://t.co/9pFFy0WEtR pic.twitter.com/xGJVMHvELd — Sam (@Skulledwedge) May 14, 2023
here’s my recorded broadcast in Oregon pic.twitter.com/31EMn83EJJ — Apollo Vermouth (@McbillsonBill) May 15, 2023

All in all, LIV Golf appears to be on the upswing but still has a ways to go if it's going to continue being a functioning, world-known golf league. We'll just have to wait and see if its attendance and viewership get any more of a boost after the PGA Championship.

More must-reads:

  • Dustin Johnson grabs lead LIV Golf Tulsa
  • The best golfers who never won at the Masters
  • The 'Winners of the 2005 sports season' quiz

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PGA Tour Attendance

By Hale607 July 4, 2023 in Tour Talk

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Seems to me attendance at golf events is way down.  I know TV contracts are where the money is, but doesnt low attendance at events have to catch up and effect the overall purse eventually?  

I know in the past at local tour events saturday and sunday were just mobbed with fans and majors we had to order tickets a year in advance.

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bobfoster

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Jul 11 2023

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Ferguson

July 5, 2023

Typical new guy approach.  Throw out an opinion about fans, money and what one sees on TV and see what sticks.      A few questions:  Firstly, what are you talking about?    S

July 7, 2023

Maybe you are watching on the CW😀

Hawkeye77

July 4, 2023

Based on what?     What does "seems to me" mean without any context?    Attendance has been strong overall for PGA Tour in general, and majors so far, and no reason to think otherw

So_Cal

Rocket was very  attended.   LA Open

sold out this year with Tiger.  Tickets for US Open were very expensive.   Those are the tournaments where I’ve paid attention.   

1 hour ago, Hale607 said: Seems to me attendance at golf events is way down.  I know TV contracts are where the money is, but doesnt low attendance at events have to catch up and effect the overall purse eventually?    I know in the past at local tour events saturday and sunday were just mobbed with fans and majors we had to order tickets a year in advance.

although no interest in an event will affect the purse because a sponsor won’t want to put up the money. Gate revenues go to the local charity or beneficiary for that week, API is Winnie Palmer, Honda is the Nicklaus Hospital, LA Open is the TWLC (I’d imagine) etc etc. But ticket revenues have no bearing on the purse at all

Thanks

1 hour ago, Hale607 said: Seems to me attendance at golf events is way down.  I know TV contracts are where the money is, but doesnt low attendance at events have to catch up and effect the overall purse eventually?   I know in the past at local tour events saturday and sunday were just mobbed with fans and majors we had to order tickets a year in advance.

Based on what?  

What does "seems to me" mean without any context? 

Attendance has been strong overall for PGA Tour in general, and majors so far, and no reason to think otherwise.

Like

I dont know for sure but looks like attendance #s are down over the past 20 yrs.

  • Popular Post
22 hours ago, Hale607 said: Seems to me attendance at golf events is way down.  I know TV contracts are where the money is, but doesnt low attendance at events have to catch up and effect the overall purse eventually?   I know in the past at local tour events saturday and sunday were just mobbed with fans and majors we had to order tickets a year in advance.
19 minutes ago, Hale607 said: I dont know for sure but looks like attendance #s are down over the past 20 yrs.

Typical new guy approach.  Throw out an opinion about fans, money and what one sees on TV and see what sticks. 

A few questions: 

Firstly, what are you talking about?   

Secondly, where are the metrics?

Haha

All this riveting conversation aside I would be curious to see the numbers especially how they compare to past iterations of each specific event.   

if anything I’d actually say it skews higher than average (even if marginally), there’s so many non golfer there (I’m talking the social media wenches…the ones there to complete their Mrs. degrees…y’all know who I’m meaning). I went to all the Florida events this year and would say they were on par with previous years. 

jdl

6 hours ago, Hale607 said: I dont know for sure 

Maybe you are watching on the CW 😀

3whacker

welcome to a post CV19 world, without getting political people are taking a whole new look at mixing it up with the masses....plus there are lots of choices for the entertainment dollar, unless your favorite golfer is someone other than TW are you going to watch a tournament or go play a round of golf

SnowbirdTom

SnowbirdTom

2 hours ago, 3whacker said: welcome to a post CV19 world, without getting political people are taking a whole new look at mixing it up with the masses....plus there are lots of choices for the entertainment dollar, unless your favorite golfer is someone other than TW are you going to watch a tournament or go play a round of golf

Play and chores takes precedence over watching PGA on tv.  If my time is free, PGA on the big screen.  Concerts, pro sports and many other things have gotten stupid expensive.

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On 7/5/2023 at 10:36 AM, Ferguson said:     Typical new guy approach.  Throw out an opinion about fans, money and what one sees on TV and see what sticks.      A few questions:  Firstly, what are you talking about?    Secondly, where are the metrics?  

Spot on. I pay attention to metrics (some of my friends here would say I obsess on them). "Seems like" is not a data point. "Mobbed" is not one of the ticks on the Y axis. 

But to the larger point (with some metrics), course attendance has virtually no connection at all to purses. Most attendance fees (after covering costs) go to charity or something. They are an incredibly minor variable in terms of golf revenues. PGAT money largely comes from media contracts. The Tour just (a year or two ago I believe) inked another contract with major media outlets - 10 years and worth hundreds of millions. 

And course attendance also has absolutely no connection to the importance of a tournament - it is quite often the result of multiple factors far beyond a measure of interest. The largest on course attendance numbers usually come from (weirdly) the Waste Management Phoenix Open. But the course landscape is such that it is easy to allow huge crowds (and it has a tradition of being half PGAT event / half party). While it stopped releasing official attendance numbers a few years ago, the 2023 estimate is that something over 650,000 attended over the course of four days.

Contrast that with the other extreme this year - the US Open. Its course landscape is about as bad as it is possible to get for spectators. Ticket sales were limited to 22,000 a day (for a Major for goodness sake - if attendance mattered at all no one would ever schedule a pro event there). That mosh-pit called the 16th hole at the WMPO is capable of around 20,000 at capacity (which it often is) - 16,000 in the grandstand alone. That's right - there were almost as many people on one hole at the WMPO as there were on the entire LACC course. 

But so far as viewership and the importance to golf (which is what actually matters to sponsors and advertisers), the WMPO averaged about 2.5 - 3 million viewers over four days, and peaked at around 4 million on Sunday. The US Open averaged over 6 million, and peaked at slightly over 10 million. 

In the grand scheme of things, on course attendance is pretty trivial when it comes to the business of golf. 

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On 7/4/2023 at 12:04 PM, Hale607 said: Seems to me attendance at golf events is way down.  I know TV contracts are where the money is, but doesnt low attendance at events have to catch up and effect the overall purse eventually?   I know in the past at local tour events saturday and sunday were just mobbed with fans and majors we had to order tickets a year in advance.

 The 3 PGA Championships I've attended the last 20 years have gotten nothing but bigger and busier. 

11 hours ago, bobfoster said:   Spot on. I pay attention to metrics (some of my friends here would say I obsess on them). "Seems like" is not a data point. "Mobbed" is not one of the ticks on the Y axis.    But to the larger point (with some metrics), course attendance has virtually no connection at all to purses. Most attendance fees (after covering costs) go to charity or something. They are an incredibly minor variable in terms of golf revenues. PGAT money largely comes from media contracts. The Tour just (a year or two ago I believe) inked another contract with major media outlets - 10 years and worth hundreds of millions.    And course attendance also has absolutely no connection to the importance of a tournament - it is quite often the result of multiple factors far beyond a measure of interest. The largest on course attendance numbers usually come from (weirdly) the Waste Management Phoenix Open. But the course landscape is such that it is easy to allow huge crowds (and it has a tradition of being half PGAT event / half party). While it stopped releasing official attendance numbers a few years ago, the 2023 estimate is that something over 650,000 attended over the course of four days.   Contrast that with the other extreme this year - the US Open. Its course landscape is about as bad as it is possible to get for spectators. Ticket sales were limited to 22,000 a day (for a Major for goodness sake - if attendance mattered at all no one would ever schedule a pro event there). That mosh-pit called the 16th hole at the WMPO is capable of around 20,000 at capacity (which it often is) - 16,000 in the grandstand alone. That's right - there were almost as many people on one hole at the WMPO as there were on the entire LACC course.    But so far as viewership and the importance to golf (which is what actually matters to sponsors and advertisers), the WMPO averaged about 2.5 - 3 million viewers over four days, and peaked at around 4 million on Sunday. The US Open averaged over 6 million, and peaked at slightly over 10 million.    In the grand scheme of things, on course attendance is pretty trivial when it comes to the business of golf. 

Absolutely correct.....attendance gates goes to charities, etc... The TPC courses are either owned or operated by the PGAT. Purses are divided 60/40 with the PGAT supplying the bulk of the of the prize money. What I don't understand is how the Tour is in a crunch for cash with $1.5B in revenue.

5 minutes ago, Titleist99 said: Absolutely correct.....attendance gates goes to charities, etc... The TPC courses are either owned or operated by the PGAT. Purses are divided 60/40 with the PGAT supplying the bulk of the of the prize money. What I don't understand is how the Tour is in a crunch for cash with $1.5B in revenue.

tpc courses are owned and operated by the pgat not or.

and the tour is not in a crunch due to bad revenue or over spending on purses/operations they will be in a crunch due to legal spending over time.

Soloman1

Tournament sponsors provide the purse, not the tour. It provides the circus performers for the traveling circus.

The gate goes to the local organizer.

The tour kicks in a little at some tournaments, since it gets the TV money.

bought out by private equity.

capitalization, grammar and reasoning slashed as a cost reduction.

24 minutes ago, Titleist99 said: Absolutely correct.....attendance gates goes to charities, etc... The TPC courses are either owned or operated by the PGAT. Purses are divided 60/40 with the PGAT supplying the bulk of the of the prize money. What I don't understand is how the Tour is in a crunch for cash with $1.5B in revenue.

Yes. Point is, gate receipts have nothing to do with purses. 

The vast majority of money in golf (or for that matter, any professional sport) ultimately comes from sponsors and advertisers (no matter what channel it routes through). And they are paying for eyeballs. The marketing departments of these huge companies don't pay to sponsor a tournament, or pay players to wear their logos, because they will be seen by a few thousands walking around courses, but because they'll be seen by a few million watching on TV. 

Its all about money.

golfortennis

You forgot to ask if the poster was having marital problems.

11 hours ago, golfortennis said:   You forgot to ask if the poster was having marital problems.

He showed very few indicators. 

If you're basing this on what you see lining the fairways then you're misinformed.

Every event now has 100 hospitality tents and that's where people hang out. 

3jacker

In my nonscientific personal observations from attending about 10 tournaments in the past couple of years, they seem incredibly crowded.

Not sure where the OPs observation is coming from.

I miss the days when it was a smaller crowd, and you could actually get closer and hear more of the conversations between players, caddies, etc.  Sometimes even with you if you're in the right place.

Callaway XR16 SubZero Aldila Rogue I/O 70X Callaway Apex Utility Wood 19* Fujikura Ventus TR Red 60 Callaway UT 18* KBS C-Taper X Titleist 818 H2 21* Mizuno Pro 223 4-PW KBS DG X100 Vokey SM7 52* F Vokey SM7 58* D Sizemore XB-1

On 7/11/2023 at 8:52 PM, getitdaily said: If you're basing this on what you see lining the fairways then you're misinformed.   Every event now has 100 hospitality tents and that's where people hang out. 

Which is why you must have the infrastructure to put on a modern day PGAT event. You have to have room for the Fitness trailers, television trucks, equipment trailers, miles of cable, many many hospitality suites, restrooms, individual food trucks, etc.....

A lot of the older courses just don't have the room for a modern-day tournament.

Nowadays it's all about the money and value for the sponsors....

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TrackMan Average Tour Stats

TrackMan Average Tour Stats

Tour stats include:

Club Speed, Attack Angle, Ball Speed, Smash Factor, Launch Angle, Spin Rate, Max Height, Land Angle and Carry.

TrackMan Average Stats Taken From The PGA TOUR

TrackMan PGA Tour Averages Stats

TrackMan LPGA Tour Average Stats

TrackMan LPGA Tour Averages Stats

80 comments

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So the average male Tour pro hits down on the ball slightly with the driver? Should attack angle vary with clubhead speed?

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The attack angle for the pros varies on woods, but it’s more or less negative when it comes to hybrids and irons. For the average player, the attack angle on drivers varies and in general so should the ball that is hit from the ground always have a negative attack angle in order to get a better margin of error for the impact.

However, in order to get the longest carry possible, the ball should launch high with low spin. The optimal numbers are individual based on club speed – and that type of flight can easier be achieved if the spin loft is low together with a high dynamic loft. The more the attack angle is negative, then the higher the spin loft gets => the attack angle should be closer to 0 if anything IF the goal is to carry as long as possible.

But generally, the attack angle for irons should be from -2 – -5 for almost all players, but for drivers you can hit it further with a positive attack angle, no matter the club speed.

Niklas Bergdahl Support Manager EMEA & Asia

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Can you send me the optimal numbers across the board that players and coaches should be looking for in lessons and trackman sessions

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Strangely enough, with a driver you can achieve a carry of 300 vs 275 with the same clubhead speed of 113. Adam Young tries to get people to convert to this method. Attack angle = +8 degrees Launch angle = 19 degrees Backspin = 2,000 Smash Factor= 1.5

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Hi. I can only confirm. I achieve those positive angles and l can carry the driver (9 degr loft) 245 yards with a club speed of 95mph. Rollout is average 20 yards.

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No, it is 3° and that means the clubhead is movin upwards. – is downwards.

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You are reading the LPGA (ladies) numbers Tim. The PGA (men) average is -1.3.

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Looks like the average LPGA players trackman swing speed is more or less the same as an average 10 hcp male player. Though the ladies are a lot more skilled in hitting it on the right angles and in the right spot on the clubface. Would an average 10 hcp male player have a advantage or disadvantege using graphite shafts?

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Harry, any player of any handicap can benefit from graphite shafts. More often than not, the memory in most players’ minds from graphite stems from a very long time ago when graphite was ONLY graphite. It was whippy, and not very accurate. Material advances and composite technology have nearly rendered steel obsolete. I say nearly, mind you. There are a number of outstanding graphite shafts out there that are super stable and responsive, enabling a lighter club and longer distance without sacrificing accuracy. Fujikura makes some really nice iron shafts that fuse both steel and graphite technologies called MCI. In fact, i have Fuji PRO 95i shafts in my irons and my iron game is better now than it ever was with steel. I’m a 3.5 index and relatively strong but it allows me to play all out without getting tired on the back 9 from heavy clubs. Being a club builder, i can tell you that in golf equipment there’s a trade-off in everything. wether it’s length, weight, or feel so your advantage or disadvantage is dependent on how precisely you build your piece of equipment.

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Hey Chris thanks for the info below i find it very interesting. Curious do you have those same shafts in your wedges or do you have steel in your wedges? I played SteelFiber i95 shafts last year in all my irons including wedges. I liked them in my irons but i felt like it hurt my game in wedges. Do you have any thoughts on this? Thanks

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Agreed. Shallow your angle of attack to match the LPGA players.

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I have had a number of sessions on a Trackman, (the latest on Aug 22, 2015, at “Modern Golf” in Mississauga On.). My clubhead speed and distances are about the same as LPGA averages. I was doing wedge work, and see that for a pitching wedge, (48°), my angle of attack -about 7.5° – is n=much higher than LPGA average. My accuracy is good, (only 3 0f 19 shots more that 20′ away, and all when the face angle was over 4° closed). I’m thinking that I should weaken my left hand a bit, (it’s a little strong on pitch shots), and play the ball farther forward- 2″ ahead of centre. Am I on the right track, or will these changes introduce new problems?

I’m 74 years old, and am a long-time PGA of Canada member. Thanks for any feedback…. love Trackman outings.

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I would recommend that you visit one of our certified coaches, he/she would be able to help you and find what numbers are best for you.

See our TrackMan Locator here.

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I don’t disagree with these stats but I do it;s kinda weird. 87 miles mph with an 8 iron should produce 177 yards of carry not 160 that’s a lot of mph. Iv’e seen high school kids hit 9 iron 165 and they don’t swing 100 mph with a 9 iron. When I swing hard I hit my 8 iron 155 and my legit radar read 72 mph so logic would dictate at 88 mph you would get more like 180 yards carry again that’s a lot of mph.

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Remember that’s a carry number not total distance. Also since the pros produce significant more back spin, their ball flight is higher, landing angle loftier producing minimum roll whereas your total distance might be benefiting from maximum roll. One more thing to check would be launch angle where you might be hitting a low ball flight to maximize distance which in my opinion is “cheating.”

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The PGA Tour 8-iron goes 160 in the air for a couple of reasons. One, they usually hit weaker lofts than high school players (like I) do. Secondly, they spin their 8-iron at 7998 RPM to stop the ball on fast greens. I believe this is the combination that makes the 8-iron go so much shorter.

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I’ve hit thousands of balls on Foresight simulators, and what I’ve found is that backspin significantly influences carry distance. Holding club head speed constant, greater backspin reduces carry distance on all clubs.

For mid-irons, I’d estimate that you lose roughly 5-7 yards of carry per 1,000 RPM in additional backspin. And with the driver it’s easily 10+ yards of carry lost per 1,000 RPM.

This explains why poorly struck balls will often fly as far, if not further, than a well-hit shot. The key to backspin is crispness of contact – a poorly struck shot simply won’t spin as much. Unless the impact is absolutely terrible, the lack of backspin on poorly struck shots will cause those balls to carry further than a well-struck ball. So if you’re flying balls over the green with your irons, the culprit could be too little backspin caused by poor contact, cheap balls, a dirty club face, etc.

I think this is also the key reason why fades don’t carry as far as draws. It’s not that a draw swing is any faster/more powerful – it’s simply that fades have more backspin due to the impact geometry/physics involved with that swing.

Now I may be wrong on some of this, so I’d love to get a true expert’s take.

One thing I forgot to add to my comment above is that you need a minimum of backspin on all golf shots just to get the ball up in the air. That may be 1,500 RPM for woods and maybe 3,000 for irons.

My point is that increasing backspin beyond this base level will generally reduce carry. For example, I can guarantee that increasing the backspin on your 7 iron from 5k to 7.5k will reduce your carry with that club, even if your swinging faster at 7.5k.

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I totally disagree with your premise. Draws carrying further than fades? That makes no sense.

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Bare in mind tour players play with proper golf clubs which are weak lofted so the people you see hitting a 9 iron further than tour average 8 it’s probably because that 9 iron is closer to a 7 iron loft

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Spin determines weather you hit a draw or fade so logic would dictate distance will also be effected. In my experience draws do tend to be further for 2 reasons and both have to do with spin. With a draw you will usually get more roll out as well as flight because of the decrease in spin. This is especially true with a driver.

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Depends what clubs you are using. There can be as much as 7 degrees of variation between a ‘standard’ loft on a 7 iron. If you’re playing the Callaway Mavrik irons, you’ll get 27 degrees of loft on a 7 iron. If you’re playing the Callaway Apex Pro then its 34 degrees. That’s a two club difference.

I was custom fit recently for the Apex 21’s and currently play Apex MBs. With the MBs my 7 iron has 34 degrees of loft and flies 165yds with 89mph average club head speed. Same swing with the Apex 21s (30 degrees of loft) flies between 177 – 180 yds. Big difference.

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Larry , I would highly recommend you see Mark Evershed . Buy him lunch and get the answers your looking for .

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Hi guys this was a recent session with a cobra 3 wood 16 deg loft.my question is my launch angle seems a little low ,interested in your thoughts .thanks Shot # Club Club Speed (mph) Ball Speed (mph) Smash Factor Launch Angle (degrees) Direction Back Spin (rpm) Carry Distance (yards) Total Distance (yards) 1 3 Wood 94 143 1.52 8.80 Straight 3874.00 215.00 232.00 2 3 Wood 98 148 1.51 9.10 Straight 4096.00 223.00 240.00 3 3 Wood 94 142 1.51 9.10 Straight 3904.00 213.00 230.00 4 3 Wood 94 143 1.52 8.80 Straight 3874.00 215.00 232.00 5 3 Wood 96 145 1.51 9.10 Straight 4000.00 219.00 236.00 6 3 Wood 94 143 1.52 8.80 Straight 3874.00 215.00 232.00 7 3 Wood 94 143 1.52 8.80 Straight 3874.00 215.00 232.00 8 3 Wood 93 141 1.52 8.80 Straight 3826.00 212.00 229.00 9 3 Wood 92 129 1.40 12.40 Straight 4138.00 190.00 207.00 10 3 Wood 94 142 1.51 9.10 Straight 3904.00 213.00 230.00 11 3 Wood 94 142 1.51 9.10 Straight 3904.00 213.00 230.00 12 3 Wood 94 143 1.52 8.80 Straight 3874.00 215.00 232.00 13 3 Wood 96 145 1.51 9.10 Straight 4000.00 219.00 236.00 14 3 Wood 93 140 1.51 9.10 Straight 3856.00 210.00 227.00 15 3 Wood 96 146 1.52 8.80 Straight 3970.00 220.00 237.00 16 3 Wood 92 140 1.52 8.80 Straight 3778.00 210.00 227.00 17 3 Wood 95 144 1.52 8.80 Straight 3922.00 216.00 233.00 18 3 Wood 96 145 1.51 9.10 Straight 4000.00 219.00 236.00 19 3 Wood 94 142 1.51 9.10 Straight 3904.00 213.00 230.00 20 3 Wood 91 137 1.51 9.10 Straight 3760.00 204.00 221.00 21 3 Wood 94 143 1.52 8.80 Straight 3874.00 215.00 232.00 22 3 Wood 95 144 1.52 8.80 Straight 3922.00 216.00 233.00 23 3 Wood 95 144 1.52 8.80 Straight 3922.00 216.00 233.00 24 3 Wood 96 146 1.52 8.80 Straight 3970.00 220.00 237.00 25 3 Wood 96 146 1.52 8.80 Straight 3970.00 220.00 237.00 26 3 Wood 96 145 1.51 9.10 Straight 4000.00 219.00 236.00 27 3 Wood 94 137 1.46 10.60 Straight 4054.00 204.00 221.00 28 3 Wood 94 143 1.52 8.80 Straight 3874.00 215.00 232.00 29 3 Wood 98 142 1.45 10.90 Straight 4276.00 213.00 230.00

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What kind of balls were you using?

Brent. This was at a driving range with srixon range balls

Ok the one number that really stood out to me was the smash factor. Usually anything above a 1.50 indicates something is illegal. There’s a reason not even the PGA tour players aren’t averaging 1.50 off the tee. Other than that your numbers look good.

Brent what about the launch angle

Yes the launch is a little on the low side. But seeing how you’re still getting decent distance I wouldn’t worry too much about how it’s coming out. But try hitting down on the ball more to get it up in the air faster.

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I frequently get above 1.5 on trackman with longer irons and my woods (I have raised this with your tech teams already). This is because your machine measures club speed just before impact and doesn’t detect acceleration through impact

Trackman doesn’t detect acceleration through impact on solidly struck shots so you can post smash factors above 1.5. It’s best to just rely on ball speed with Trackman

Brent in one of your comments you said my smash factor was high ,had a session last night at range and some of my smash factors were 1.53 is this something to try and change and if so how do I change it

Like you had said you were using range balls correct? If so the smash factor will be a little off since they aren’t a legal tournament ball. What the smash factor (as explained to me by the Carolinas PGA rules committee chairman) is, is a measurement of how well the ball comes off the face. There’s a specific calculation for it but I’m not positive of it and anything over a 1.50 usually is a tell tale sign that either the club or ball is illegal. What I would recommend doing is using the ball you would normally play a round with and get some readings off that ball.

I read not long ago that Rory Mcilroy had a smash factor of 1.53 as well . If Willie can hit it 380 the way Rory does, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Larry. I’m 55 years old 280 is my distance not 380 Like Rory

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Ball speed divided by club head speed is smash factor

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I’m currently doing my university project on green-side bunker shots, I was wondering if you have any shot data for a short bunker shot or flop shot? Thanks.

Sorry but we do not have any official data we can share, but it would be interesting to see your final research :)

Blair, My assumption would be that the cleaner a ball is picked out of a bunker the more spin it will have and vice versa. The more sand you use to move the ball the less spin.

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Do you have TrackMan data for AoA and DL for greenside bunker shots?

Sorry we do not have any official bunker shot data.

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In looking at the tour pro stats for men – the max height reading for all clubs is about 30 plus or minus 2. I am trying to understand how/why are the heights the same for all clubs? My assumption would be the more lofted the club the greater the height! Is 30ish the optimum figure for best distance? Because in my last stats my longest 9.5 degree driver shot was max height of 56!

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Is there any data available from the Senior tour?

We do not have any official charts for the Senior Tour. But you can login on mytrackman.com and use the combine section and filter, to show only Senior Tour players.

Thanks Christian!

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what month/year is this data from?

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Is there any data on typical club path for a tour pro?

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Can you please post stats for average path, club face, and face to path numbers for PGA tour?

Could you please post average path, club face, and face to path numbers for several top Tour Players?

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Before all the hype about hitting up on the ball came about, I hit down on a driver anywhere from -2 to -4 degrees and swung 1-2 degrees left.

Once I started to try and swing up on it. I lost direction big time. An easy swing for me is 112, swinging hard at it I can get it up to 123. Does Trackman recommend those that have higher swing speeds to hit down on it for straighter direction?

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There is no physics logic backing up that hitting up on the ball will give a decrease in accuracy. However to go from hitting down to hitting up you have made some changes to your impact obviously. The way you made the changes could well be the problem as this could have affected your impact location, swing path, clubface and the way you release the club

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Can pga tour players carry the ball 293 yards.

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A Question: Were some data change on this site? I ask because I’m quite sure to have read other data for the men’s driver trajectory. Am I wrong or can someone confirm this?

kindly zorro

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Is my impression right, that the data for the men driver were changed from

[Daten alt: 112mph 165mph 11,2° 2685 31y 39° 269y] to [Daten neu: 113mph 167mph 10,9° 2686 32y 38° 275y] ?

Why did TM do that?

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For the tour pro stats – mainly carry distance, launch angle and spin rate for the driver, you have the averages, could you supply the max and min (filtered for outliers)? I am going to run an experiment with Trackman at my golf academy and need a starting range for each item. The tour max and min range is a starting point versus having to create this from scratch.

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Anyone know where I can find raw data of clubhead speed? It is for a College project. Thanks!

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You know what would be great to see – average miss from target – left and right – for each club. Of course short and long from target matter as well, but solid contact isn’t really my issue – left and right misses is my challenge

I’m about a half club off of PGA Tour average distance wise. Technically I’m a 1 handicap, but more like 4 or 5 when the tourney pressure is on. I know from playing with better players the difference between me and them is pretty much how much more accurate they are from a left and right perspective.

You can find all this info from Mark Broadie. He has tracked all the shots on the us tour for years and also written a book Every Shot Counts about it

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I have been playing Golf for less than 19 months. I must admit I was damn tired of the same Golf Lesson producing varying results with inconsistent instruction(s) which seemed contradictory to the previous lesson. I take Golf perhaps a little more serious than others and my “approach” to this game may be viewed as extreme due to my focus on Fitness/Strength Training combined with my Yoga and Nutritional regimen.

That notwithstanding I would like to formally THANK the Trackman Developers and Support Staff for FINALLY producing a “Standardized” curriculum eliminating the traditional random quick fixes and circumventing the often inconsistent and contradictory methods being taught today.

I currently own a Trackman 4 and although I DO NOT wish to teach, I am Certified as an Operator and successful in obtaining my Professional Level 1 & 2 Certifications and shortly will be submitting my Thesis to be considered for review. These Certifications have greatly assisted me in understanding Flight/Ball dynamics and greatly assists my Coach and I in our 4-5 hour daily Putting-Wedge-Iron-Wood and Driver Sessions providing the data necessary to produce a more consistent and …. I have a hard time with this next word…… F U N game. (There I said the word “fun” in the same sentence as “Golf.” I’m so proud of myself!!!

Seriously, I simply CANNOT thank Nathan Meyer for coming to my hometown and demonstrating the enormous benefit(s) of purchasing the Trackman 4 product.

Kym Fontana [email protected]

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It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know you! Your work ethic, attitude, and kindness are all things that I can look up to. very excited for 2017 and I am looking forward to seeing you again soon!

-Nathan Meyer [email protected]

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Are there numbers posted for an average 5 HCP player or 10 HCP player similar to the charts above for the ave tour player?

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What is the #1 PGA Tour player in “Carry Distance” average carry distance??

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I understand this data is pretty old, released soon after the time when trackman first came out. I’m sure things have changed since then. Any update?

Actually, we haven’t seen any huge changes over the past years, it’s more about roundings. For example, Avg. Club Speed for a driver: 2014: 113.0 mph 2015: 113.3 mph 2016: 112.9 mph And it’s pretty much similar with the other numbers.

We do have a graphical updated version of the Tour Stats here.

Not really. Lee Westwood was interviewed recently and advised that apart from his driver he hits everything else almost the exact same he has his entire career.

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I’m looking for PGA tour averages for dynamic loft for different clubs. Does anyone have this data to share? Thanks!

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Are there tour averages for club path?

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Are all these stats full swings? Example: Would the avg tour pro hit a 6-iron further, if he turns fully and tries to hit it as far as possible (with a natural movement like on a driver – not with an unnatural swing that creates most possible power, but result in very unconsistent ball flight)?

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Currently I practice indoors because of the winter. I do my practice with Trackman and I carry my 7 iron about 177-180 yards and total distance of 188-192 yards with my TaylorMade PSi irons. Lots of my shots with the 7 iron has a smash factor of 1.50-1.51.

This is a example of one of my shots with 7 iron.

Club speed: 80.2 | AoA: 1.3 | Ball speed: 120.5 | Carry: 164 meter | Total: 176 meter | Dyn Loft: 19.6 | Smash Factor: 1.50

Is that normal number for a 7 iron with a that club speed?

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Averages are useful, but knowing them would be more useful if we knew the median and mode, as well as the range.

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Hello, Are there updated PGA Tour Trackman stats?

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On Trackman this week using 7i I noticed the spin rate I had was well below that of a pro by nearly 3,000 rpm but similar club speed and attack angle. How can I get my spin rate up?

It can vary a lot due to the ball and clubs you are using. For example driving range balls are normally very hard and will have much lower spinrates than a quality ball like a Titleist pro v1. Modern day irons are also built to higher the lauch angle and lower the spinrate so that the average golfer will achieve more distance

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It would be great to know the average loft for each club, especially the irons!. I think 21-24-27-30-34-38-42-46 (3-Pw) are reasonable specs. What do you guys think?

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What loft are the irons? A modern 7i is now 30°

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Is this still the original data from 2015 or has it been updated?

I’d be very curious to see if the how the average attack angle has changed over this time in the PGA.

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Please update this data from over the years of more testing.

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Do you have any numbers on tour averages numbers on dynamic loft and spin loft?

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I am a 2 handicapper and I hit my driver 280 yards on an average. What is the attack angle with driver of the best players on the pga tour?

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these yardages are no doubt well below reality.

6 iron only 183yds carry? Most high handicappers hit it equally far.

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2023 PGA Championship: 10 stats you need to know from Elias Sports Bureau

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — They say numbers don’t lie. Thankfully the good people at the Elias Sports Bureau are on site this week at the 105th PGA Championship to track all the happenings. Through 36 holes, Scottie Scheffler, Corey Conners and Viktor Hovland share the lead but the weather has turned nasty on Saturday. Soak Hill? Wet-chester? In short, umbrellas are in high demand at the merchandise tent.

But for the statistical information from the obscure to the historical to what the leaders are doing right, the Elias Sports Bureau has it all covered. It has tracked down the pertinent stats we need to know from the first 36 holes at Oak Hill. Here are 10 of its stats you need to know.

These men move the most on 'Moving Day'

Tom Hoge walks to the 15th green during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports

Among the 105 players who have carded at least 10 third-round scores on the PGA Tour this season, here are the players with the best ‘moving day’ scoring averages:

Tom Hoge,  11 rounds, 67.73

Jon Rahm,  10 rounds, 68.00

Sungjae Im, 14 rounds, 68.21

Tony Finau, 12 rounds, 68.25

Keegan Bradley, 10 rounds, 68.40 

Viktor Hovland ranks T-15 th (12 rounds, 69.00), Scottie Scheffler ranks 21 st (12 rounds, 69.17) and Corey Conners ranks T-52 (10 rounds, 69.90).

No. 6 is a beast

The sixth hole at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. (Photo: Gabe Gudgel/Golfweek)

Scottie Scheffler said Friday that No. 6 was “probably the hardest hole I’ve ever played.”  The par four played to a scoring average of 4.75 during round two.  To put that into perspective, there were 90 par-five holes on the PGA Tour this season that played to a scoring average lower than 4.75 for the week.

Viktor's approach game has been on point

Viktor Hovland hits a tee shot on the fourth hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Through two rounds of this championship, Viktor Hovland had the highest average S trokes Gained: Approach (3.71 per round) which is a career high for him through 36 holes of a PGA Tour event.  

His previous career high through 36 holes was 2.39 at the 2023 Players Championship, where he went on to finish T-3.  Hovland’s highest average over an entire tournament is 2.37, at the 2022 Players Championship where he finished T-9.

Better get off to a fast start at the PGA

Jason Dufner celebrates with the Wannamaker Trophy after winning the 95th PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports

During the PGA Championship stroke play era (since 1958), 63 of the 65 eventual champions were ranked among the top 20 on the leaderboard at the end of Round 2. The exceptions are Collin Morikawa at TPC Harding Park in 2020 (T-25 after 36 holes) and Padraig Harrington at Oakland Hills in 2008 (T-26). 

Here are the 36-hole rankings for all the major champions crowned at Oak Hill CC:

2013 PGA Championship,  Jason Dufner,  solo first after 36 holes

2003 PGA Championship, Shaun Micheel, tied for first after 36 holes

1989 U.S. Open, Curtis Strange, solo first after 36 holes

1980 PGA Championship, Jack Nicklaus, tied for second after 36 holes

1968 U.S. Open, Lee Trevino, solo second after 36 holes

1956 U.S. Open, Cary Middlecoff, tied for third after 36 holes 

In short, every major champion crowned at Oak Hill CC was among the top three on the leaderboard at the end of Round 2. 

Outward nine wreaks havoc

The green on the second hole at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. (Photo: Gabe Gudgel/Golfweek)

Seven of the most difficult nine holes this week are on the outward nine. It has been 30 years since so many of the most difficult holes were on one side of the scorecard at a PGA Championship through 36 holes. In 1993 at Inverness Club, seven of the most difficult nine holes through round two were on the front nine.

Oak Hill is winning through 36 holes

A flag flies during a practice round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Oak Hill Country Club. (Photo: Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports)

Over the last 10 PGA Championships, the average number of players under par through the second round is 36. There were nine this year.  The last time fewer than 10 players were under par through the halfway point of a PGA Championship was in 2008 at Oakland Hills, when only J.B. Holmes was under par after Round 2.

Block in rare company for club pros in top 10 after 36 holes

Michael Block reacts to a tee shot on the 18th hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Block was among the top 10 on the leaderboard at the conclusion of Round 2.  Over the last 40 years (1983 to present) only two club professionals were among the top 10 on the leaderboard after 36 holes of a PGA Championship:

Jay Overton, 1988 at Oak Tree,  solo second place after 36 holes, finished the championship T-17; Buddy Whitten, 1983 at Riviera, tied for fourth place after 36 holes, finished the championship T-27.

Scheffler's record with the 36-hole is spotty

Scottie Scheffler fist bumps his caddie on the ninth green during the first round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Oak Hill Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Scottie Scheffler has had at least a share of the 36-hole lead seven times during his PGA Tour career. Here is how he has fared the rest of the way (listed chronologically):

Koepka's 'ringer round'

Brooks Koepka hits a tee shot on the 13th hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports

Brooks Koepka had the outright lowest score in Round 2 on Friday, posting a 4-under 66.  It was the second time in his majors career that Koepka has posted the outright lowest score of a round, having also done that in Round 1 of the 2019 PGA Championship at Bethpage Black when he opened with an eye-popping 63 (7 under).

In case you were wondering, the PGA Championship record for most career ‘ringer rounds’ is four, shared by Jack Nicklaus and Vijay Singh.  Tiger Woods is one of several players with three.

Trio at the top of the leaderboard is rare

Corey Conners reacts to a putt on the second green during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports

Corey Conners, Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland share the lead after 36 holes. It is just the fifth time in PGA Championship history that three or more players are tied for the lead at the halfway point of the championship.  That also happened in:

2012 Kiawah Island // Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Carl Pettersson

2006 Medinah // Billy Andrade, Luke Donald, Tim Herron, Henrik Stenson

2002 Hazeltine //Rich Beem, Mark Calcavecchia, Fred Funk, Retief Goosen, Justin Leonard

1984 Shoal Creek // Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Lanny Wadkins

Story originally appeared on GolfWeek

Valspar Championship

Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead Course)

MOMENTS THAT DEFINED WOMEN'S GOLF

average pga tour attendance

Has 'PGA Tour vs. LIV' fatigue already soured some fans on pro golf?

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Scottie Scheffler celebrates with his caddie Ted Scott after his win at the 2023 Players Championship.

Keyur Khamar

For a brief period in my childhood, thanks mostly to the radio station WFAN, which came through clearly at night in the Adirondack mountains of upstate New York, I was a fervent New York Rangers fan. My “hockey era” started at around age 8 and lasted until about 12. It was my good luck that this span encompassed the 1994 Stanley Cup run, and I even retain a memory of ‘95, when the Rangers were swept out of the playoffs by the Flyers. Then, suddenly and for reasons I can’t quite remember, I was no longer an NHL fan. I've never gone back.

It was only years later that I learned my experience was not unique. Four months after the Rangers won the Stanley Cup, a dispute over labor issues between NHL players and owners caused a lockout that cut the 1994-95 season nearly in half. Anecdotally, I've met many others around my age who fell off as fans around the same time.

Ask a group of fans 10 years younger than me, and you can probably find similar stories after the 2004-05 lockout. The Journal of Sports Economics found that there were "sustained decreases in attendance" following each labor dispute, with attendant drops in in TV ratings. And even those who supported the lockout at the time maintain it cost the NHL dearly when hockey threatened to overtake the troubled NBA as the third-most popular league in the U.S. It even affected people like me who couldn’t really articulate why we weren't tuning in anymore. The narrative is the same in other sports; after the 1994 MLB strike, fan attendance dropped by 20 percent the next season.

It’s not that these leagues didn’t return to strong health. But the point is that even for established "Big Four" sports in America, internal disputes make all of the parties involved look bad, from players to management, and can have a significant, immediate impact in terms of fan interest. Resentment, in all its forms, will absolutely take an economic toll.

Which brings us to golf.

Despite the absurd money being thrown at top players, divorced from what they're actually worth in any tangible way, professional golf is not a "Big Four" sport in the U.S. The PGA Tour is, however, a pretty darn good weekend TV product that has a lot of favorable recent trends going for it, from a surge in participation to a popular Netflix documentary. I've written before about how other individual sports like IndyCar and boxing have been gutted by organizational schisms, and while we may see that problem resolved in golf in the next few weeks of merger negotiations, the problem looming beyond is the fans. Despite the ways in which professional golf has benefited from a series of booms, starting with Tiger Woods and continuing through the pandemic bump, it would be a mistake to think it's on such solid ground that the events of the past two years haven't taken a hidden toll on the people who are supposed to keep watching. The big sports may have farther to fall, but golf has less of a chance to rebound if it falls in the first place.

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average pga tour attendance

It will be some time before we have hard data to assess the damage done to the professional game by the PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf fight, and if the tour ratings from 2023 ( up 1 percent over last year on CBS) hold steady in 2024, this may be pointless worrying. But I won't be the first writer to point out a negative anecdotal undercurrent among fans, and if you spend any time talking about golf with friends, you'll have noticed the same thing: People are tired of the ongoing drama. This seems to hold across the opinion spectrum, whether you think LIV golfers are sell-outs or Jon Rahm had to take the money or Jay Monahan should be fired, or whatever today’s favorite take du jour might be. At a certain point, strong opinions give way to a more general distaste and fatigue for the entire process. This undercurrent—which I stress is still anecdotal—is reminiscent of events like the NHL lockout, where opinion was divided on whether the owners or players were to blame, but fans were lost in both camps.

1437763417

Patrick Smith/LIV Golf

That word, "fatigue," appears in similar contexts like "war fatigue." It happens when a conflict drags on long enough that whatever initial energy or even enthusiasm greeted the start of the fight runs into the cold reality of extended battle, and loss, and attrition. The emergence of war fatigue is not an exact science, and it changes with the facts on the ground—you'll get fatigued a lot faster if you're losing. But in the context of golf it does seem as though the Rahm signing represented a turning point for LIV, a victory that only made the potential length of this war even clearer. If it once seemed like the PGA Tour could hold out and survive in its former form, or that even after the framework deal it might slip out of the noose via private equity, now the delusions are swept aside and only two true outcomes remain: peace, or a forever war. That's when fatigue sets in.

Golf is fortunate in the sense that there won't be a complete cessation of play as in a lockout; you'll still see golf on television every weekend, even if the fields aren't as stacked as you would like, and viewers who want to tune in won't have a chance to get out of the habit passively. But golf is unlucky in that it doesn't have quite the cultural foothold of more established sports that can eventually recover after a stoppage. The current $700 million TV deal, which was a massive coup for the PGA Tour, runs through 2030 and now looks like both a blessing—it gives them plenty of time to get settled after whatever resolution comes of the current divide—and a curse, in that it may seem, at the moment, overvalued, at least until you can get the best players back on the same courses outside the majors.

average pga tour attendance

All of which leads to the theory that golf can't afford the loss of goodwill that the tour vs. LIV fight has engendered. We've spoken plenty about "bifurcation" when it comes to equipment, but we may be on the verge of a metaphorical bifurcation among rank-and-file golfers, in which the game retains and even grows its popularity, but the conduct of the major figures and organizations in the pro game diminishes the popularity of "regular season golf" as a spectator sport.

For various reasons, some selfish and some not, I hope these are empty anxieties. The best thing that can happen in terms of fan interest at this point is a total reconciliation via merger, and the worst is a continued schism that reduces fan interest and transforms golf into a glorified version of tennis. But even in the best-case scenario, there's no walking back the events of the last two years, and some fan resentment will linger. It remains to be seen how much that will actually hurt the pro game, but the history of other, more popular sports, along with a perceived sense of war fatigue among fans, means that the power brokers at the top of this sport should at least—at least—be concerned.

average pga tour attendance

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LIV Golf Two Years In... Success Or Failure?

How has LIV Golf performed since its inception? Is there cause for optimism or has the Saudi-backed league been a disappointment so far?

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LIV Golf

The LIV Golf League recently finished its second season, with Talor Gooch topping the individual standings after a highly impressive campaign and Crushers GC scooping the team prize, but how many people watched LIV in 2023? It has been the most disruptive golfing venture for a generation, but away from the controversy, how well is the product itself faring? Are fans engaging with the start-up circuit or merely immersing themselves in the social media soap opera? 

It’s important to note that success akin to what the ‘established’ tours experience simply isn’t realistic. As a new venture, LIV doesn’t have the history and tradition that the PGA and DP World Tours can boast. It’s all new; there are no memories of fantastic finishes and experiences from yesteryear. Some courses hosted LIV for the first time in 2023 and the success of those stagings can only really be measured by how many people return in subsequent years. 

It’s not fair to expect LIV to be able to compete with events like the BMW PGA Championship or the Players Championship straight off the bat. Building interest is a time-consuming process and there are no shortcuts. As an example, The Masters really struggled in its early years. Getting patrons through the door was a serious challenge. 

Considering all the above, then, how has LIV fared over its first two years? It’s actually quite hard to get an objective picture of things – with regard to both television viewership and event attendance – as the data isn’t readily available, but we do have some things to go off.

Crushers GC

Crushers GC won the team prize in 2023

What does the data say?

In America, the CW Network broadcasts LIV Golf. While it reportedly got off to a good start , with more than three million ‘total’ viewers across all platforms at the season-opening Mexico event, the decision was taken in March to stop publishing figures – a perhaps surprising move given LIV’s chief media officer, Will Staeger, told Golf.com in January that viewing figures would “certainly” be reported.

As a means of comparison, the PGA Tour averages around two million viewers per week. A Sports Business Journal article put the average Sunday audience of the LIV Mayakoba event at 291,000, while the Honda Classic on the PGA Tour averaged 2.42 million viewers [note: Golf Monthly has contacted LIV and the CW Network for data].

It’s also important to note that obtaining accurate viewership data in the USA is complicated and nebulous, making it hard to get a clear picture. However, organisations like to talk about their successes, especially ones that are trying to disrupt a market and looking for any positive PR spin. I think it’s a reasonable assumption that LIV would be shouting about viewership if there was anything to shout about. 

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Moreover, LIV isn’t available to watch on television in the UK. Yes, you can view the action through the website, the LIV Golf + app – which is very good – and YouTube, but there’s no doubt the lack of a mainstream broadcaster has hampered the circuit’s attempts to grow in Britain. 

There have been more recent reports of encouraging viewing figures in America via some monitoring platforms, and that, combined with solid attendance at numerous LIV events, clearly indicates there’s some demand.

We asked LIV for comment on attendance figures and were told that more than 77,000 people went through the gate at LIV Adelaide, while “LIV Golf’s events in DC and Tulsa set records for highest attended in the US since the league’s inception in June of 2022”. We don’t have specific numbers for the American events, and even if we did, it would be hard to benchmark them against the PGA Tour due to limited data. 

We know the Waste Management Phoenix Open attracted more than 700,000 people in 2023, but that’s by no means representative of a normal PGA Tour event. The Players Championship, meanwhile, recorded 173,975 fans in 2023 , but again, that’s not a fair comparison. The Honda Classic, not one of the strongest events on the PGA Tour schedule, reportedly sees over 200,000 spectators each year . 

Phoenix Open 16th

Capturing the imagination?

We wanted to see what interest in LIV looked like among our own social followers, so in a poll on X (formerly Twitter), we asked: ‘How much LIV Golf did you watch this season?’. The options were ‘every event’, ‘some events’, ‘occasionally watch’ or ‘didn’t watch a shot’. 

Some 50% of respondents said they didn’t watch a single shot. Only 10% watched every event, 28% watched some events and 12% said they occasionally tuned in. And before anyone thinks such a poll is meaningless owing to sample size, consider the fact that 12,521 people voted. That means 6,385 people with an interest in golf didn’t watch a shot of the LIV Golf League in 2023.

What’s fascinating about this result is the fact the percentage of people who didn’t watch a single shot was 83% at 8pm on Monday night (the poll ran from 10.41am UK time on Monday October 23 to 10.41am on Tuesday October 24). That could suggest more interest in places like America as the poll appeared in US timelines throughout the course of the day. This backs up the hypothesis that far more people watch LIV in the USA.

We also asked the same questions about the DP World Tour and PGA Tour. Unsurprisingly, the latter came out on top in terms of interest. Almost 75% of respondents said they either watch every event or some events, while only 4% said they hadn’t watched a single shot. On the DP World Tour, only 7% said they watch every event, but 44% voted for some events and 32% said they occasionally watch. Some 17% hadn’t watched a single shot. 

How much LIV Golf did you watch this season? October 23, 2023

Is it suitably different?

So what explains the above figures? I’m not about to launch into the well-trodden moral tirade here as I don’t think it’s as relevant as some other factors. I’m sure there are some who have eschewed LIV on virtuous grounds, but not many. There are presumably millions of people who object to Saudi Arabia’s foothold in sport but continue to watch Newcastle United, Anthony Joshua’s boxing fights in the Kingdom and F1 races in Jeddah. I think the main reason for the comparative lack of interest is the product itself. 

My first question is whether it’s offering something suitably different to the norm. When you strip back the colourful graphics, animated commentary, loud music and shotgun starts – most of which contrast to ‘regular’ tour golf – it’s just strokeplay action. Yes, events are played over 54 holes, but there’s still a first round and a final round. 

LIV is actually on to something with the Team Championship , where the quarter-finals and semi-finals involve two teams playing each other in a mix of singles and foursomes matches. Interestingly, the top-ranked teams can choose their opponents at each stage, which certainly adds some intrigue. However, while it’s great to watch superstars like Bryson , DJ , Cam Smith and Talor Gooch in action, the excitement is nullified somewhat by the fact their teams are comprised of players like Pat Perez, Peter Uihlein, Anirban Lahiri and Jediah Morgan. The top-heavy nature of the circuit is problematic.

Another significant issue is the season-long team element simply isn’t powerful enough to generate much interest, either throughout the year or ahead of the final. It’s something we polled our X followers about. We asked ‘Does the team element of LIV Golf make you more interested/likely to watch’ and 87% voted no. And it’s hardly surprising. The cynic would say it’s just another way for already rich players to make more money without any real jeopardy. Perhaps the situation would be different with a higher calibre of player across the board. 

On that subject, the 48-man fields are worth mentioning. Limited-player events can be tricky, especially when a good proportion of those involved are well past their best. There’s no doubting the world-class credentials of some LIV players, but others are nowhere near being categorised as such. 

And, what’s more, team captains can’t be relegated from the league, which means Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer – neither of whom finished above 17th in any event all season – will be back next year. That doesn’t do much to dispel the ‘exhibition’ arguments frequently levelled at the tour. Indeed, ten of the 50 players who competed on LIV in 2023 didn’t notch a single top-ten finish.

Westwood Kaymer LIV

Looking to the future

So, what next? There’s not been any clarity since the shock announcement in June of the merger between the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the Public Investment Fund, but it seems almost certain that LIV will continue. Ian Poulter , Phil Mickelson and others have spoken about how their phones are ringing with people interested in joining LIV. If more top players come over, it’s hard to argue LIV wouldn’t capture the attention of more golf fans.  

Even the most ardent objector would surely concede LIV is doing some things right, and given what we’ve heard, there is cause for optimism around the trajectory of the circuit. But a lot of that depends on hypotheticals and unknowns. The PGA and DP World Tours certainly aren’t immune from criticism, either, and it’ll be fascinating to see if all three can co-exist in the post-merger world. 

As a final poll question, we asked: “Overall, has LIV Golf exceeded your expectations as a product?” and 87% said it hadn’t. Some X users are undoubtedly prone to hyperbole and conditioned to taking polarising viewpoints, but that figure is notable. What it looks like after the 2024 season is anyone’s guess.  

Nick Bonfield joined Golf Monthly in 2012 after graduating from Exeter University and earning an NCTJ-accredited journalism diploma from News Associates in Wimbledon. He is responsible for managing production of the magazine, sub-editing, commissioning and feature writing. Most of his online work is opinion-based and typically centres around the Majors and significant events in the global golfing calendar. Nick has been an avid golf fan since the age of ten and became obsessed with the professional game after watching Mike Weir and Shaun Micheel win The Masters and PGA Championship respectively in 2003. In his time with Golf Monthly, he's interviewed the likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Jose Maria Olazabal, Henrik Stenson, Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and Billy Horschel and has ghost-written columns for Westwood, Wayne Riley, Matthew Southgate, Chris Wood and Eddie Pepperell. Nick is a 12-handicap golfer and his favourite courses include Old Head, Sunningdale New, Penha Longha, Valderrama and Bearwood Lakes. If you have a feature pitch for Nick, please email [email protected] with 'Pitch' in the subject line. Nick is currently playing: Driver:  TaylorMade M1  Fairway wood:  TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2  Hybrid:  Ping Crossover  Irons (4-9):  Nike Vapor Speed  Wedges:  Cleveland CBX Full Face, 56˚, Titleist Vokey SM4, 60˚  Putter:  testing in progress!  Ball:  TaylorMade TP5x

Tom Hoge takes a shot at the 2024 Cognizant Classic on the PGA Tour

Three players who aren’t yet confirmed for the Major can give themselves a fighting chance this week – even if they don’t win

By Mike Hall Published 26 March 24

Nelly Korda takes a shot at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship

The JM Eagle LA Championship will be the first regular-season event to offer more than $3m thanks to a boost of $750,000

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2024 Houston Open Power Rankings: Top 10 Golfers To Watch At Memorial Park

T his tournament got an added shot of adrenaline when the best player on planet Earth, Scottie Scheffler, committed early to this event. He's now going for the hat trick (3 wins in a row), and despite a few other players near the top that are playing well, he'll once again be the prohibitive favorite and may be less than +500 on the oddsboard.

I hope that these rankings have become a staple in your weekly preparation and the place where you start your research for the week. I have carefully evaluated the field to project course fits and expected results, in an attempt to give you a glimpse at how my brain operates when it comes to handicapping golf. In addition to my Top 10 rankings, I will provide a brief summary for each player to give some reasoning behind their rankings. As always, thank you for your support, and good luck.

Let's get is started!

#10. Jake Knapp

The California-blonde locks are making there way to Texas and the fans at Memorial Park will be excited to catch a glimpse of the smooth-swinging Jake Knapp. Anytime a player can win at the Mexico Open, but also perform awesome at PGA National and Torrey Pines, it makes it difficult to pigeon-hole a course fit.

Maybe he is just that good? His confidence is certainly at an all-time high after winning a few weeks ago and then receiving high praise from Rory McIlroy. Knapp possesses effortless power, a skill which is shared by many of the former champions at Memorial Park. It will be fun to see if he can continue his great run.

#9. Si Woo Kim

Si Woo Kim has grinded his way into becoming one of the most accurate players off the tee in all of professional golf. He's been hitting 70% of fairways over his last 24 rounds which is a good 10% better than Tour Average, but is still maintaining a respectable 169 mph ball speed on average.

Kim finished in a tie for 6th place at THE PLAYERS and once again flashed signs of brilliance around Pete Dye's famed track in Northeast Florida. In all typically hinges on the Putter and a dash of much-needed patience for Si Woo Kim. If he can continue to pound fairways, this should be just the type of event where he looks to capitalize.

#8. Tom Hoge

There is one player who has been statistically the best iron player in the world for the past six months and his name is NOT Scottie Scheffler I'm of course talking about Thomas Hoge! He has now gained strokes on Approach in fourteen consecutive starts on the PGA Tour which is quite remarkable.

His exacting iron play should go well in Texas where the wind can often whip through these flat, exposed golf courses like Memorial Park. He still has his flaws, and despite all those insanely good weeks with his Approach-play, Hoge has failed to finish inside the top-6 in any tournament. I think this could finally be the week he finds himself near the top of the leaderboard on Sunday and he's looking to parlay his iron plays into a big paycheck in Texas.

#7. Jason Day

I spent a good bit of time following Jason Day, and his abundance of fabric, around TPC Sawgrass and THE PLAYERS Championship. He finished the week with a disappointing 35th place result and he really couldn't get his irons going like he had during the California Swing.

There's something Jason Day loves about Texas though. He's played this event in three consecutive seasons with middling results, but his continued attendance tells me there is something about Memorial Park that suits his eye. Every week it seems like he excels in one part of his game, but then something else slips. If he can put it all together one week, we could see another victory this season.

#6. Keith Mitchell

It was a tough Sunday at the Valspar Championship for those like myself who were sweating a Kieth Mitchell ticket. The absolute high of holing out for Eagle to garner a solo Saturday night lead quickly wore off with a barrel of Sunday bogeys. That said, it shouldn't deter you too much after one bad round because Mitchell has been flushing it.

He ranks top-5 in the field in Greens in regulation and strokes gained approach over the last 24 rounds played. He's also been particularly good with his long irons, ranking 4th in the field in proximity gained on approach shots over 200+ yards. He's played well here before and he's in great form. Could it finally be his week?

#5. Sahith Theegala

There are numerous players in my rankings this week who have been searching for some confidence with the Putter, Sahith Theegale is not one of them. He's been rolling it beautifully on the greens and ranks 2nd in the field in terms of strokes gained Putting over the last 30 rounds played.

He's on the precipice of becoming a bonafide star on the PGA Tour, and they could use more great players who bring a little flare and personality to the game like Theegala. He finished inside the top 10 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the PLAYERS Championship. Theegala should be riding high headed to Houston. He can get as hot as any player when he gets it going.

#4. Tony Finau

The anomaly that is trying to predict Tony Finau continues this week and I am left once again perplexed. Finau arrives this week with sights set this week on defending his 2023 Houston Open crown after he won last year by four shots. His approach play statistics for the last two months has been fantastic but he has not been able to manifest that into the results he wanted.

There have been numerous rough patches in his career with the putter, but what I have seen this season is borderline hopeless. As we know and watched with Scottie Scheffler for nearly a full season, no ballstriking prowess can completely cover up a putrid putter. It's possible that it returns this week on these relatively simplistic greens at Memorial Park, but I have to see it before I believe it.

#3. Will Zalatoris

I was surprised to see that Will Zalatoris has not previously competed in the Houston Open, but I believe this is a golf course that should suit his game perfectly. Zalatoris should feel right at home in Texas, and despite a lackluster performance at The PLAYERS, it would appear he has regained some of the ballstriking prowess that he leveraged to burst onto the scene as a Rookie and immediately show up at Major Championships.

Zalatoris still managed to gain +2.2 strokes on Approach at the PLAYERS even while missing the cut. That speaks to what TPC Sawgrass can do to you. One or two bad swings and it can erase an entire day of good play. I fully expect Zalatoris to rebound this week and will make it four straight weeks gaining at least +2 on approach. We already know what he is gearing up for next month in Georgia!

#2. Wyndham Clark

I generally feel like we, as a community of hardcore professional golf fans, move too slowly when adjusting our rankings on players who are performing at a level above their baseline. I say this because I believe Wyndham Clark may just be a top-3 player in the world right now. Clark has finished runner-up to Scottie Scheffler in his last two tournaments played and has been on the cusp of victory on both occasions.

He's got something intangible, I call it guts! His talent and skill from a ballstriking standpoint does not hold water to Scheffler, but Clark gets the absolute MOST out of his peak rounds and can catch fire with his putter. He's one of the longest players on the PGA Tour, a particular asset that should be well rewarded at Memorial Park. He's too good to continue to underate and underestimate.

#1. Scottie Scheffler

Scottie Scheffler continues his run as the best ball striker on the planet by a wide margin, and it might be time to say it, "Happy learned how to putt!". He won back to signature series events in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and THE PLAYERS. The train is running full steam ahead and the next stop is 3-in-a-row!

Scheffler has finished inside the top-10 in the past two seasons at the Houston Open, including a 2nd place in 2022. There is really not much else you can say about this guy, except to just sit back and enjoy the show. He's by a large margin the best ballstriker on the PGA Tour and if he can continue to build on his newly found confidence with the mallet style putter...it feels like a runaway train!

Best of luck this week Rotoballer family!

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2024 Masters odds, field: Surprising PGA picks, predictions from advanced golf model that's hit 10 majors

Sportsline's proven model simulated the masters 2024 10,000 times and revealed its pga golf picks for augusta national.

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The 2024 Masters will take place at Augusta National Golf Club beginning on Thursday, April 11, and with less than a month until the first major championship of the season, several of golf's biggest stars are finding their "A" game. Scottie Scheffler has been sitting rather comfortably atop the Official World Golf Ranking for nearly a year, but he was winless for nearly 12 months after enjoying a victory at the 2023 Players Championship. That drought ended when Scheffler won the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational by five shots.

Scheffler made a recent putter change and the world's best ball-striker from tee to green has looked dangerous on the greens, which is why he's the 5-1 favorite in the 2024 Masters odds. He's followed by Rory McIlroy (10-1), defending champion Jon Rahm (13-1) and a group at 21-1 that includes last year's FedEx Cup champion, Viktor Hovland in the Masters 2024 futures. Before locking in any 2024 Masters picks of your own, be sure to see the 2024 Masters golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine .

SportsLine's proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has been red-hot since the PGA Tour resumed in June 2020. In fact, the model is up nearly $9,500 on its best bets since the restart, nailing tournament after tournament. McClure's model predicted Scottie Scheffler would finish on top of the leaderboard at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship this season. McClure also included Hideki Matsuyama in his best bets to win the 2024 Genesis Invitational. That bet hit at +9000, and for the entire tournament, McClure's best bets returned nearly $1,000. The model also predicted Jon Rahm would be victorious at the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions and The American Express. At the 2023 Masters, the model was all over Rahm's second career major victory heading into the weekend. Rahm was two strokes off the lead heading into the third round, but the model still projected him as the winner. It was the second straight Masters win for the model, which also nailed Scheffler winning in 2022. In addition, McClure's best bets included Nick Taylor (70-1) winning the 2023 RBC Canadian Open, Jason Day (17-1) winning outright at the 2023 AT&T Byron Nelson, and Rickie Fowler (14-1) finishing on top of the leaderboard at the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic. This same model has also nailed a whopping 10 majors entering the weekend. Anyone who has followed it has seen massive returns.

Now that the Masters 2024 field is taking shape, SportsLine simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard.

Top 2024 Masters predictions 

One major surprise the model is calling for at the 2024 Masters: Rory McIlroy, a four-time major champion and one of the co-favorites, fails to complete the career grand slam and barely cracks the top five at Augusta National. The Irishman has failed to make the cut at the Masters the last two years.

McIlroy has made the cut in his first four starts this season, but has not finished in the top 10 in any of them. In fact, he has finished 61st, 24th and 21st twice as he gets closer to the 2024 Masters Tournament. While he is still ranked first in the Tour in shots gained off the green (1.251), he's 152nd in shots gained approaching the green (-0.522) and 129th in putting (-0.246). His odds to win at Augusta National may be short, but his current struggles suggest you look elsewhere when betting on the 2024 Masters.

Another surprise: Patrick Cantlay, a 28-1 longshot, makes a strong run at the title. He has a much better chance to win it all than his odds imply, so he's a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. A star at UCLA who spend over a year as the No. 1 amateur in the world, Cantlay was the low amateur at the 2011 U.S. Open and 2012 Masters, but went over five years until his next major championship appearance.

He's piled up eight PGA Tour victories since then and is No. 7 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Cantlay has made the cut in four of his last five Masters appearances with a ninth-place finish in 2019 and a 14th-place run last year. The 32-year-old is one of the most complete players in the world and has the makeup of a future major champion.  See who else to pick here .

How to make 2024 Masters picks

The model is also targeting six other golfers with odds of 20-1 or longer to make a strong run at the green jacket. Anyone who backs these longshots could hit it big. You can only see the model's picks here .

Who will win the 2024 Masters, and which longshots will stun the golfing world? Check out the Masters 2024 odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected Masters leaderboard, all from the model that's nailed 10 golf majors, including last year's Masters and Open Championship .

2024 Masters odds, field

Full set of Masters picks, best bets, and predictions here.

Scottie Scheffler +500 Rory McIlroy +1000 Jon Rahm +1300 Brooks Koepka +2100 Jordan Spieth +2100 Will Zalatoris +2100 Viktor Hovland +2100 Xander Schauffele +2400 Ludvig Aberg +2400 Patrick Cantlay +2800 Justin Thomas +2800 Cameron Smith +3100 Hideki Matsuyama +3100 Collin Morikawa +3100 Joaquin Niemann +3100 Wyndham Clark +3100 Matt Fitzpatrick +3600 Dustin Johnson +3600 Tony Finau +4400 Max Homa +4400 Brian Harman +4600 Shane Lowry +4600 Cameron Young +4600 Jason Day +4600 Bryson DeChambeau +4600 Sam Burns +5500 Min Woo Lee +5500 Sahith Theegala +5500 Tommy Fleetwood +5500 Sung-Jae Im +7500 Tyrrell Hatton +7500 Corey Conners +9000 Tom Kim +9000 Justin Rose +9000 Patrick Reed +9000 Russell Henley +12000 Adam Scott +12000 Rickie Fowler +12000 Jake Knapp +12000 Phil Mickelson +16000 Harris English +16000 Sergio Garcia +16000 Tiger Woods +16000 Gary Woodland +19000 Keegan Bradley +19000 Si Woo Kim +19000 Chris Kirk +19000 Ryan Fox +19000 J.T. Poston +19000 Nick Dunlap +19000 Cameron Davis +19000 Thorbjorn Olesen +19000 Adrian Meronk +19000 Sepp Straka +19000 Nick Taylor +19000 Eric Cole +19000 Matthieu Pavon +19000 Emiliano Grillo +19000 Nicolai Hojgaard +19000 Luke List +21000 Adam Hadwin +21000 Charl Schwartzel +28000 Kurt Kitayama +28000 Bubba Watson +28000 Ryo Hisatsune +28000 Erik van Rooyen +28000 Danny Willett +34000 Denny McCarthy +34000 Lee Hodges +34000 Taylor Moore +43000 Adam Schenk +43000 Lucas Glover +43000 Grayson Murray +55000 Christo Lamprecht +55000 Mike Weir +100000 Jose Maria Olazabal +100000 Fred Couples +100000 Vijay Singh +100000 Zach Johnson +100000 Stewart Hagestad +100000 Jasper Stubbs +100000 Santiago De La Fuente +100000 Neal Shipley +100000

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Strokes Gained - SG

Scottie Scheffler

1 st  •  Scottie Scheffler

Scoring Overall

Wyndham Clark

1 st  •  Wyndham Clark

Tom Hoge

1 st  •  Tom Hoge

Under Par Scoring

Rory McIlroy

1 st  •  Rory McIlroy

Brandon Wu

1 st  •  Brandon Wu

Keith Mitchell

1 st  •  Keith Mitchell

Viktor Hovland

1 st  •  Viktor Hovland

David Skinns

1 st  •  David Skinns

Trace Crowe

1 st  •  Trace Crowe

Jason Day

1 st  •  Jason Day

Tony Finau

1 st  •  Tony Finau

Ryan Palmer

1 st  •  Ryan Palmer

Pierceson Coody

1 st  •  Pierceson Coody

Over Par Scoring

Zach Johnson

1 st  •  Zach Johnson

Scoring by Round

Ludvig Åberg

1 st  •  Ludvig Åberg

Patrick Cantlay

1 st  •  Patrick Cantlay

Harrison Endycott

1 st  •  Harrison Endycott

Taiga Semikawa

1 st  •  Taiga Semikawa

Shane Lowry

1 st  •  Shane Lowry

Ryan Fox

1 st  •  Ryan Fox

Par 3,4,5 Scoring

Front 9 scoring, back 9 scoring.

Nate Lashley

1 st  •  Nate Lashley

Alex Smalley

1 st  •  Alex Smalley

Early Scoring

Sam Burns

1 st  •  Sam Burns

Xander Schauffele

1 st  •  Xander Schauffele

Justin Thomas

1 st  •  Justin Thomas

Taylor Montgomery

1 st  •  Taylor Montgomery

Chesson Hadley

1 st  •  Chesson Hadley

Akshay Bhatia

1 st  •  Akshay Bhatia

Chris Kirk

1 st  •  Chris Kirk

Nick Dunlap

1 st  •  Nick Dunlap

Harris English

1 st  •  Harris English

Adam Hadwin

1 st  •  Adam Hadwin

Late Scoring

Nick Taylor

1 st  •  Nick Taylor

Justin Rose

1 st  •  Justin Rose

Eric Cole

1 st  •  Eric Cole

K.H. Lee

1 st  •  K.H. Lee

Patton Kizzire

1 st  •  Patton Kizzire

Charley Hoffman

1 st  •  Charley Hoffman

Cam Davis

1 st  •  Cam Davis

Scoring Off the 1st Tee

Scoring off the 10th tee.

IMAGES

  1. PGA Tour and LPGA Tour Averages (FlightScope)

    average pga tour attendance

  2. Trackman Data on PGA Tour Averages

    average pga tour attendance

  3. Tour Averages On PGA & LPGA Tour

    average pga tour attendance

  4. TrackMan PGA Tour Averages

    average pga tour attendance

  5. PGA Tour numbers on TRACKMAN

    average pga tour attendance

  6. Trackman Pga Tour Averages 2019

    average pga tour attendance

COMMENTS

  1. List of sports attendance figures

    Note that other ticketed activities in motor sports such as practices and qualifying are not included in the number of "games" in a week. Formula 1 attendance represents cumulative weekend attendance. Top race day attendance 141,000 at Silverstone. With average race day attendance 88,555. [35] League.

  2. PGA Tour Is About to Admit Its Largest Crowd of the Year

    Last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational — which permitted about 6,000 fans, the largest crowd so far — a throng eagerly followed Bryson DeChambeau as he closed out a victory. Scores of ...

  3. 2022 Masters attendance: How many people are at Augusta National?

    Augusta National Golf Club, which puts on the 2022 Masters, will welcome a full number of fans each day during tournament week. The 2022 Masters attendance per day is estimated to be in the area ...

  4. The Biggest Crowds in Golf History

    The 2017 Open at Royal Birkdale drew a crowd of 235,000, a highest reported for any Championship in England.The 2015 Open at St Andrews attracted 237,000 to Fife, with those figures expected to be surpassed for the 2021 Open at the Old Course, the 150th playing of the game's most prestigious event.. For the PGA Tour, the Players Championship is the flagship event, but that falls behind the ...

  5. Waste Management Phoenix Open attendance: How many people are at TPC

    In 2015, the attendance was 564,368. Saturday is, by far, the most popular round to attend the tournament. With Super Bowl Sunday typically now the end date for the tournament, Sunday is more ...

  6. How Many People Watch Golf? [Golf Viewership Statistics 2024]

    16.251 million combined total viewers tuned in to The Masters 2023 Finals. 15% of women watch golf sometimes or often as of mid-2022. In 2022, LIV golf piqued the interest of 71% of people aged 18-34. Mid- to high-income individuals make up 74% of golf viewers. PGA Tour 2023 saw a 31% increase in social media engagement.

  7. Golf Stat and Records

    Scoring Average. Scottie Scheffler. 69.286. Avg. 1. Xander Schauffele. 69.924. Avg. 2. Doug Ghim. 70.215. Avg. 3. ... PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, and the Swinging Golfer design are registered ...

  8. Report: PGA Tour ratings increase for NBC, CBS and Golf Channel

    The average weekly digital visitors to the PGA Tour's website rose by eight per cent YoY in Q1 2023, while the number of iOS downloads of the tour's app were up 60 per cent

  9. All-Time Facts and Figures : PGA TOUR Media Guide

    Season Score / Stat Details; 2021-22: 27 (8-under) Tom Kim, Wyndham Championship 2020-21: 28 (8-under) Matthew Wolff, Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

  10. Golf Stat and Records

    PGA TOUR Stats is the official source of golf statistics and records for the PGA TOUR. You can find the latest data on scoring average, driving distance, greens in regulation, and more for your ...

  11. Every PGA Tour Event, Ranked

    The Travelers Championship is a favorite on tour and garnered the "Players Choice" award (voted on exclusively by PGA Tour members) in 2018 for the second straight season. The award is based on players' experiences with tournament services, hospitality, player and family amenities, community support, attendance, golf course and other attributes ...

  12. Has LIV Golf attendance, viewership improved?

    "[LIV Golf Tulsa attendance] does, however, compare more to the Senior PGA Championship that was held at Southern Hills in 2021," Golf Week added. LIV Golf reportedly had about 40,000 people ...

  13. PGATOUR.COM

    Providing the only Real-Time Live Scoring for the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Korn Ferry Tour. Home of official PGA TOUR ... Birdie Average. Scottie Scheffler. 5.48. Avg. 1. Byeong Hun An. 5.14 ...

  14. PGA Tour Attendance

    The US Open averaged over 6 million, and peaked at slightly over 10 million. In the grand scheme of things, on course attendance is pretty trivial when it comes to the business of golf. Titleist Players glove, ProV1 Ball; Mizuno K1-LO Stand Bag, BR-D4C Cart Bag.

  15. TrackMan PGA Tour Averages Stats

    The PGA Tour 8-iron goes 160 in the air for a couple of reasons. One, they usually hit weaker lofts than high school players (like I) do. Secondly, they spin their 8-iron at 7998 RPM to stop the ball on fast greens.

  16. 2023 PGA Championship: 10 stats you need to know from Elias Sports

    The par four played to a scoring average of 4.75 during round two. To put that into perspective, there were 90 par-five holes on the PGA Tour this season that played to a scoring average lower ...

  17. Has 'PGA Tour vs. LIV' fatigue already soured some fans on pro golf?

    The narrative is the same in other sports; after the 1994 MLB strike, fan attendance dropped by 20 percent the next season. ... The PGA Tour is, however, a pretty darn good weekend TV product that ...

  18. The Determinants of Attendance at Pga and Pga Tour Tournaments a Thesis

    growth in PGA Tour single event average estimates from 1996 and 1999.3 TABLE 1.14 PGA Tour Single Event Average Estimates ... chapter and will be later explored in the development of the PGA Tour attendance model. Figure 2.1 is a flow chart that highlights the major factors influencing sports attendance

  19. How do LIV Golf's TV ratings really compare to the PGA Tour?

    The numbers also tell us that Nielsen's report — which put LIV's average audience at 289,000 vs. the Tour's at 2.42 million — is the most objective comparison of the two products we'll ...

  20. LIV Golf two years in... success or failure?

    As a means of comparison, the PGA Tour averages around two million viewers per week. A Sports Business Journal article put the average Sunday audience of the LIV Mayakoba event at 291,000, while the Honda Classic on the PGA Tour averaged 2.42 million viewers [note: Golf Monthly has contacted LIV and the CW Network for data].

  21. LIV Golf TV ratings: How viewership compared to PGA Tour in debut on

    PGA Tour ratings 2023. For comparison, below are the TV viewership numbers for the PGA Tour, which hosted its Honda Classic from Thursday, Feb. 23 to Sunday, Feb. 26. Broadcasts were held on NBC ...

  22. Golf Stat and Records

    Scoring Average (Actual) Steven Alker. 66.50. Avg. 1. Harrison Frazar. 67.20. Avg. 2. Kevin Sutherland. 67.33. Avg. 3. ... PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions, and the Swinging Golfer design are ...

  23. 2024 Houston Open Power Rankings: Top 10 Golfers To Watch At ...

    He's been hitting 70% of fairways over his last 24 rounds which is a good 10% better than Tour Average, but is still maintaining a respectable 169 mph ball speed on average.

  24. 2024 Masters odds, field: Surprising PGA picks, predictions from

    SportsLine's proven model simulated the Masters 2024 10,000 times and revealed its PGA golf picks for Augusta National CBSSports.com 247Sports ... SportsLine's proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has been red-hot since the PGA Tour resumed in June 2020. In fact, the model is up nearly $9,500 on its best bets since the restart ...

  25. Scoring

    Strokes Gained | Scoring Overall | Under Par Scoring | Over Par Scoring | Scoring by Round | Par 3,4,5 Scoring | Front 9 Scoring | Back 9 Scoring | Early Scorin