"We Are Not Makers of History. We Are Made of History"
What kind of history is LIV Golf made of?
photo: AP Seth Wineg | Headline quote: Martin Luther King, Jr.
Ray Kinsella in the movie Field of Dreams, hears a mysterious voice say, “If you build it, they will come.” But let’s go deeper and ask when they come, what kind of history will they write? One of notoriety, or one of accomplishments? We here at Tour Backspin are all about the history of accomplishments.
They (Greg Norman and the Saudi Public Investment Funds) built the LIV Golf league, and with the money that has been thrown around, they (the pros who have defected) have come. Now, what kind of history are they going to make. A history of notoriety, or a history of accomplishments. One could argue that a good history is one that is a mixture of the two with notoriety taking a backseat to accomplishments. You certainly could have a good history that was exclusively accomplishments, but what is your history if it is nothing but notoriety?
With our current state of civics and politics, as well as the dominance of social media in our lives, it is easy to be notorious. Too easy, some would say. Trolling on social media, gaslighting in political discussions and an “owning the libs” attitude all feed nicely into becoming notorious. And LIV Golf is an embodiment of this in the golf world.
Quick, who won the second LIV Golf tournament in Portland, OR? What was the deciding shot that won him the tournament? How hard should those questions be to answer? There was more coverage of the divisions that LIV Golf caused in the small town of North Plains, OR, where the tournament was held than there was about the golf action. That’s telling.
The narcissistic golfer doesn’t care about tradition and history and will quickly label you as an old fuddy-duddy.
With the disruptive, and vengeful, Greg Norman as the commissioner of the new golf league, there is a lot of trolling and “owning the PGA TOUR” attitude that carries over to almost everything LIV Golf does. The photos from the Instagram stars that have defected from the PGA TOUR features parties on the specially chartered plane and pre-tournament parties that feature players, and their WAGS living it up with the typical social media conceit of the privileged. It’s more “look at me” than “look what I’ve accomplished” and it may be one reason the nascent league is struggling to find a broadcast partner.
This type of notoriety will attract a certain type of fan. Let’s call them the “narcissistic golfer.” You know the type; plays music on the course way too loud, ignores dress codes, “forgets” to rake the bunker after playing from it, fails to fix ball marks or divots, thinks nothing of shouting “whoo-hoo!” at the top of their lungs after even a modestly successful shot. The ones you try to ignore even as they have inundated the golf scene in the golf boom we’re currently experiencing. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to grow the game, but growth is built on a foundation of traditions and history. The narcissistic golfer doesn’t care about tradition and history and will quickly label you as an old fuddy-duddy for even caring about such things.
Just think of all the press coverage! The press loves notoriety.
If these golf fans are attracted to the new league because of the shotgun start, 54-hole format, or they love the team component of the league, that’s one thing. If they are being entertained by the more casual approach, and the level of the competition and the golf accomplishments, that’s great. But if they are drawn to the whole “burn it down” element that the new league seems to exemplify, from the leadership of the league down to the partying players, then we’re in for a rough time.
So, while writing a history of notoriety, it is very unsurprising that LIV Golf would embrace the opportunity to play at Donald J. Trump’s golf courses for two of their events this year, and that the former president would, in turn, embrace LIV Golf. Just think of all the press coverage! The press loves notoriety. With the former president criticizing the PGA TOUR, advising more PGA TOUR pros to defect to the new league and comments like “we don’t know what happened on 9/11,” it is the perfect type of troll to “own the PGA” much as he is the bandleader in the “own the libs” movement.
Of course, LIV Golf would feature Trump in the pro-am preceding the event held at Trump’s Bedminster course. The Saudi government is getting their money’s worth with him, and Greg Norman, providing notoriety that brings attention to the new league. But where are the accomplishments? What will last from this league that I will read about in the future? Will the history only be about the disruption that the upstart league caused in the world of professional golf?
Coverage of Trump’s play in the pro-am perfectly exemplifies his attitude toward accomplishments on the golf course. It was reported that he scooped putts, had his caddy retrieve shots that were hit off-line, drove out ahead of his playing partners after he’d hit his shot, putting out before his playing partners had even hit their approach shots. In other words, he disregards all bounds of polite golf course etiquette. How notorious.
It is worth noting that the press coverage focused on Trump’s attendance at the event over the golf action. Trump “held court” at his specially built pavilion out on the course.
“Dad, who is that?”
Said the father: “I have no idea.”
There were spectators at the third event who could be described as curious. They wanted to see what all the fuss was about. The New York Times reported on what it was like attending the LIV Golf event in Bedminster, NJ. The article contained this little anecdote:
On the ninth hole Saturday, Justin Harding, who is ranked 123rd in the world, hit his golf ball over the green, where it came to rest near a mammoth concession stand bar. Venues selling alcohol were well attended for the three days, and because Harding faced a difficult uphill chip to the green, about 20 spectators spilled out of the bar to stand almost next to Harding as he attempted his rescue.
After Harding deftly pitched to within three feet of the hole and began to walk away, a young boy nearby turned and asked: “Dad, who is that?”
Said the father: “I have no idea.”
And therein lies the problem. How will the curious fans be turned into diehard fans, especially if they don’t know most of the players competing? The limited size crowds afford an intimacy and proximity to the action when compared with the PGA TOUR, but you must supply some compelling golf to take full advantage of this feature.
It remains to be seen if LIV Golf has the kind of legs that will give it a lasting place in professional golf. What would help it secure that place would be for some competitiveness in the events that hold the attention of the golf fan. Something that attracts as much attention at the end of the week as the notoriety attention it attracts at the start of the week. The league needs some of the young talent that they have recruited to go head-to-head down the stretch with one of the more famous names they’ve thrown money at. A real punch, counter-punch type ending would be much more interesting, I think, to long-time golf fans than the current notorious, social media driven attention that LIV Golf seems to be pursuing.
This tweet, that was commented on by Joel Dahman, illustrates what LIV Golf is up against when it comes to being relevant:
It also illustrates how relying on notoriety may not have the legs that LIV Golf thinks it does.
If you build it, they will come. But will they stick around?