Like many of you who are reading this blog, I am a small business owner. Since my business circles the golf industry on almost every front I have to be very concerned with golf’s future. My business is to help those lost soles in the golf industry who are not familiar with doing business on the internet and to help non-golfers understand golf in hopes they will join all of us who enjoy playing golf. With this I have to also be very concern with how golf is seen by the Mainstream Business World who fuel the Golf economy.
Right now, with the circus surrounding the antics of the worlds top professional golfer, Tiger Woods, I have to say..enough is enough. Right now the only peoples or businesses benefiting from keeping the rumor mill and commentaries on the business decisions made as a result of Tiger’s actions are the media and sports bloggers (many of who are my friends) whose efforts to heightened their popularity to their web-sites is done only to enhances their revenue horizons.
Nothing is to be gained from any of what Tiger has done, does or is going to do. Right now all the negative publicity towards Tiger personally is not helping Golf. How his sponsors handle their relationship with Mr. Woods and Tiger Inc does effect the business of golf as far as the revenue he makes. The action they take with Tiger will be felt all across the industry of Golf. Granted, how Golf will be seen by sponsors as well as golfers will forever be changed.
What has caused me to rethink what is taking place in the golf world today came from recent business meetings I have had that enlightened me to how the true golfers and business people in the mainstream of the economy are seeing golf and those who play the game. The picture they paint and the actions they take by pulling financial support to anything related to golf reflects how they view golf as being something they do not want to be associated. As naive as many of their remarks are towards seeing all golfers as being like Tiger it is their opinion which in business is all that counts.
So, Enough is Enough. The constant rehashing of the downfall of Golf’s greatest player has been covered by the best offline and online journalist. The ramifications of Tiger’s business dealings have been analyzed by the world’s best financial minds and economists. And, every actually funny joke that can be written on Tiger’s personal antics has been written by the best comedy writers in the world. All this has done nothing to reinforce non-golfer’s thoughts that all golfers are playing golf to be like and do like Tiger. The more anyone tries to rebuke their opinion just adds more fuel to how they feel about golf as being accurate.
The only thing not done and is left to do is to start the healing process for Golf. What is needed to be done to repair to golf’s image is for all concerned golfers and golf business people to move away from commenting on all the blogs, news articles, commentary and video cartoons produced by the opportunist who profess to being golf industry supporters.
I will plead guilty to taking the stage on the internet to make fun of Tiger’s actions and for getting involved with all the senseless debates on how Tiger’s actions affect Golf that lead to nowhere. For that I will sentence myself to leading the charge to placing more emphasis on the positives of golf and only use Tiger’s action that blemished the face of golf as an example of what can happen when someone’s trust is dropped to covet deception.
So, this is My last call for the Tiger Story until there is a better story to tell (if that every happens). Golf businesses around the world are not only getting pounded by the failed economy but now having to face a negative image. That has to be the first thing to change in this New Year.
To me Golf is still a great institution, a game that promotes positive human behavior and a sport like no other that can be played for a lifetime. That is the focus all golfers need to maintain if we are to improve how we are seen by the non-golfing world. Let me know how I can help.