The Round Table: Bryson DeChambeau, TGL and another season of Full Swing
Each week, we ask our panel of writers, PGA members and golf industry experts to weigh in with their views on the hot topics of the day.
The LIV farce continues this week with more player defections, more revelations about the bankruptcy proceedings and a new lawsuit seeking payment from the Saudi PIF on behalf of some, but not all, players. Through it all, Bryson DeChambeau has maintained that there is still a role for LIV Golf as a “grow the game” initiative all over the world and he’d like to be part of it. Is BDC high on his own supply?
Jim Deeks, Fairways Magazine (@jimdeeks): I have no idea what thoughts rule and motivate Bryson DeChambeau, who has always marched to his own drum. But nor do I care. I recognize his talent with a golf club in his hands, but his attitude and behaviour leave me cold. If he can single-handedly use the pathetic carcass of LIV to “grow the game” somewhere — anywhere — well, bless his heart, I suppose. But I get the feeling he’ll just end up being a small footnote in the history of the game.
Craig Loughry, Golf Ontario (@craigloughry): Bryson’s “grow the game” talking point has always been a little hard to figure with the reality of LIV. If the primary goal was truly global participation, we’d be talking more about junior programs, affordable access, and facility development than guaranteed contracts and courtroom drama. That said, Bryson has probably done more than most LIV players to connect with fans through content and social media, so I don’t question his sincerity. I would and do question whether LIV’s structure was ever designed to grow golf first and entertain investors second. At some point, the message has to match the product. I will add, I caught Bryson’s latest 2 Youtube videos (1. Breaking 50 scramble from the front tees in Bahamas) and 2. him showcasing Alister Mackenzie’s Northwood Golf Club (9-holer amongst 150-180 ft Redwoods), and they were both pretty good/interesting.
Michael Schurman, Master Professional / Hall of Fame Member, PGA of Canada: One big Bone Head in all of this is Mickelson. Apparently, buried deep inside his contract are future obligations including appearances, use of image and other marketing responsibilities. He was paid some of his $200,000M as a signing bonus, the balance due on certain LIV milestones. This past summer, he disappeared citing family issues. During this time, he failed to fulfil contractual agreements causing the possibility of ‘claw backs’ which he would have to dissolve some of his investment/holdings to cover. And remember these are “Scary M….F’ers”. DeChambeau is swinging without a net. Earning big money from people who have big money comes with a move into the big leagues. We read about the massive amounts of money promised but we never read what the players’ obligations were, their commitments or a payment schedule. Trust in the future would have to come with up-front payments.
TJ Rule, Golf Away Tours (@GolfAwayTJ): It seems so. He must be getting paid millions to walk the walk, but more importantly I believe he loves the schedule of limited tournaments so he can spend his time on his YouTube channel, where he makes millions more. He clearly doesn’t have the global game of golf in his best interests, and that’s fine, the golf world doesn’t need him. He’ll have to come crawling back when LIV finally bites the dust.
Hal Quinn, Freelance Writer, Vancouver: Don’t think it’s been lost on the family that funded the PIF sport washing fandango that there is more interest in the ugly demise than there ever was in the spectacle of men in shorts hitting balls to rock music. Mercifully, no one but DeChambeau cares about DeChambeau. But the innocent bystanders — who never watched or ever even read about LIV — are interested in the bankruptcy proceedings. Particularly that Greg Norman got $9.4 M to go away and be quiet. And that Scott O’Neil got $15 M to guide the enterprise into the financial rocks, and that others got $13.6 M in ‘retention’ fees to stick around. Now a bunch of guys are whining that the Saudis ‘promised’ them millions, and they should get what they didn’t earn or win but were ‘promised.’ Great fun to follow. Wonder how the whiners will make out now that the guys retained for millions say LIV has liabilities of … well, in round numbers … between $500M and a cool Billion. Way more entertaining than the golf these guys evidently played somewhere.
Peter Mumford, Fairways Magazine: Maybe Bryson imagines himself as a modern golf version of Meadowlark Lemon, travelling the world with his merry band of golf pros, entertaining and growing the game. But LIV Golf is not the Harlem Globetrotters and there’s way too much baggage attached to it. Bryson would be better to stick to Youtube content and do exhibitions anywhere that wants him.
The folks that brought us TGL have introduced a women’s version, acting like there’s a demand for more giant simulator golf. While the original version has added more teams and swapped some players as it heads into its third season, viewer numbers are relatively flat. Would TGL have been better to incorporate women’s teams with the men’s league?
Deeks: Well, probably yes, for those viewers who think TGL is worthy of their time. But of course, as a television property, TGL undoubtedly would’ve focused on women players like Paige Spirinac, Blair O’Neal, and Natalie Gulbis for their testosterone fan appeal, versus attracting the really top women players, most of whom are Korean.
Loughry: My first reaction is that a mixed-gender format should have been the starting point, not the next idea. One of golf’s greatest strengths (rarely taken advantage of) is that men and women can compete under the same umbrella in ways most sports can’t. TGL had a chance to showcase that from day one. Creating a separate women’s product feels more like adding inventory instead of creating innovation. If the objective is growing audience engagement, mixed teams featuring LPGA and PGA Tour stars would offer new storylines, broader appeal, and a much more authentic representation of the game.
Schurman: Absolutely! I’ve been flying an LPGA flag as part of the President’s Cup for years. TGL would be a great testing ground.
Rule: I don’t know if I have a good answer for this one as I haven’t been totally invested in TGL from the start. It’s just not a product that interests me, but it is good that they are including the ladies, perhaps a little late. It seems like a format that could lend itself to having the ladies play with the men, but I’m not sure either direction will significantly move the needle for TGL.
Quinn: After watching the lame introductions, feigned excitement, and inexplicable audience cheering in the first few minutes of the first match, there was no reason not to change channels or ever go back. Making it co-ed? That’s the solution to an insolvable problem? It ain’t worth watching, it ain’t entertaining, it ain’t golf — even for a generation that only plays in bars and not outside. Enuff already.
Mumford: Apart from fist-pumping, chest thumping and a rare comment on TGL, most of the cast would have trouble passing a personality test. But this is what passes for entertainment in celebrity-obsessed American media. Adding LPGA stars and stalwarts into the mix might cause a momentary blip in ratings – a saucy comment from Charley Hull perhaps – but overall, it would really just be lipstick on the same pig.
To date, Netflix has not officially announced a Full Swing Season 5 but indicate that it’s on their list of priorities. What topic would you most like to see them dive into?
Deeks: Y’know, I really wish I wasn’t such a curmudgeon here at the Round Table. There’s so much about professional golf and golfers that I love to watch and follow. But here we go again… Full Swing lost my interest after Season 1, Episode 2 (as I recall), an hour of watching the incredible narcissism of Brooks Koepka and his nearly naked wife Jenna Sims lounging around their multi-million-dollar Florida home and complaining about how hard it was to be in the public spotlight. At least, that’s what I remember. No further interest after that.
Loughry: Forget another season focused on major championships and player personalities. I’d move direction, to see a deeper dive into the business and politics of professional golf (may not be exciting for some but may explain the how/why the product we see is the way it is). Show fans what actually happened behind the scenes during the LIV-PGA Tour disruption, how sponsorships were/are negotiated, what life is like for players fighting to keep their cards (always of interest to any fan), and the economic realities beyond the superstars. The most compelling stories in golf aren’t always at the top of the leaderboard. The human and financial pressures of making a living in the game are every bit as interesting as winning tournaments.
Schurman: I’d love to see a Players Olympics. The players have many skills nobody knows about. I’d love to see a Snooker Tournament, a Darts Tournament, Basketball Tournament, perhaps bowling and any sporting event that pitted players against each other.
Rule: I honestly like the light-hearted “live vicariously through” stories of the top pros, seeing how the 0.1% live their lives on tour. It’s nice to see them interacting with their families in everyday life. Short of having cameras in the Tour boardroom, that’s what I’d like to watch most.
Quinn: Evidently missed seasons one through four. But if there’s a five, maybe they should look into why a guy like Cory Connors hasn’t peeled a few off the top of his $32 M career earnings and called a guy like Faxon and ask about the stroke, not the full swing.
Mumford: Wish that the Netflix series was more like 60 Minutes and less like the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Were it so, an investigation into any one of Tiger’s face-plants or what really went down with Jay Monahan and LIV Golf or a behind-the-scenes look at the new Tour structure would be instant hits. Failing something compelling like that, I’ll gratefully miss Season 5 as I did the previous four.
