Masters chairman gives 1 warning — after a question about golf’s future

Fred Ridley says he welcomes the thought that golf’s definition is expanding. There are long-established brands such as the PGA Tour, LPGA and the Masters — the tournament where he’s the chairman — and there are brands such as TGL and Top Golf, newbies who sell being modern.

But Ridley also offers a warning. He knows what he doesn’t want to have happen. 

“We don’t want golf to become like every other sport,” Ridley said. 

He was talking Thursday at Pilar Golf Club in Argentina, the host of this week’s Latin America Amateur Championship, an event founded by the Masters, the USGA and the R&A — and, with this year marking its 10th playing, a relative newcomer to the golf space itself. A reporter was curious, though: What would golf look like in the future, taking into account that “nowadays, the tendency is to have more urban sports, more dynamic sports” — while “golf lasts for about four hours?”

Mike Whan, the USGA’s CEO, offered a story as part of his response. He said he’d been at last week’s opener for TGL, the tech-infused, two-hour-long simulator league backed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. He said folks told him they loved hearing player back-and-forths — though, with a DJ playing music at the arena, he heard none of them. He said he had a different experience. 

“I think that’s exciting for the game,” Whan said. “I think it’s exciting the game can come to you wherever you are both physically and interest‑wise in a way in which we can bring you into the game. I think that’s not only an exciting idea for me personally. It’s proving itself to being great for the game in the on‑course participation.” 

Whan said what you once thought of golf was changing. 

“And I think in a good way,” he continued. “Whether they are talking about driving range or whether we are talking about a TGL kind of experience, simulator golf all around the world, I think we are starting to provide the game in different bite sizes, if you will, depending on where the player comes in contact. 

“I know my young kids would find an hour and a half at a simulator to be ‘golf,’ and when I was at their age, I probably wouldn’t have considered that. I think that’s good for the game. The game is big enough that we have got room, quite frankly, and quite frankly, and we should invite the game to be played in a lot of different formats. There’s a lot of ways to come into this game.  It’s exciting. I can speak to the United States. If you went back 10 years ago, three out of every 10 golfers that teed up at a golf course for the very first time have experienced the game before they got there, and today that number is eight out of 10. 

“So, think about how different the game is if you’ve experienced how to play it before you walk on to the tee box of a golf course for the first time. That’s what’s really happened in our game.  That’s how our game has exploded around the world, and certainly in the States, as well.”

Ridley agreed that golf’s newest versions are well-received. He said they create fans, and golf needs more. 

But he also said why he plays. To him, golf isn’t like other sports. 

He hopes that doesn’t get lost amidst change. 

“I think it’s important to remember to think about what makes golf so special,” Ridley said. “Why do we think all of us who love the game? Why do we think it’s the greatest sport, and it’s different than other sports?  

“A lot of it has to do with the history and integrity of the game. You play by the rules. You call the rules on yourself. The honor of the game. The camaraderie that’s created by playing golf. I think as we try to expand the fan base, we need to keep that north star in sight because we don’t want golf to become like every other sport. I think that’s a really important thing to think about.”

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