The Pellucid Perspective - April 2015 - (Page 18)

THE LAST WORD Fantasy sports in more ways than one A s a counterpoint to the barrage of recent stories in the general media "piling on" golf as a declining sport devoid of interest among the younger generations, golf 's major organizations have frequently pointed to the consistently strong viewership numbers posted by PGA Tour telecasts. They point to the numbers of eyeballs focused on Rory, Jordan and periodic appearances by Phil and Tiger as proof that there are potential participants lurking in front of their flat screens, phones or tablets, just waiting for the golf industry to discover the bait that lures them out to the course. In recent years, the flavor of the month in terms of grow-the-game strategies has strayed farther and farther from conventional thinking, from TopGolf to FootGolf, from Tee It Forward to Hack Golf to 15-inch cups. Now, according to a recent piece on CNBC.com, at least one company has decided on a time-honored lure, a get rich quick scheme that appears to hit today's instant gratification generation right in the sweet spot. DraftKings, a fantasy sports site that you've probably seen or heard touted in ads for fantasy leagues in professional sports like football and baseball, turned its lustful gaze on golf some time ago, along with some less publicized fantasy sites. This year, however, based on what the company said was a "ten-fold" increase in their players from last year to this year, DraftKings announced what they called a Masters Millionaire Maker contest with, you guessed it, a $1M prize for the winner. The promotion sold out almost immediately, drawing 70,000 entrants who paid over $3M in entry fees. As one online reviewer noted, fantasy golf is one way to ensure that in all likelihood, some people other than D.A. Points' immediate family will be watching raptly on any given Sunday as he grinds over a 4-foot putt that might get him into the top 10 for the week. While the DraftKings haul (and the one that some lucky contestant claimed last Sunday) are testimony to the allure of quick cash that at least theoretically 18 The Pellucid PersPecTive requires some knowledge of golf, or Tour golfers, the greater question for the industry is whether those players will ever appear on real world tee sheets. A DraftKings golf win may give fantasy golfers bragging rights at the office without having to earn them on the course, but will they ever actually make a 3-footer on the 18th hole with the presses riding to talk that trash in the 19th hole? In the CNBC.com piece, World Golf Foundation CEO Steve Mona addressed that very issue, saying "Interest in the game is good, interest leading to participation is better." And, that, much like staking our hopes on the Tour's telecast In recent years, the flavor of the month in terms of growthe-game strategies has strayed farther and farther from conventional thinking. ratings, the packed houses at TopGolf facilities across the land or youngsters booting a soccer ball through the rough, is the crux of the issue. Peripheral involvement is fine, but it doesn't pay the bills, or at least not those of golf course operators. A different kind of range wars Fans of old Westerns on TV will recall many shoot-em-up morality plays pitting the cattle ranchers against the sheep herders in a battle over turf (grazing) and water rights. To some degree, a similar drama is playing out in California, with the state government, local water districts and non-golfing citizenry eyeing the golf course water consumption necessary to keep the greens and fairway grass that our shots occasionally graze green. In late March, representatives of the California Golf Course Owners Association, Northern California and Southern California Golf Associations and others met with state legislature and other government agency representatives to make a number of points regarding golf 's already active measures to conserve water, as well as golf 's very minimal (1%) share of California's total water use. Representatives came away from the meetings feeling confident that their message had been well received, only to feel blindsided to a degree when Governor Jerry Brown (yes, for you in the other 49, it's the same Jerry Brown, back for another spin) issued an Executive Order mandating, among other things, a 25 percent cutback in water consumption by the state's golf courses. A subsequent letter to CGCOA members and industry supporters from CGCOA Executive Director Marc Connerly reported positive discussions with senior state government staffers, indicating that the 25 percent dictate would be essentially a flexible guideline, to be negotiated between local water districts and agencies and golf courses. Connerly urged courses to be proactive in their discussions with the water regulators and to emphasize conservation practices and water cutbacks already in place. Another key element in California is a bond measure which would help to fund infrastructure necessary to process and transport recycled water to golf courses to replace use of potable water or, in some cases, well water. While the situation in California and much of the rest of the West and Southwest is more dire than other parts of the country, due in part to a historic drought and in part to warm winter temperatures which reduced snowfall and eliminated subsequent snow melt in the mountain areas, the campaign to carry the message that golf courses are conservers, not abusers, of water resources should be at the forefront of discussions with either state legislatures or local water boards throughout the country. Golf courses obviously require a certain amount of water, just as the housing industry requires a certain amount of timber, but in both cases, conservation is not only necessary to do, but also necessary to publicize if either of those industries hopes to avoid restrictions that they can't survive. -Jim Dunlap April 2015 http://www.CNBC.com http://www.CNBC.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Pellucid Perspective - April 2015

TOC
Equity clubs increasingly open to change
Digital Caddies customers lose free web connectivity
2015 weather bodes well for industry so far
Environmentalist bid to close historic course rejected
Confessions of a social media Neanderthal
March golf weather impact: Up strongly nationally, regional results vary
Rise of Phoenix needs fall of supply
ClubCorp continues to grow with 6-course portfolio purchase for $44M
Fantasy sports in more ways than one

The Pellucid Perspective - April 2015