Rory McIlroy is Right That There is Too Much Golf on TV

View From The Fairway by Derek Clements

Rory McIlroy is always worth listening to. No matter what subject he addresses he always seems to have his finger on the pulse. 

Much has been said and written in recent weeks about pace of play and TV coverage of the PGA Tour and almost all of it has been pretty negative. 

Last year saw TV viewing figures drop like a stone. And it seems that nobody can quite agree why that is happening.

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My view is that it is because armchair fans do not want to sit through rounds of golf that take the thick end of six hours. It is like watching paint dry. I also believe that there is simply too much golf on TV - the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour, the LPGA, the Ladies European Tour, endless amateur tournaments and now LIV Golf is to be screened by ITV in the UK.

Others believe that the quality of the TV broadcasts is to blame. 

And there is no doubt that coverage of the PGA Tour is patchy, at best. They seem to be obsessed with showing us golfers holing out. While that is a crucial part of the game, most of us want to see that world’s top players smashing drives and hitting approaches stiff. 

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

It also has to be said that the American commentators are not the best, and then there are the seemingly never-ending ad breaks to be endured. 

And have you ever watched the highlights programme, where they cram all four rounds into 60 minutes? Essentially, all that you see is golfers putting out.

Watching the DP World Tour is like a breath of fresh air. The pace of play is generally quicker, the commentators are both knowledgeable and funny and we get to hear the thoughts of players while they are in the heat of battle. We also get to see proper event coverage.

You are probably aware that Justin Thomas caused something of a stir in America by sending an open letter to his fellow professionals. He called for them to waken up to the fact that they simply have to be more accessible and wants them to agree to wear microphones during play and follow the example of the DP World Tour players and agree to on-course interviews. 

What makes this all the more interesting is that it is not so long ago that Thomas said he would never wear a microphone. But he realises that times have changed and that he and his fellow players have a duty to give more of themselves to the fans. 

Thomas is a member of the PGA Tour’s tournaments sub-committee and as much as I praise him it was disappointing to hear him say that one of the prime reasons for sending out the letter, which he worked on with fellow player Max Homa, is that the sub-committee is looking for ways to improve the Tour’s relationship with its "money-making entities". By that he means sponsors and the broadcasters. 

McIlroy has announced that he will be reducing his playing schedule in 2025. And he has a different take on the source of the problem. The Northern Irishman believes that there is too much golf being played.

He said: "I think 47 to 50 events a year is too many."

Unsurpsingly, not everybody agrees with him. Charley Hoffman has taken exception.

In an open letter, Hoffman wrote: "If we truly care about strengthening our Tour, we should be supporting as many PGA Tour events as we can."

In remarks quite clearly aimed at McIlroy, Hoffman continued: "Many of you keep saying you want to play fewer events, yet you still find time for TGL, Race to Dubai, and other non-PGA Tour events, and that’s going to continue regardless of field size."

McIlroy hit back. He said: "I think the thing he forgot to mention is the PGA Tour owns 20% of TGL, so he’s criticising his own product.

"They also own a good chunk of European Tour Productions, so again - I thought some of the elements of the letter were fine, and addressed some issues.  I’ve been vocal about not wanting to play quite as much so it seemed like it was pointed at me."

He rightly points out that almost every other major sport takes a break - football, American football, baseball, basketball, cricket.

Golf, on the other hand, grinds it out for about 50 weeks of the year. Each and every year. They put their feet up for the Christmas and New Year holiday and then get back to business.

And part of the problem is that the fields at many tournaments on both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour are hardly what you would describe as stellar. 

World number one Scottie Scheffler won the Tour Championship at the end of August and was not seen again until the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Admittedly, he suffered a hand injury at Christmas but that only delayed his return to action by two weeks.

As fans, we want to see the likes of Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, Hideki Matsuyama and Tommy Fleetwood going toe to toe. But there is a limit as to how many events these guys can play before fatigue sets in. When we see them we want the very best of them. 

Even Sung-Jae Im, who used to routinely tee it up around 30 times a season, has now come to realise that to maintain his form and fitness he has had to cut back on his playing schedule.

Watching golf on TV has become an endurance test. I used to tune in for the start of every PGA Tour broadcast and stick with it until the final putt had been holed. Now, I track the front nine on my BBC Sports app and don’t start watching until they hit the back nine. 

And yes, there is too much golf on TV.

What’s the solution? I believe that McIlroy might be on to something.

The DP World Tour season ends with the DP World Tour Championship in November. The new season kicks off the very next week. The PGA Tour season ends with the Tour Championship in August, then moves into a Fall Season. It is relentless.

So let’s have a rethink. 

When the winning putt has been holed in Dubai (in October rather than November), why not have a break until the middle of January? And on the PGA Tour, why not extend the regular season to October, do away with the Fall Season and kick things off again with the Tournament of Champions in January?