It's got to change...
Chances are you, like many of us, have yet to get used to this broken year schedule, It's new. And Anything new has it's problems to work out. I'm about to state my ideal scenario of a new golf schedule that is best for fans watching live and on television and being better for players traveling and coordinating a schedule and enjoying winter holidays however they like without having to think about what money they could make.
Each year the Ryder Cup/President's Cup event has one week off before the start of the golf season. That already is the first problem. For whom? The Players. The courses that host the events. The Sponsors. Only slightly is it a problem for TV ratings (the players typically want more time off after such a long season which leads to less people who watch the event.
End of the season- Ryder Cup/President's Cup
10/1-4 Off
10/9-11 PGA Grand Slam of Golf
Reasoning- It's only 4 players on one quaint remote golf course with minimal patrons. It is only a 3 day event and even though it's possible that all four players could be in the Ryder Cup or President's Cup, but such a relaxed event could work out in the favor of everyone.
10/15-18 Tournament of Champions
Reasoning- Not only is there still good weather in Hawaii but this event should be the first event of each PGA TOUR season. It's traditionally a celebration for those winners of the past season. As less than 30 players total would have played within the last month it's likely that most winners would enjoy their invitation here, much more like years of Tiger and Ernie dueling it out rather than slightly smaller names in golf like Jonathan Byrd and Robert Garrigus (two "Fall Series" winners that year).
10/22-25 3 Tour Challenge
Reasoning- Why not? Weather? Great. Course? Great. Players? There's an array of players to choose to invite that haven't played since the Fed Ex Cup, even a few Ryder Cuppers that may want to play. Again, the tour needs a buffer for it's players and this is just that.
10/29-11/1 CIMB Classic - Malaysia
Reasoning- This is the start of the 3 Event "Australasia" Swing over 4 weeks allowing players time to travel, enjoy sights and not be overworked to allow them to play in America.
11/5-8 WGC HSBC Champions - China
11/12-15 Off
11/19-22 ISPS - Australia
11/26-29 Off
12/3-6 Northwestern Mutual World Challenge
12/10-13 Classic at Mayakoba
Reasoning- Moving this down a few weeks to entice a few more players in the Challenge at Sherwood to take the short flight from LA to Mexico and create a better field isn't a bad thing. The weather is still ideal for December as well.
12/18-20 Franklin Templeton Shootout
12/24-27 Off
12/31-1/3 Sony Open
Reasoning- Well all the players seem to enjoy starting the year in Hawaii, this allows the tour to continue that tradition. Luaus and hula skirts will have a similar kick off that Kapalua has for the PGA TOUR Champions.
1/7-10 Humana Challenge
Reasoning- This event is easy to get to from Hawaii and the weather is still in great only moving the event one week up.
1/14-17 Farmers Open
1/21-24 WGC Match Play
Reasoning- This is traditionally held a little later in the season however with the 2015 Match Play being at Harding Park, this would be a great time for the PGA TOUR to repeat this site due to it's ability to get sports fans in during the NFL's AFC/NFC Championship.
1/28-31 AT&T Pro-Am
Reasoning- This should be one of the biggest televised events for being early in the season along with patrons at the event. As a week off for the NFL before the Superbowl, and being 2 hours away from the previous event, and one hour from the Superbowl's site the crowd should be at it's highest with all the best players in the world wanting to see the excitement. There may even be a consideration to move it back to the week of the Superbowl. The snag there would be that the NFL likely has a stronghold on many of the hotels and having any sporting event in the area the week of the Superbowl is suicide.
2/4-7 Riviera
2/11-14 Fry's Open
Reasoning- For the year 2016 especially, this event and its site is the perfect bookend to the Superbowl. Again, staying close to the Bay Area hoping to attract more sports fans should boost the patron levels and player stars that each previous year has seen now that it's not right after a long strenuous season.
2/18-21 Waste Management
Reasoning- This is the round out of the West Coast Swing and the end of my alternate universe/perfect world schedule change. They FINALLY don't have to compete the week of the Superbowl. Time to see what kind of crowds they can bring in with a little warmer weather and a bigger Sunday for them in attendance.
So what do you think? How do you like it? Share this to try and get a little attention from the powers that be to move things around. Because seeing the big stars only play the East Coast unless it's a major on the West Coast doesn't bode well for the future of golf, and since there's a bunch of money and year round golf on the West Coast I think the Tour should do a better job of having big names at each event.
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