The LPGA officially canceled the policy today.

I enjoy reading your perspectives on the LPGA and its struggles to exist. I would like to hear more of your opinions on what the LPGA can do to get and keep this tour growing and increase its popularity. After attending 3 different women's pro events this past season, I have seen some examples of what I think clearly inhibit and "turn-off" the fans: very, very, very slow play; caddies more in charge than the player; caddies standing behind the player and lining up every shot they take; coaches and caddies run the show. The women players need to take charge of their game and exhibit their confidence and pride. Another question relates to why very few of our great college players come out on the LPGA tour. I'd like to hear your input. Is the LPGA promoting golfers at the college level?

Hi lkngolf,

Welcome!  Some good questions and observations about the LPGA tour...

I've been spending more than a little time thinking about women's golf lately - and as much as it bugged me that the whole "policy issue" got out of hand, at least it got people thinking and talking about women's golf.  But what I've realized is whether we like it or not, the media, the instant access to the world through the internet, and our quest to have and know the latest and greatest can really influence what we learn about things. Even though this latest hiccup might be a bruise to the LPGA's image (mostly the Commissioner's image) I do think overall the LPGA tour is continuing to see growth and success.  The downturn in the economy may be influencing some of the sponsor deals going on, but from the things I've read it appears the LPGA is working very hard to have replacements ready for sponsors unable to commit.  This is good news for the players and fans.  I'm not sure what the benchmark is for the success of the LPGA - I would guess that if you asked those "inside the ropes" they would say that Tour has as skewed image in the public and is more successful than ever.

On the topic of your observations from being at a few women's tournaments this year...let me first say that I agree with you that women should strive to take charge of their game and be confident - and many of them are...after spending 7 days at the US Women's Open I saw some spectacular women's golf and continue to take things that I observed there and try apply them to my own game.  I don't recall a super slow pace of play, but I'm sure it happens. (I LOATHE slow play!!)  I do remember several players who had their caddies line them up, but I'm not sure I see that as a bad thing.  Maybe some players need to feel reassured that they are assessing the shot correctly so they rely on their caddie to reinforce them.  I guess I don't see that as a negative and I actually like the idea of a player/caddie partnership (but maybe that's because I'm a girl,too).

The LPGA has a Duamed Futures tour for women who strive to become touring members of the LPGA - they have associations with colleges over the US and there are many college players who are working towards tour cards there - you can read more about the Tour here:  http://www.duramedfuturestour.com/AboutUs.asp  I'm not sure why we're not seeing more young college players on the tour (maybe they just don't promote that enough) - it does seem to be quite the commitment to play on the Futures tour - travelling and not being able to earn a ton of money...maybe it's not worth it?  I might need to learn more about that!

Thoughts on increasing popularity - hmmm (okay, I'm pretty sure I'm going to go off on several tangents here, but hopefully I'll make my way back to a point at the end!)  the thing is, what's popular to men and women in terms of women's golf are most likely very different things - (go to the Michelle Wie thread and you'll see it)  - to some extent, women's golf is sort of boring (I can say that because I'm a girl!) - the players are out there trying to earn a living so they're going to hit fairways greens and make a few putts - the fans want excitement - emotion - and great shots (long drives, etc), and while I think you get your share, I don't really feel that the women's first thought is "how do I entertain the crowd" - I think it's "how do I make the cut?" 

I'm not even going to attempt to get into the mind of a guy and what they would consider worth seeing from women's golf, but I think the struggle is that from a man's perspective they've got the PGA tour to relate to (guys, please correct me if I'm wrong!) - that's not to say there aren't a lot of guys who don't enjoy watching women golf, but I'm not sure women's level of play will ever reach a point where guys choose that over men's golf.  Now for women, I think it's different - we can relate, we can try to emulate what we see, and I think we can appreciate more the accomplishments that professional women golfers make.  Women also understand the balance many of these players make by being mothers/wives and golfers - women also appreciate and consider the sponsors, fashions, associations that women golfers share with the public. (and yes, I know many guys "appreciate" some of the fashions, too!). 

 I've tried to share my perspective on how I think the emergence of international players on the LPGA has been a challenge to the US women's golf fan - and I hope that both the players and the LPGA will take time to introduce us to these new stars so that we can find that connection and in turn cheer them on.  So in terms of increasing popularity, I think it's a combination of finding the player/fan connection along with showcasing the talent within the women's tour.  And as much as I hate to say this, I do believe that if Michelle Wie makes it through Q school and successfully plays the tour full time we will see more people interested...also a more user friendly web site would be fantastic, too!

For the LPGA players I think finding that balance between being a talented player and making a living and being an entertainer to the fans/sponsors is the key to their success and the success of the tour overall.  What does everybody else think?