Welcome to Issue #1
"Success in golf depends less on strength of body than upon strength of mind."
Arnold Palmer
What’s on our mind this week
Is Collin Morikawa really being made the fall guy for Bethpage, who spends $50m on a private golf course in their garden, rumoured season 4 of Netflix’s Full Swing has to be unmissable, right?, thinking mother nature can't make up her mind, washing out tournaments in Scotland while scorching LPGA greens in Shanghai, please and thank you for the reverse purse skins games, who’s next to be linked with the LIV gravy train, a very NiCE AI sponsorship deal for JJ.
In the news
Why it matters: Urban golf clubs worldwide are sitting on land worth far more for housing than golf. As cities grow and housing crises deepen, developers will keep making offers that test whether heritage and tradition can withstand life-changing payouts to members. Clontarf's rejection sets a precedent, but also highlights golf's vulnerability: every urban course near a population centre now faces the same question…..stick or twist?
Our Take: Clontarf may have made the right decision for them, and good on them. While the club and its members run the risk of receiving some flak from certain quarters, there is a housing crisis after all, they have once again shown their resolve in the face of a very attractive offer. Heritage, legacy and location have won through again. However, if these lucrative offers keep coming, how long can the members of Clontarf Golf Club continue to ignore them?
Why it matters: Recent research from Carr Golf Maintenance reveals that course condition is the single biggest driver of golf club revenue; with 90% of golfers ranking it as the most important factor in their experience, yet fewer than one in four are satisfied with year-round quality. This gap represents a clear commercial risk: inconsistent playing conditions can reduce rounds, weaken member loyalty, and deter new participation.
Our Take: We all know golfers can forgive a bad shot, now and again, however not a bad lie. This report puts the numbers behind what most in the industry already feel: course condition drives bottom line. There is a big opportunity for clubs to invest in consistent surfaces to enhance golfers' experience. Incorporating tech and data for better turf management and to support greenkeepers won't just make the course look good, it will keep golfers coming back, spending more and talking positively about the club. In today's market, the course is the business.
Why it matters: Pickleball succeeded by doing everything golf historically hasn't: low cost, easy to learn, socially focused, minimal time commitment, and accessible infrastructure. It's now the fastest growing sport in America by taking exactly the demographics golf struggles to attract - younger players, women, and time-constrained professionals.
Our Take: Golf's response can't be to become pickleball. But it should study why pickleball works: immediate competence, social first design, and removing friction at every step. Topgolf tried this with entertainment. Simulators try it with convenience. But traditional golf remains stubbornly committed to 18 holes, 4+ hour rounds, and expensive access. The formats succeeding such as 9 holes, footgolf, simulator leagues, all borrow from the pickleball playbook. Maybe the future of golf isn't one thing. Maybe it's five different products for five different audiences.
Pic from Clontarf Golf Club, Dublin, Ireland
Worth your time
Listen: Building the Savannah Bananas Not golf but this is an insane story about how one guy took a dying minor league baseball team into a global phenomenon by breaking every rule of traditional sports.
Read: thefriedegg.com Honest and brilliant summary of The Ryder Cup at Bethpage.
Watch: @McKallaster commentary of Shane Lowry's Ryder Cup putt. We've had this on loop.
Tech: Wispr Flow Voice to text AI. You need to download this app if you want to save valuable time. This has been so handy for my newsletter notes.
Feature story
The Bethpage Effect: What last month's tournament means for The Ryder Cup’s commercial future
Pics from Ryder Cup and Today’s Golfer
Look, we all know enough about the business of golf to know when something's more than just a bad weekend. And what went down at Bethpage Black? That's not going away quietly.
Sure, Europe won 15-13. But nobody's talking about the golf. They're talking about drinks thrown at players' wives, security stepping in to protect families, and an MC who had to step down after leading profanity-laced chants. Sky News called it "the most abusive Ryder Cup in almost a century." Rory McIlroy, normally measured, always diplomatic, said the language was "unacceptable" and that golf needs to be "held to a higher standard." Tom Watson apologised to the Europeans and said he was “ashamed” by the scenes.
Here's why this matters way beyond one rowdy crowd: the Ryder Cup just ran headfirst into a brand problem it may not have seen coming. And the commercial fallout could reshape how this event operates for years to come, especially stateside.
When your sponsors sell Rolexes, not beer
Think about who pays the big money to be associated with the Ryder Cup. BMW. Rolex. Ralph Lauren. These aren't brands that show up to rowdy stadium events hoping to catch viral moments. They're there because the Ryder Cup has always represented something specific - prestige, tradition, and a global, sophisticated sporting experience.
That brand promise just took a hit. When you're a luxury brand paying premium dollars for association rights, viral videos of alcohol-fuelled abuse aren't just PR headaches, they're real brand risk.
Pic from BMW
The venue strategy just changed
Bethpage was chosen in part because it's a public course, a nod to golf's growing accessibility narrative. But after this year, don't be surprised if that trend stalls. Future hosts now must answer hard questions about crowd control systems, spectator-to-player proximity, hospitality zone protection, and regional fan behaviour.
The tv rights conversation just got complicated
The Ryder Cup’s media rights are valued around $200 million per cycle. Those numbers assume a premium audience, strong advertiser alignment, and broadcast-safe content. Bethpage muddied all three.
Networks had to make real-time decisions about muting crowd noise or cutting away from live moments. That’s not what sponsors signed up for. Especially not those in the luxury, finance, or family oriented categories.
Even more concerning: international partners may now look at U.S. hosted Ryder Cups as higher risk properties. European broadcasters carried this story heavily. If they see this as a pattern, it could affect rights valuations moving forward.
Ironically, Sky Sports reported record viewership: over 5 million tuned in across the three days, a +45% jump from Rome 2023. While that spike might owe as much to the chaos outside the ropes as to Shane’s putt on 18, this isn’t a sustainable formula if broadcasters start losing advertisers confidence.
The commercialisation paradox
Here's the irony: it may have been over-commercialisation that helped fuel the exact crowd behaviour now threatening the event's commercial viability. Sky high ticket prices and open bar hospitality packages helped shift the crowd from seasoned golf fans to VIP spectators with less emotional connection to the sport's etiquette.
Pic from Adare Manor
Adare Manor 2027. Redemption arc?
Which brings us to a potential opportunity for the Ryder Cup to get this back under control when is hosts its 2027 event at Adare Manor, Ireland, arguably one of the most controlled, respected, and luxurious venues in global golf. If ever there was a moment for a brand reset, this is it. Ireland's fan culture is rooted in respectful passion. Adare offers the Ryder Cup a controlled, high-end environment to restore premium brand positioning, hospitality infrastructure that keeps corporate clients and general crowds distinct, and a fan culture that celebrates competition without veering into toxicity.
Where there’s a crisis, there’s opportunity
While the reputational and commercial impact of Ryder Cup 2025 will only fully be understood when the dust finally settles, brands, broadcasters and fans alike will be watching with interest as to how event organisers respond in Adare Manor.
There are others who will be perfecting their pitches and hoping to become part of the solution if not for 2027 then certainly for when we’re back in the US in 2029, please step forward AI companies who specialise in crowd behaviour monitoring, alcohol producers with a focus on premium 00% offerings, traffic management consultants, tech savvy security firms, corporate & hospitality organisers, PR and Brand agencies.
Two years is a long time in sport, but if golf wants the Ryder Cup to remain a crown jewel for global sponsors, there’s no room for forgiveness without reform.
One thing from history
The Sunday that changed everything
Pic from Sky Sports
On 6th October 1996, Tiger Woods, 20 years old, professionally employed for all of five weeks, rocks up to the Las Vegas Invitational and wins the thing.
But here's the real story: that win wasn't just validation for Nike's $40 million sponsorship bet. It was the smartest investment in sports marketing history. Within months, TV ratings doubled. Sponsors who'd never touched golf suddenly lined up with checkbooks open. Equipment sales exploded. Golf courses saw rounds surge.
Tiger didn't just win a tournament. He created an entirely new revenue model for professional golf, proving that individual star power could drive economics in a sport that had always relied on tradition and exclusivity. Twenty-nine years ago this month, Tiger Woods turned golf from a niche country club sport into a mainstream entertainment business. The PGA Tour's current media deals, prize purses, and global reach? They all trace back to this moment.
Next week
Topgolf turned driving ranges into entertainment venues and built a billion dollar business. We're breaking down what's working, what's not, and what happens next.
Have a good week. Until next Friday,
David
P.S. Got questions? Ideas? Just want to talk golf? Hit reply. We read every email.