Gary McCord, whose influence with golf includes as a player, TV commentator, author and movie consultant, is concerned about a national economy he describes as a “recession/depression” and its impact on his sport. McCord, in town to play in the 3M tournament for seniors, told Sports Headliners during an interview earlier this week that golf participation has been declining nationally for four years.
“Basically, golf is too expensive,” he said. “It takes too much time. …We’ll get a lot of people on the fringes, especially during these economic times, (that) are going to be falling off. Like everything else, it’s in a decline. …”
The future of the pro tours is a concern, too. McCord said “we’re really going to find out what’s going on with contracts that haven’t been signed.” All the weight of a slumping economy on ticket sales, sponsorships, and TV ratings is a challenge to the sports and entertainment industries including golf.
It’s a minus, too, for golf to have Tiger Woods sidelined. Interest in watching golf on TV, particularly among casual fans, isn’t the same without Woods who won’t play again this year because of knee surgery.
“He’s the best I’ve ever seen,” said McCord who is 60 years old. He expects Woods to break Jack Nicklaus’s record of 18 majors titles if he stays healthy.
“There’s no question he’ll be good when he comes back,” McCord said. “No question. This is going to be quite a hurdle for him and his flow, as he is flowing very well to overtake Jack. I would say just a mental thing of waiting out a year and then wondering. Wondering if his knee is going to be okay. Wondering if he needs to change the way he goes about swinging a golf club with his left leg. …All the usual questions and the longer he stays out the more angst he’s going to get.”
McCord didn’t have a prediction as to who will win the 3M tournament that runs through Sunday. How about him? “I would be very surprised,” he answered. “Very, very surprised. I haven’t played in four months.”
McCord said he’s heard from other players that the tournament galleries at the 3M Championship are “fantastic.”