I know the headline sounds a bit funny but the truth is every golf Major can impact golf around the world. It doesn't matter what course that Major is played on either. Especially when, in my opinion, all the major golf tournaments are starting to look alike, with the exception of the Masters Tournament.
Just about every major dating back to 2017 has been a links-style golf course that looks like it could be the same as the year before. Or the other is that the same courses are used by both the USGA and the PGA so they literally may be the same course a major was recently played on. The Open Championship is the only tournament that uses a rotation of the same golf courses on purpose. The U.S. Open and PGA Championship should or could do better. This is not knocking the golf courses picked but there should be more distinction between each event. Small rant over.
This year's U.S. Open Tournament can have more of an impact on local golf due to the tournament being played at a public golf course. Something the USGA should do every year since it prides itself on anyone can try and qualify and a vast majority of golfers play public golf. It is not the fact the tournament is being played at Torey Pines, it could be any public golf course. It is the simple fact that it showcases the best in the world on a golf course any one of us can play. That alone draws golfers wanting to play more golf.
With that said the U.S. Open carries with it a whole different feeling. It is our National Golf Championship for one. The other is as I mentioned earlier any golfer, professional or amateur, within a certain handicap can try and qualify. The only other major golfers can do that for is The Open Championship. The Masters is invitation-only and the PGA Championship only allows PGA of America members a chance to qualify.
While those two reasons above will get more televised attention from golfers and will increase their interest in getting out to play more it is really not enough to have a noticeable impact. There are two other factors that make a huge impact
One depends on the excitement of the tournament. Excitement covers a few key things. For example; is a favorite golfer playing well like Phil Mickelson did to win the PGA Championship. When the U.S. Open is exciting to watch it is like watching your favorite football team in the playoffs. Well, maybe an exciting golf major is more fun to watch. Excitement could also mean that a majority of the field is playing well and in contention. When it looks like anyone has a chance to win it's more enjoyable to watch. That excitement leads to golfers and even non-golfers that watch the tournament wanting to get out and play and bring that excitement with them.
Of course, it can have the opposite effect. Which is the other major factor. If the tournament is boring to watch or the USGA tricks up the golf course making it stupidly unfair, then golfers start to lose interest in not just the tournament but in playing golf for a while. When the U.S. Open gets too difficult due to the USGA set up and you can see the frustration of the golfers it is no fun to watch. The same can be said if it is just like any other PGA Tour Event with the guys just going through the motions. One of the things Tiger Woods did that attracted so many people to golf was his fist-pumping and energy on the golf course. Golf was not looked at as a sport you can get pumped up or celebrate until then. If nothing like that goes on and there are no great shots being hit TV ratings drop some. If tv ratings drop you can be sure fewer golfers will be playing the following week. Especially beginers.
Even us die-hard golfers may be affected by what goes on at the U.S. Open. I know there have been a few times for me where the tournament was so boring it just killed the joy of golf for a week. Of course, most of us will continue to play no matter what happens at any professional tournament but to some new golfers or those that never played before that watch this week, it could mean the difference between continuing to play or never picking up the game at all.
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