|
 |
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE | |
Winning them back Senior Tour to go fan-friendly to draw back crowds
CONCORD, Mass. (AP) -- Fans attending Senior PGA Tour events next year won't just have to watch out for errant tee shots. They'll also have to keep their eyes open for flying T-shirts as events try to become more fan-friendly. Although the tour rejected a proposal to lower its age limit from 50, it will give tournament organizers more authority to spice up their events to draw in crowds. The move is designed to position the senior circuit as a more fun alternative to the competition on the regular tour. "The overall strategy is to get back to the fun and the accessibility of the players," said Tracy West, the tournament director of the FleetBoston Classic and a member of the senior tour's board. "We're not going to have the ratings, and we're never going to have the spectators that the regular tour with Tiger will. This is to differentiate the senior tour from the regular tour." The senior tour started 22 years ago as a way for aging players to supplement their incomes after turning 50 while giving fans a chance to see crowd-pleasing old-timers like Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino compete. But as the galleries and prize money grew, and as the senior tour's pioneers aged, it became increasingly like an older version of the regular tour. Television ratings last year on CNBC were half what they were a year before on ESPN. "The competition has gotten stiffer, but unfortunately sometimes the result is the seriousness has also increased," West said. "The players recognize that now." Now, West said, said the tour is returning to its roots: Accessibility. Tournaments will organize clinics and forums, where fans can compare grips with the players. Spectators can win contests to be caddie for a day -- a practice day. More players and caddies will be miked for television. And the gallery will be allowed inside the ropes for the final holes after the last group on Sunday. Also being considered are giveaways like bobble head dolls in the players' likeness -- treats increasingly found at baseball games -- and that recent staple of NBA timeouts, the T-shirt slingshot. The tour also is considering a new eligibility category, which could result in expanding the field from 78. West would not say what category would be added, but it is expected to be an exemption for past PGA Tour winners. Current eligibility is limited to money leaders, qualifiers and sponsor exemptions.
|
