Golf (in) Australia – it’s time to grow up and act like a mainstream sport

Finally, after decades of near misses Australia has itself a Masters champion, and a fine one at that. As a proud nation basks in the glory of yet another bucket-list sporting triumph, an industry gleefully accepts the overdue press and attention that has come its way. Column inches and mainstream news mentions are up, and even non-golfers are now familiar with Adam Scott, and aware of just how good he really is. Despite these very real and obvious green shoots, and contrary to popular logic, the challenges faced by our great game just got harder.

Nobody wants to be a killjoy here, but the truth is that golf has been mismanaged in Australia for many years now. As a result, the opportunities to capitalise on Scott’s triumph are somewhat limited. I’m not talking here about professional tournament fields or prizemoney, but the very reason that Australians were even interested in this event in the first place – because they could see it on television. That may not be the case next year.

At last count, approximately 30% of Australian households had a Pay-TV subscription service. In other words 70% didn’t. On Monday morning 100% of the Australian population were able to watch Adam Scott win the Masters at Augusta National. Next year it’s possible that only 30% will get that same chance, and certainly likely that only 30% will get to see our latest champion compete in the three remaining major tournaments of 2013. Had that been the case during Greg Norman’s reign atop the world rankings in the 1980s our industry might have been in an even more perilous state than it is today. Certainly we would have fewer world-class players.

Unlike other western developed countries, Australia has never been a particularly strong market for subscription television providers. The only major player here, Foxtel, has done well to grow its subscription base to over 2 million households, but additional growth is stymied by the government’s continued protection of major sporting events by law.

This is not an argument for the further expansion of the anti-siphoning list, but rather an argument that with the list in place golf’s governing bodies should have fought tooth and nail to preserve the status of our greatest championships. They didn’t and now these iconic events are no longer likely to be protected. We will lose them all next year without strong, targeted lobbying from the industry.

A few years ago the anti-siphoning list included all four major championships as well as the Australian Open, Australian Masters and the Australian PGA. As a point of comparison, all four tennis majors as well as Davis Cup ties involving Australia were also included. The anti-siphoning legislation exists, in its own words, to prevent “pay television broadcasters from buying the rights to events on the anti-siphoning list before free-to-air broadcasters have the opportunity to purchase the rights. The anti-siphoning list includes events the minister believes should be made available free to the general public.”

In 2005 the Nine network famously chose not to broadcast the Ashes series from England, in an effort to increase Foxtel subscriptions, in which it held a sizeable stake. Thanks to passionate lobbying from across the cricket industry, as well as the intervention of a government led by a cricket-obsessed prime minister, the series was protected from such exploitation and screened free-to-air on SBS.

Over the ensuing years, the Nine network has, on numerous occasions, held the rights to broadcast major golf championships but refused to screen them free-to-air. Last year we even had the indignity of them broadcasting a highlights package from the 2011 Open Championship at 2am in the morning, just as the 2012 event was reaching its dramatic conclusion. Unlike those passionate cricket folks who fought for free-to-air in 2005 and again in 2009, we heard barely a peep from anyone within the golf industry.

It’s no surprise, therefore, that the Communications Minister no longer believes golf’s four major championships should be made available free to the general public. His proposed reforms to the anti-siphoning list remove everything except the Australian Open, Australian Masters and the 2013 (US) Masters. He still believes that every test match involving Australia should be protected, as well as every match at the Australian Open Tennis tournament and the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals at Wimbledon and the US Open. Sadly, defending the integrity of the anti-siphoning list, as well as golf’s place alongside other big events, simply hasn’t been a priority for those at Golf Australia or the PGA. It needs to be now.

The events of this week aside, golf has become a niche sport in this country over the past ten years. Despite tremendous professional success across the globe, our best players are largely anonymous here and nightly news bulletins and newspapers typically run more surfing stories than those about golf. We can’t blame the media for this lack of interest. We can’t even blame the demise of Greg Norman or the explosion of high-money events overseas that have decimated our local professional schedule. No this is golf’s own fault, and for the game to recover we need to grow up and act like a mainstream sport.

While the Ten telecast made the argument to protect free-to-air sport on television more difficult to make, it’s one the entire industry must fight for nonetheless. I’m not suggesting this is an easy issue for the governing body to handle, but it has to be a priority. Adam Scott has thrown us a lifeline and we need to take it with both hands. The only way to fill timesheets and sell memberships is to inspire more kids into the game. The only way to inspire more kids into the game is to raise its profile and ensure Adam Scott, Jason Day and others including overseas stars like Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods can be seen more frequently in the big events. That means major tournament golf must remain on free-to-air, for as long as possible.

Thanks to Scott’s euphoric triumph at Augusta this week, we have reached a pivotal point in the history of golf in Australia. There are no more excuses left. It’s time, now, for both the PGA of Australia and Golf Australia to step up and govern, not just for tomorrow but for the long term good of our great game.

Darius Oliver

Do you agree that golf on free-to-air should be protected?
Send your comments and feedback to darius@planetgolf.com.au

Comments

I totally agree.

I grew up enduring late nights watching the Open Championship, developing an appreciation of links courses like those on the rota, and exulting in the years that Norman (and IBF) won. I am now a member at Barwon Heads, which I love for it being the closest I will regularly get to play that style of golf course. Needless to say, being able to watch golf on free-to-air made a significant contribution to my connection with the game.

While we could debate the issue forever, the real question is what can be done to get a meaningful response? Particularly as there will be no better time to argue the case than now, following Scott's win at the Masters.

Perhaps a campaign by Golf Australia, aided by influential industry people such as yourself, Mike Clayton, Peter Thomson etc. would elevate the importance of the issue.

With the majors other than the Masters currently not on the anti-siphoning list, I assume that any action would need to occur quickly. The availability of digital multi channels should make it easier for broadcasters to fit these events somewhere in their schedules, with the prospects of a commercial return improving assuming competition remains low and the rights therefore inexpensive.

Tony Hedley

 

Just read your article with great interest and agree to capture the people golf needs to remain on free to air. I am fortunate enough to have pay tv but one aspect that must be addressed by the major networks is HD broadcasting. I still find it astonishing that Foxtel has stunning HD ( and Augusta comes up just amazing on that medium) yet the major networks don't broadcast that way. The same goes for the AFL coverage. I cannot stand watching channel 7's coverage any more after the HD coverage on Foxtel.

Keep up the advocacy fight to promote the great game of golf!

Phil Tankey

 

Mate as long as these decisions are made by our politicians Murdoch is laughing all the way to the bank! He with the most money wins!

The punter gets ripped again!

Russell Ditton

 

Of course I'd love to see the majors protected on free-to-air. But I'm biased because I love the game and grew up with that as the norm.

Even a groundswell of public opinion will not carry the day against big business for our politicians at the moment.

Ian Smith

 

Just read your latest article about the protection of golf on free to air and the lack of action from the PGA and Golf Aus. Excellent article and spot on!

I despair at the lack of investment the two governing bodies put into our sport - it appears to be the the retailers and golf clubs that have to pick up this mantle instead of the so-called rulers of golf in this country. Not sure whether it's lack of funds, lack of knowledgable people or just lack of interest that drives (!) this inaction, but something's got to be done before more retailers and clubs go out of business and it really does become a niche (read rich man's) sport.

Keep up the good work.

Russell Saunders

 

Golf in Australia - Couldn't agree more about the free to air coverage of the majors and the elementary requirement of affording kids the opportunity to see their idols.
Over the years I've taken a look at many of the mission briefs of major sporting administrations and invariably we see that their charter includes "taking our game to the widest possible spectator audiences". What a joke when they all sell out to pay TV. Or do they?

Golf has a shining star in this respect and it sits on the 1st tee of the Old Course. For the last 15 years or so, the R&A has rejected the offers of pay TV for exclusive rights to the Open Championship. It last renewed its contract with the BBC for free to air coverage in GB at the Open Championship in St. Andrews in 2010 for a further 5 years. My understanding is that it takes its charter seriously in seeing as far as practicable that the championship goes to the widest possible audience.

In Australia, my other concerns are the poor representation and support that GA has for our core product of our industry...the golf clubs. Nearly everywhere I go and every GM I talk to has serious concerns and complaints about GA. It's very apparent that if there's no money in it for GA they are not interested and they more often only are seen in force when Tiger steps off a plane in Australia.

Bernie Barrett

Back to News

More News