April 27, 2020 • 7 mins
In episode seven of the Shack Show, Geoff Shackelford delivers a quick take about the possibility of the Ryder Cup being played without fans.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Shack Show is a production of I Heart Radio.
The prospect of a Ryder Cup without fans seems preposterous
given how the event has exploded in stature and gravitas
(00:22):
on the back of those huge, loud and passionate crowds.
We love the reactions of players, either in celebrating for
their home soil fans or when defiantly pushing back on
enemy territory. The Ryder Cups in motion, which draws out
incredible play and displays of raw passion from normally stoic golfers,
makes it golf's biggest non major shoot. The thrills found
(00:45):
in team match play might even be making fans less
interested in non team events, where the drama is sporadic
at best and the match play tension is lacking, which
is why I initially bought into players and captains reacting
to a possible fan free Eider Cup. After the COVID
pandemic has put September's playing in doubt with or without fans,
(01:06):
The PGA of America CEO Seth Wah floated the notion
of a virtual fan experience in September when the USA
and European teams could theoretically if a lot of things
happen play the matches. But given the match location this
year outside of Milwaukee at Whistling Straits, it's even harder
to imagine depriving fans their chance to be man knowing
(01:31):
how much passion and noise they will deliver for the
Bobby Jones of Wisconsin Golf. Steve Stricker put me down
in the group that says postponing year is a sensible move.
President's Cup at Quail Hollow can move or just go
away for a few years. The Ryder Cup is the
one that matters. But then I started pondering what the
(01:52):
world's mood and maybe like in September. Travel restrictions are
likely to be substantial, the threat of a second virus
wave still looming, and logic says postponent would be best.
But for the purposes of thinking more optimistically and hoping
there will be progress in the war on COVID nineteen
and knowing how much we miss the distraction of sport,
(02:13):
work with me here a bit or, as former captain
Paul McGinley pleaded in a Sky Sports column published on Sunday, April,
keep an open mind. Let's say things improve enough that players, officials,
television crews and all the other important people to putting
on the Ryder Cup are comfortable traveling to Wisconsin and playing,
(02:35):
but without a massive gallery. And imagine if enough parties
agree that a Ryder Cup can move forward by bringing
two parts of the world together in an exhibition celebrating golf,
that this could be a good thing. Maybe then playing
the Ryder Cup without fans might be an essential idea
(02:57):
in these strange and terrible times. Because what the players
and captains who have lamented the idea of a Ryder
Cup without fans and who said a Ryder Cup without
fans is not a Ryder Cup. What they're forgetting and
noting the essential role of Ryder Cup fans is that
these matches succeeded and grew without fans being considered of
(03:19):
great importance. The Ryder Cup grew and grew because of
the golf that was played. It wasn't on TV that
often either. Remember that. But more than that, players seem
to be forgetting that things haven't been so pleasant in
recent playings. Alcohol has served too early and too long
over the course of the day, the events are generally oversold,
(03:42):
and the fans getting more easily annoyed at Ryder Cups
because there's so little golf to actually see. There's even
been an ominous edge to some of the heckling that
takes place, particularly when named at the visiting team's families
in the United States. Maybe reset the matches with a
focus on playing for the sake of putting on an
(04:03):
exhibition of sportsmanship by trimming back the excess of the
modern day Ryder Cup would be really, really wise. Granted
that excess has been come from part of the match's charm.
These days, the four vice captains, the bad uniforms, the
USA and OLA chance two hours before anybody teas off.
(04:25):
Then there's a bloated padgetry of the opening ceremonies we
can all do without this year. They're the on course
man spends the team rooms designed by sports psychologist, team
buses running late to a gall of dinner at the
Palace of Versailles because one wag was still having her
makeup artists fine tune the finishing touches. Oh and don't
(04:46):
forget the occasional drunken fight at post match parties. You know,
those things that will seem woefully out of place in
on the darker side. Maybe this is the year Sergio
Garcia's wife does not have to be told to go
back to Spain by a drunken loser. She's from Texas,
by the way. And maybe, given the pain and suffering
(05:07):
that has taken place in our world, perhaps this is
a year to sideline the menacing verbal volleys directed at
the visiting squad. Given the state of the world, downscaling
matches out of respect would be a great thing. The
tone could be inspired by the early days when players
donned their own sports coats, didn't care what the uniforms
(05:27):
look like, did their own encorese strategizing, and probably did
not chess bump their four ball partner after a winning
put on Friday afternoon. Most of all that started happening
really with the advent of television. A little reset might
be a good thing for the Ryder Cup matches and
for golf, but mostly to show the world a more
(05:49):
restraint competition befitting the global mood. Consider what Jack Nicholas
wrote and Martin Davis's book The Ryder Cup quote as
a player and captain, and I'd like to think I
have maintained a consistent position regarding the competitive spirit of
the Ryder Cup. While firmly founded on competition, we can
(06:09):
never forget that these matches should always be conducted with
utmost sportsmanship and for the singular purpose of international goodwill
and growing the game. I love end quote. Remember, the
Ryder Cup has been many things since it's muddeled beginnings
when Samuel Ryder made it an official match with a
(06:31):
gold trophy now synonymous with the event. The matches nearly
ended during the war years before a largely forgotten businessman
named Robert Hudson saved it on the condition that he
paid to have the British team take the Queen Mary
across the Atlantic, followed by a four day train trip
to Oregon, where it never stopped reigning. At the time, understandably,
(06:53):
the Brits were not so wild about the effort necessary
to get to Portland to save these matches, But the
time has proven Huts was right to save the Ryder Cup.
But as Mr Nicholas said, the spirit of the Ryder
Cup was firmly founded on competition, with the utmost sportsmanship
and for international goodwill. He never mentioned the role of fans.
(07:16):
This September, the times will demand a display of sportsmanship
and goodwill for our collective psyche. Even if it's without
the pomp and circumstance we've come to know, there will
be future Ryder Cup opportunities where all the zany Nois
can return in all of its absurd glory. The Shack
Show is a production of my Heart Radio. For more
(07:38):
podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app,
Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
I'll be back soon. Thank you so much for listening
to The Shack Show.
The Shack Show is a production of I Heart Radio.
The prospect of a Ryder Cup without fans seems preposterous
given how the event has exploded in stature and gravitas
(00:22):
on the back of those huge, loud and passionate crowds.
We love the reactions of players, either in celebrating for
their home soil fans or when defiantly pushing back on
enemy territory. The Ryder Cups in motion, which draws out
incredible play and displays of raw passion from normally stoic golfers,
makes it golf's biggest non major shoot. The thrills found
(00:45):
in team match play might even be making fans less
interested in non team events, where the drama is sporadic
at best and the match play tension is lacking, which
is why I initially bought into players and captains reacting
to a possible fan free Eider Cup. After the COVID
pandemic has put September's playing in doubt with or without fans,
(01:06):
The PGA of America CEO Seth Wah floated the notion
of a virtual fan experience in September when the USA
and European teams could theoretically if a lot of things
happen play the matches. But given the match location this
year outside of Milwaukee at Whistling Straits, it's even harder
to imagine depriving fans their chance to be man knowing
(01:31):
how much passion and noise they will deliver for the
Bobby Jones of Wisconsin Golf. Steve Stricker put me down
in the group that says postponing year is a sensible move.
President's Cup at Quail Hollow can move or just go
away for a few years. The Ryder Cup is the
one that matters. But then I started pondering what the
(01:52):
world's mood and maybe like in September. Travel restrictions are
likely to be substantial, the threat of a second virus
wave still looming, and logic says postponent would be best.
But for the purposes of thinking more optimistically and hoping
there will be progress in the war on COVID nineteen
and knowing how much we miss the distraction of sport,
(02:13):
work with me here a bit or, as former captain
Paul McGinley pleaded in a Sky Sports column published on Sunday, April,
keep an open mind. Let's say things improve enough that players, officials,
television crews and all the other important people to putting
on the Ryder Cup are comfortable traveling to Wisconsin and playing,
(02:35):
but without a massive gallery. And imagine if enough parties
agree that a Ryder Cup can move forward by bringing
two parts of the world together in an exhibition celebrating golf,
that this could be a good thing. Maybe then playing
the Ryder Cup without fans might be an essential idea
(02:57):
in these strange and terrible times. Because what the players
and captains who have lamented the idea of a Ryder
Cup without fans and who said a Ryder Cup without
fans is not a Ryder Cup. What they're forgetting and
noting the essential role of Ryder Cup fans is that
these matches succeeded and grew without fans being considered of
(03:19):
great importance. The Ryder Cup grew and grew because of
the golf that was played. It wasn't on TV that
often either. Remember that. But more than that, players seem
to be forgetting that things haven't been so pleasant in
recent playings. Alcohol has served too early and too long
over the course of the day, the events are generally oversold,
(03:42):
and the fans getting more easily annoyed at Ryder Cups
because there's so little golf to actually see. There's even
been an ominous edge to some of the heckling that
takes place, particularly when named at the visiting team's families
in the United States. Maybe reset the matches with a
focus on playing for the sake of putting on an
(04:03):
exhibition of sportsmanship by trimming back the excess of the
modern day Ryder Cup would be really, really wise. Granted
that excess has been come from part of the match's charm.
These days, the four vice captains, the bad uniforms, the
USA and OLA chance two hours before anybody teas off.
(04:25):
Then there's a bloated padgetry of the opening ceremonies we
can all do without this year. They're the on course
man spends the team rooms designed by sports psychologist, team
buses running late to a gall of dinner at the
Palace of Versailles because one wag was still having her
makeup artists fine tune the finishing touches. Oh and don't
(04:46):
forget the occasional drunken fight at post match parties. You know,
those things that will seem woefully out of place in
on the darker side. Maybe this is the year Sergio
Garcia's wife does not have to be told to go
back to Spain by a drunken loser. She's from Texas,
by the way. And maybe, given the pain and suffering
(05:07):
that has taken place in our world, perhaps this is
a year to sideline the menacing verbal volleys directed at
the visiting squad. Given the state of the world, downscaling
matches out of respect would be a great thing. The
tone could be inspired by the early days when players
donned their own sports coats, didn't care what the uniforms
(05:27):
look like, did their own encorese strategizing, and probably did
not chess bump their four ball partner after a winning
put on Friday afternoon. Most of all that started happening
really with the advent of television. A little reset might
be a good thing for the Ryder Cup matches and
for golf, but mostly to show the world a more
(05:49):
restraint competition befitting the global mood. Consider what Jack Nicholas
wrote and Martin Davis's book The Ryder Cup quote as
a player and captain, and I'd like to think I
have maintained a consistent position regarding the competitive spirit of
the Ryder Cup. While firmly founded on competition, we can
(06:09):
never forget that these matches should always be conducted with
utmost sportsmanship and for the singular purpose of international goodwill
and growing the game. I love end quote. Remember, the
Ryder Cup has been many things since it's muddeled beginnings
when Samuel Ryder made it an official match with a
(06:31):
gold trophy now synonymous with the event. The matches nearly
ended during the war years before a largely forgotten businessman
named Robert Hudson saved it on the condition that he
paid to have the British team take the Queen Mary
across the Atlantic, followed by a four day train trip
to Oregon, where it never stopped reigning. At the time, understandably,
(06:53):
the Brits were not so wild about the effort necessary
to get to Portland to save these matches, But the
time has proven Huts was right to save the Ryder Cup.
But as Mr Nicholas said, the spirit of the Ryder
Cup was firmly founded on competition, with the utmost sportsmanship
and for international goodwill. He never mentioned the role of fans.
(07:16):
This September, the times will demand a display of sportsmanship
and goodwill for our collective psyche. Even if it's without
the pomp and circumstance we've come to know, there will
be future Ryder Cup opportunities where all the zany Nois
can return in all of its absurd glory. The Shack
Show is a production of my Heart Radio. For more
(07:38):
podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app,
Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
I'll be back soon. Thank you so much for listening
to The Shack Show.
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