Golf is often labelled as an elitist sport. One played by overly austere elderly gentlemen, with little or no sense of humor. However one tournament, and one hole in particular, is doing all they can to change that perception.
The Waste Management Phoenix Open in Scottsdale Arizona has been a regular event on the PGA Tour for 81 years. They’ve pioneered the way tournaments view recycling, by making these bins available all over the course.
They’re also leading the way in the spectators experience category.
The 16th hole, a tricky par 3, is surrounded by massive grandstands, providing a stadium atmosphere for the golfers.
It’s loud and a little raucous, and flys in the face of what the aforementioned golfers would view as acceptable. As an added bonus, the spectators are able to place bets on the caddies. Pick the caddie to reach the green first, and you can win tickets to next years event. Brilliant!
Those caddies that simply stroll up to the green are heckled and sometimes even booed by patrons that have picked the wrong horse.
The tournament is wildly popular, last year setting a single day attendance record of 173 210 people though the gates. Sure, more than 25 000 of them are crammed into the stands surrounding the 16th, but it does provide food for thought.
Tournaments will continuously have to reinvent themselves in an attempt to get fans to part with their time and money. Many could take a leaf out of the book of the Waste Management Phoenix Open and not take themselves too seriously, at least for one hole anyway…
Richard Maspero 
February 2, 2013 at 02:44
Reblogged this on Andy on WordPress and commented:
Great tournament so far, there’s a different feel to the WM Phoenix Open, this is a good example why.