Valuing A Sense Of Place: R.I.P. World Challenge At Sherwood
After 14 years at Sherwood Country Club, Tiger Woods' World Challenge event heads east in 2014 for a likely one-year stop at Isleworth. The event is then expected to go elsewhere after that--likely the Bahamas--a factoid an exhausted Woods accidentally noted in his post round press conference Sunday.
;)
On a positive note, the grotesque Tavistock Cup will be retired as a result of this move, while Tiger and his mostly Florida-based friends get a shorter trip to the warm weather golf courses that are never as interesting on television as cool season grass layouts.
Northwestern Mutual, a presenting sponsor in 2012 and title sponsor this year, evidently signaled they are not interested in returning as a sponsor. This was evidenced by the number of thank you's Tiger issued to this year's sponsor: zero. Zilch. Nada.
At his Wednesday press conference, Woods never thanked the sponsor even with Northwestern Mutual execs standing in the room. And this, after Woods put up $4 million of his own money last year because no title sponsor stepped up until Northwestern Mutual took the lesser presenting sponsor role at the last moment.
Even 2013 champion Zach Johnson managed an immediate thank-you to the sponsor in his press conference, giving them a tip of the cap before thanking anyone else, including the foundation, the tournament director or the big man upstairs.
While it's a small point, the lack of public gratitude toward the sponsor by Woods speaks to a point-missing which is awkward at best, potentially fatal at worst, threatening to doom this event upon its move east. Besides showing up the sponsor for not coming back next year, a little praise for the big check writers says to potential suitors for the 2014 title sponsorship: we love our sponsors.
;)
But to a larger point about the end at Sherwood: most golf tournaments and their sponsors are fighting for attention on the over-saturated schedule long for a sense of permanence and continuity--"value creation" in modern day jargon. As Sunday's record crowd of 24,922 displayed, this event has not grown stale. It never hurts that the "place" was the lavish Sherwood, a treat to visit even if it's not a particularly spectator-friendly course. The meticulously-presented grounds and exclusive ambiance provide just two reasons players enjoyed coming here. Pile on stellar player hospitality, easy World Ranking points, a Four Seasons across the freeway offering a healthy player discount, proximity to manufacturers in Carlsbad and potential LA-based corporate clients based and it's no surprise that the event attracts an incredible field.
From an operations standpoint, Sherwood has never been in better condition, there is a wait list to volunteer and the staff has the event on cruise control without it feeling tired.
Yet for reasons only they can grasp, Team Woods felt the time was right (or required) to move the event east. Woods's foundation has reaped over $25 million from the event. They've made an enormous impact on the lives of children in the area, many of whom were in attendance again and enjoying once-in-a-lifetime experiences. But the risk of undermining the "value" they've accrued in southern California apparently is worth an untold greater reward, or perhaps just a better chance of landing enough financial support with Tavistock and an eventual title sponsor.
Should the event not find a title sponsor or fail to find its footing in warmer environs, the successful run at Sherwood will be forever cited as an example where too little value was ascribed to a sense of place and continuity. Especially when the place in question is the tournament founders' home. And especially where, even after this short-sighted move, he will always have a welcome place to play with his friends should he ever decide to come back.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013 at 12:33 AM
Reader Comments (58)
Tiger's motto
Just another small thing, but shows the difference in gratitude.
jb
How is that hate? Geoff points out the good this event has done, the enormous amount of money it raised, TW putting up his own money to keep it alive, and you have a paradigm that is , I dunno, 10 degrees wide.
Wow, Stanley. Have a great Holiday Season, and I hope you are not as judgmental with your friends and family.
What I meant is that whatever Tiger does, some folks take a very mean and negative position toward him.
I did not include Geoff in that group.I was referring to the comments on Geoff's site. Certaimly not Geoff whom I have always seen as very fair.
Tiger could donate $10 million to some charity and some of the comments would find fault.
It has become relatively clear that most of the time (with a few exceptions) Tiger is uninterested in doing the little extra things for sponsors. That is of course his prerogative, and obviously he doesn't need the money, but it also makes things more difficult for his foundation and Steiny (I would imagine).
Again, Happy Holidays.
I was part of the team that brought the Shark Shootout to Sherwood. I remember Ron Rhodes driving us around the course as it was being built.
The Shark Shootout and Tiger's event are definitely part of the silly season but Sherwood served as a great host. The volunteer corps was first rate and as odd as the club could be, it all worked very well.
There are so many stories that have come from there - Murdock, Norman, Tiger, moving live oaks etc.
It's too bad they have to leave.
I got one of those tours from the late, great Ron as well. Remember the course started at the 4th hole in the early days, and they used an amazing old home that was built as a clubhouse for a course never built in the 20s. It was a great old building, now replaced by some McMurdochMansions.
I don't care for some of Nicklaus's greens but you simply can't argue with Sherwood's ability to produce great finishes and fun for fans.
metro,
Tiger "wins" by at least pretending he cares about a sponsor. He loses by acting the way he does and point-missing too often. He's too smart to not get it.
His foundation wins by having the event. The man may be the biggest prick of all time, but he gives back. He's easy fodder I guess, but just once, I would like to hear some positives. There must be some - no?
You are wrong.
What I said!!!
Oh, and I heard he snubbed Golf Channel for interviews at least one day (Chamblee affect). The post-wreck Goodwill Tour is officially over.
I first met Tiger on the Saturday before the Open. He had gone out unannounced to play a few holes having arrived that day from the U.S. I and a few hundred others had chased out after him. I caught him coming off the 6th when he was talking to Peter Dawson who introduced me “Tiger this is Andy Cross, he is the Captain of Royal Liverpool.”” I still can’t quite believe what he said but with his wonderful powerful smile, (never underestimate Tiger’s smile) he said to me “It’s a great honour and privilege to meet you, sir” (and I am immediately thinking what a truly discerning fellow this is!). I tell him how great it is to see him, how thrilled we all are that he is here and we talk on about de Vicenzo who he knows all about and about Peter Thomson who I tell him is here this week. “Boy, five Championships, three in a row… some playing!”
I am now at the point where I have monopolised Tiger in conversation for probably two minutes which, given the fact that he needs to move on and play a few more holes, given the fact that there are people swarming it was really a very long time indeed. But I am in a big dilemma because my dear wife Brenda who was with me has hung back some 15 yards or so whilst I talk to Tiger and rule number one when chatting to world icons (I always find !) is introduce them to your wife! So I take the plunge and say “Tiger, can you do me a favour, can you just come and say hello to my wife and my friend?” and he says “Sure, you got it” and off we set walking 15 yards through the crowd, he shakes Brenda by the hand ”It’s a pleasure Maam” and I thought this Tiger Woods is truly a man of the people!
After the presentation and after his last press conference Tiger attended a reception in the Behrend Library with the RLGC and R&A committees. We hear a roar as he comes up the stairs and he enters with his beautiful wife Erin (sic). He salutes us all by knocking back a glass of champagne in one and his first words are to Martin Kippax of the R&A : “Well Martin how high is it (the rough) going to be at Carnoustie next year? - Is it going to be that high (gesturing hip height) or that high (gesturing chest height)!!” You will remember Tiger failed to qualify at Carnoustie in 1999. He is thinking of three in a row already.
He talked for ten or fifteen minutes, signs our prints and then it was time for photographs: Tiger with the RLGC contingent and Tiger with the R&A contingent. We are just about finished and Tiger says “Hey there’s just one more photo we gotta take” and he collects together a number of our wonderful staff who had been serving us, Sandro and family members. Tiger puts his arms around them all and a photograph is taken. A picture they will treasure. This for me was a real measure of his warmth and his class.
Thank you for this post.
Hawk, it's an advertising expense combined with a giagantic dose of corporate hospitality -- and almost always driven at the CEO level. I suspect most PGA Tour sponsors would have a hard time isolating "profits" related to their sponsorship of a specific PGA Tour event. Most PGA Tour sponsors truly have a monstrous aggregate advertising budget within which $8 or $10 million to sponsor a golf tourney really is a drop in the bucket.
"Making a donation to your own Foundation is not real charity - tax deduction, tax-free gains on Foundation investments, travel and lodging on the Foundation's dime, etc. Am I right?"
Joe Duffer, how about you walk us through a simple mathematical example of what you purport? Maybe drill down in detail on how "tax-free gains on Foundation investments" works?
Please tell us what then went thru your mind when sharing that link and story? Were you there? Can you personally attest to Tigers gravitas?
I hate no one.