Alright, folks. Let’s talk about golf on TV. You know, that thing your dad throws on during Sunday afternoons to “watch,” but really he’s passed out on the couch halfway through the front nine. The question we’re tackling today: Is golf television officially six feet under? Spoiler alert—signs are pointing to yes. But let’s dive into the numbers and some spicy takes.
The PGA Tour: Meh Numbers City
The PGA Tour still pulls a decent crowd, sure, but let’s not kid ourselves—it’s nothing to write home about. The average PGA Tour event draws in around 2 to 3 million viewers per final round. For perspective, that’s solid for a niche sport but absolutely embarrassing compared to football, basketball, or even pickleball if you threw it on a random Thursday night. For non-majors? Good luck. Numbers nosedive into the basement, hanging out somewhere between 1.5 and 2 million viewers.
Even the crown jewels—the Majors—aren’t immune to the trend. The Masters? Yeah, it still bangs with numbers in the 8-10 million range, but even those have flattened out in recent years. Let’s not talk about some of these lesser-known events with “The [Random Sponsor] Open” slapped on them. Those things are lucky to hit 800K. That’s, like, a really bad Joe Rogan podcast.
Trends: Are We Watching the Decline?
If golf’s TV ratings were a stock, you’d be shorting it faster than Bryson DeChambeau’s swing speed. Ratings for regular events have been sliding downhill faster than Tiger’s back in the mid-2010s. Younger viewers aren’t tuning in; they’re hitting TikTok or streaming whatever trash reality show is trending. The big problem? Golf coverage still operates like it’s 1995. Long commercial breaks, cookie-cutter commentary, and 18 holes that move slower than a DMV line.
Plus, the LIV Tour tried to shake things up (more on that circus later), but they only managed to fragment the audience. Instead of growing the game, it feels like they just threw some gasoline on a dumpster fire. Thanks, Greg Norman.
Enter Bryson: The Content Machine
Now let’s talk about the man, the myth, the science experiment: Bryson DeChambeau. Love him or hate him, you can’t deny the guy knows how to pull a crowd online. Forget TV—this dude’s putting up insane numbers on social media.
Take his “hole-in-one series” on YouTube and Instagram, where he’s ripping bombs on a simulator trying to ace a par 4. Every single one of those videos pulls millions of views, with some hitting 10 million+ like it’s nothing. That’s right, this dude screwing around in his garage with a driver and a TrackMan is outdrawing half the PGA Tour’s events. Let that sink in.
Oh, and his other antics? Same story. Whether it’s him bench-pressing a small horse, trolling Brooks Koepka, or dropping conspiracy theories about physics mid-round, he’s mastered the art of being must-see content. The PGA Tour needs 4 hours of TV time and 17 commercial breaks to tell a story. Bryson? He does it in a 90-second reel.
The Future: Streaming or Screaming into the Void?
The big question: Where does golf go from here? The sport needs to evolve, plain and simple. Short-form content like Bryson’s is the future—bite-sized entertainment that doesn’t make you feel like you’re watching paint dry. The PGA Tour should be taking notes. Maybe ditch the endless Jim Nantz monologues and focus on giving us highlights, behind-the-scenes drama, and yes, even some DeChambeau-level chaos.
If they don’t? Golf on TV is heading straight for the graveyard, and Bryson will be cashing in all the way to the bank as the sport’s most-watched influencer. Call it tragic, call it inevitable, but the numbers don’t lie.
So, is golf television dead? It’s not completely buried yet, but it’s gasping for air like a Sunday hacker on the 18th hole. And unless the PGA Tour can figure out how to stop bleeding viewers and embrace the Bryson-esque chaos, it’s only a matter of time. ⛳
