Golf / Golf Digest (and Paige Spiranac)

[LeftDaddy]

OK, so I just have to say that when Golf Digest started trying to cater its magazine to the millennial / Topgolf crowd I got really annoyed and mostly stopped reading it. I see nothing wrong with a golf magazine that is about golf, and I see little right with a golfing magazine that is about pop culture and fashion and golf. I can see sprinkling some golf apparel in there, etc., but the direction of Golf Digest bothered me. And I was proud of Golf magazine for staying with the content being mostly about golf.

 

Well, fast forward a year or so and now Golf Digest seems to have moved back to being more about golf, and a new Golf magazine shows up in my mailbox with, of all things, a Paige Spiranac column.

 

Let me first say that I am glad to see as many pictures of Paige Spiranac as someone wants to show me. And she did an admirable job in the first column trying to justify why she has a column. And maybe they are just catering to their readership (but if that is the case, let's just include a female photo gallery...but I digress). But come on, it is a big stretch to say that Paige Spiranac has much to say about golf that a typical middle-aged man would find interesting (assuming this is Golf mag's primary readership). She's going to write about some golf tips, and do some fashion makeovers (that should be a hoot), and she has a platform with cyber-bullying etc which is admirable. But there are plenty of places for that...not my Golf magazine!!!

 

Maybe I'm getting too old, and maybe the Topgolf / Instagram crowd is the wave of the future...thoughts everyone?

 

(and just a final caveat...I am not opposed to an attractive woman having a viewpoint and a column, etc., and I am glad to give her a chance, and I can see her for more than just a pretty face...but she's neither a pro golfer, nor a teacher, nor a fashion designer...)

[ThinkingPlus]

IBTL

[Soloman1]

Paige probably knows more about the golf swing than the average PGA member trying to tell 45 year-old, pot-belly Bob that he needs to copy Dustin Johnson’s lead wrist or Tiger “Linebacker” Woods’ ground reaction forces to optimize his launch angle to hit it more than 220 yards total.

 

:)

 

I advise watching and listening (more watching) before passing judgement. Can’t be worse.

[LeftDaddy]

Let me just clarify that I don’t begrudge Paige for her success, nor her spot in the mag, nor the PXG deal, etc. Good for her! And by all accounts, she’s a good person doing good things.

 

And she may know a ton about the golf swing, although I’ll wait to hear her thoughts before I pass judgment on that.

 

But I can think of many potentially more deserving females for a golf column, and I put that on Golf mag.

 

Heck, forget females for a moment, I’d love a column by George Gankas (who checks some of the millennial/instagram boxes, and who is a legit golf swing savant).

 

Anyway, Paige Spiranac has earned her place in the “golf industry “, but I’m not sure a column in Golf mag is that spot...

[ChronicSlicer]

 

 

But I can think of many potentially more deserving females for a golf column, and I put that on Golf mag.

 

 

 

Yeah me too, how about start with a current/former LPGA Tour golfer who has had some success actually playing golf.

[rightslice]

Paige addressed that issues in her first column--such a drag playing competitive golf etc. Yeah right. I know after everyone's first drive who's gonna kick my a## that day. She tried and could not make it, those gals are good. Easy to make it on soca media etc until it's not .

 

She claims she knows tons about golf and the swing, We'll see

[Hawkeye77]

OK, so I just have to say that when Golf Digest started trying to cater its magazine to the millennial / Topgolf crowd I got really annoyed and mostly stopped reading it. I see nothing wrong with a golf magazine that is about golf, and I see little right with a golfing magazine that is about pop culture and fashion and golf. I can see sprinkling some golf apparel in there, etc., but the direction of Golf Digest bothered me. And I was proud of Golf magazine for staying with the content being mostly about golf.

 

Well, fast forward a year or so and now Golf Digest seems to have moved back to being more about golf, and a new Golf magazine shows up in my mailbox with, of all things, a Paige Spiranac column.

 

Let me first say that I am glad to see as many pictures of Paige Spiranac as someone wants to show me. And she did an admirable job in the first column trying to justify why she has a column. And maybe they are just catering to their readership (but if that is the case, let's just include a female photo gallery...but I digress). But come on, it is a big stretch to say that Paige Spiranac has much to say about golf that a typical middle-aged man would find interesting (assuming this is Golf mag's primary readership). She's going to write about some golf tips, and do some fashion makeovers (that should be a hoot), and she has a platform with cyber-bullying etc which is admirable. But there are plenty of places for that...not my Golf magazine!!!

 

Maybe I'm getting too old, and maybe the Topgolf / Instagram crowd is the wave of the future...thoughts everyone?

 

(and just a final caveat...I am not opposed to an attractive woman having a viewpoint and a column, etc., and I am glad to give her a chance, and I can see her for more than just a pretty face...but she's neither a pro golfer, nor a teacher, nor a fashion designer...)

 

So really nothing about golf instruction?

[Ghost of Snead]

Instruction & Academy -> General Golf

[Swisstrader98]

It’s Sun morning at 6AM. Why am I reading this?

[gatorpedsMD]

Paige is my dream woman. If she wants to write let her write. Soooooo beautiful and a nice swing.

[LeftDaddy]

It's Sun morning at 6AM. Why am I reading this?

 

I don't know, champ, sounds like a good question to keep to yourself.

[davep043]

I don't read much of any of the golf magazines, so I haven't seen her column. But in my opinion, most media organizations are looking for the "next customer". The already have a core of long-term subscribers, and most long term readers are going to continue to read the magazine as long as it has most of what they like to read. So the question becomes how to attract new readers, the "next" customers. One way is to take an attractive woman, known by people way outside of the normal golf hard-core circles, and give her a column. Maybe it brings in a few readers who otherwise would never have picked up the magazine. Its only a couple of pages of content, it shouldn't turn away many long-term readers. Actually, it seems like a reasonably good business choice to me.

[Superbrit]

People still read golf magazines?? (unless they are at the doctors or dentist)

[davep043]

People still read golf magazines?? (unless they are at the doctors or dentist)

The only one I read is the Golfer's Journal. Much less advertising, better writing, no instruction, better photography.

[mocokid]

I don't read much of any of the golf magazines, so I haven't seen her column. But in my opinion, most media organizations are looking for the "next customer". The already have a core of long-term subscribers, and most long term readers are going to continue to read the magazine as long as it has most of what they like to read. So the question becomes how to attract new readers, the "next" customers. One way is to take an attractive woman, known by people way outside of the normal golf hard-core circles, and give her a column. Maybe it brings in a few readers who otherwise would never have picked up the magazine. Its only a couple of pages of content, it shouldn't turn away many long-term readers. Actually, it seems like a reasonably good business choice to me.

 

Not sure about that, LT readers are dying out and they don't want the Paige type stuff. Young readers are not readers of magazines. Within 5 years both G and GD will be on line only, probably only one, the other will be defunct.

[mcs4]

It's a simple but sad state of affairs in the print media world: Revenues are way down because people are far less willing to pay for media anymore, so publishers are forced to cut staff (decreasing quality of content) and typically also compound this by seeking to attract new readers by moving to more mainstream content (further decreasing quality and alienating existing readers).

 

It is fair to criticize the content changes, but it is also hard to blame the publishers when they are the ones staring at the numbers that say it is the only way to survive (or to stay afloat longer, at least).

 

Very high on the list of reasons why I left the journalism world in the early days of free internet news/media.