LPGA Legends

It was great to spend part of the day with four LPGA Legends today in Nancy Lopez, Rosie Jones, Pat Bradley and Nancy Scranton as they were in town for media day for the JCI Foundation and to preview a big golf tournament that will take place in Roswell this summer.

The standouts of women's golf and women's business will unite for a unique six-day event in Georgia this summer, June 24-29, 2015.  The JCI Foundation will introduce key partners, announce the final schedule for the Judson Women's Leadership Conference and announce the final field for the Legends Tour players in the Pro-Am and the players in the collegiate tournament.

This is all to honor the Judson legacy.

In 2010, Jim and Beth Judson lost their lives in a private plane crash while returning from a college golf event in which their daughter, Lauren, was participating. Their legacy lives on in the JCI Foundation and its mission to provide programming for young women. Beth Judson was a founding member of the Women’s Leadership Center at Alfred University, her alma mater, and participated in the founding of Southern Catholic College.  She earned her doctoral degree in Ceramic Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology where she also served as the general manager for Verco Materials LLC, a Georgia Tech VentureLab. Beth was a board member of the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology(ABET) which traveled around the country to other universities reviewing engineering programs. She worked for 10 years with other ceramic engineering firms including Alcoa.

More information can be found at: www.judsongolf.com.

Should be a great event and thanks to the legends for giving back.

Where in the World, and I Mean World, is the LPGA Tour?

I think the broadcaster Harry Doyle said it best in the movie Major League when he announced, "In case you haven't noticed, and judging by the attendance you haven't."  This could be said of this year's LPGA Tour. 

A tour of young and talented female golfers might largely be ignored this year and there is plenty of blame to go around.

With only 13 events on American soil this year and one of the not even offering prize money, LPGA players like Paula Creamer, Michelle Wie, Brittany Lincicome and Morgan Pressel better get their passports and visas ready because they are going to racking up some serious frequent flyer miles if they want to play as many tournaments as possible in 2011.

What once was a tour of 30+ events criss-crossing America now takes the players to such places as Singapore, Rio de Janeiro, Guangzhou China and Kuala Lumpur.  In fact, while the men's tour tees off in Hawaii each January, the LPGA tees off this week in Chonburi, Thailand with a 12-hour time difference for fans here in the States.

What has happened to the LPGA?  Tour organizers on the record say they dont want to look back, only ahead.  Ok, so let's try and look ahead and see what can be done to "fix" the LPGA Tour and allow golf fans and sports fans in general to see how ell these ladies can play.

The LPGA has become boring.  This is what I hear many fans say.  The players have become too robotic and there aren't enough personalities to promote what is goo about the sport.  We need more Christina Kim's.

Who are these players?  Last year, it took until the end of May before a player with a name Americans could pronounce won an event.  The Korean and Japanese players are great and very talented, but for the LPGA to come back we need a huge American star.

Sponsors.  The reason many of the American events evaporated is lack of sponsors.  The downturn in the economy hurt every sport, but it hit the LPGA extremely hard.  Once you lose these sponsors, it's almost impossible to get them back, so Commissioner Mike Whan is going to have to get out there and sell his tour to potential new sponsors.  That's easier said than done with a limited schedule and hoards of international players now dominating the Americans.

TV.  Most LPGA events are on television, but nobody knows which network, what time and how long the coverage is going to last.  Make sure golf fans know when the television coverage will be on, and don't put it up against a PGA event featuring Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.  Carve out your own time slot and stick to it.

Let her play.  Last in 2010, one of the bright young stars of women's golf, Alexis Thompson was told she couldn't play more than a handful of events in 2011 because she is too young.  I don't care of a 2-year old can hit a drive 275 yards, if they are good enough to compete, and Alexis is, let her play now and as much as she wants.

Market your attractive players.  I have to say, the LPGA has tried to do this.  When you turn into first and second round coverage, you will likely see Natalie Gulbis, Paula Creamer, Michelle Wie and Christie Kerr.  They are some of the more attractive players on the tour and we see a lot of them.  Almost too much, we see them all the time and we get a little sick of them after a while.  Mix it up and let us see some of the the other up and coming players once in a while.

Promote, promote, promote.  The LPGA needs to put it's players out there so the public can get to know them.  I don't know what it's going to take, Natalie Gulbis did a stint on The Apprentice, but more needs to be done.  A reality show, more meet and greets, maybe a fantasy camp where you can go and play with these girls. Maybe some tournaments need to be started with 50 LPGA players and 50 guys who aren't good enough for the PGA Tour.  A "Battle of the Sexes series of events in the off season.  I'm just throwing ideas out there.

There is a lot to chew on here, but looking at the downward spiral the LPGA is on, there is a lot to fix.  This tour has been around for almost 60 years, if they want to make another 60 they need to make adjustments.  I'd like to hear your comments.  E-mail:  rclimpert@yahoo.com