Nationwide Tour In Search Of A Sponsor...

They've been the tour's umbrella sponsor since 2003, but as Jason Sobel notes, their move to the Memorial is just one of many dominoes expected to fall.

Comments

[George]

I hope it doesn't get to the point where the players have to start giving up the private jets. I wonder how the players would react if they had to drive themselves to tournaments like Hogan and Nelson did?

[Charles Boyer]

One would think that the smart guys at the PGA Tour are already working hard on a new title sponsor. Who that will be is anyone's guess, but I would really prefer that the just went back to "The Hogan Tour." Not everything needs the tramp stamp of a title sponsor.

[fatgoalie]

Charles,
Problem is, even the "Hogan" Tour was a tramp stamp when it started. It was the Hogan company that footed the bill.
The "Nationwide" Tour has to have a solid, big company, as the Tournaments are subsidized from the title sponsor and the TOUR. The Nationwide events do not individually generate enough from the gate, pro-ams, tv etc to be a stand alone entity.

[me]

George, you have no idea what you are talking about-For example, a buddy of mine with Q school finals status has played in 6 or 7 Nationwide events this season, most through grinding out monday qualifier finishes and made something like a grand total of $1200 for a ton of hard work and effort.

He is much closer to the average pro golfer than the guys you see on tv, they are the mutants.

[Joel]

How much money are we talking about to sponsor the Hogan/Nike/Nationwide tour?

[jstiles]

PGA Tour has a few years to resolve. The very last sentence that Nationwide was getting to an optimum spend level and thought it made more sense to 'spend down a little' on golf did not sound very good for Tour. They dropped sponsoring the Tour, and lowered their support of a tour spot.

" The primary reason (for dropping the Nationwide Tour sponsorship) is that we wanted to get to an optimum spend level in the golf property, and we don’t think we need a tour and two tour stops to be able to do that,” he said. “So we were just looking at what’s available and what made the most sense to spend down a little. ”

[Tottenham Hotspur]

Perhaps UPS will step up and sponsor this Tour.

[Lord Stormonth Darling]

Did anyone buy insurance from Nationwide because they sponsored a developmental golf tour? Did Nationwide's business increase because they sponsored a developmental tour for eight years? Do you think huge companies waste money on feel-good marketing and have no idea if anyone's feeling good about what they want us to feel good about? First Tee ... and other feel nothings come to Lord Stormonth Darling's mind. Boiled way down, the real business of golf is really the reaction of how much clubs and balls and shoes cost the club and public golfer. That's about it.

Duffers yet!

[fatgoalie]

Hosting clients and customers at tournaments. Rewarding sales people with trips and pro-am starts.
Making an impact in the local economies through visibility and charity involvements.
Companies sponsor events (golf as well as other) for reasons other than direct exposure sales.

[digsouth]

@fatgoalie

while I agree that that is the prime 'sales' motivation, vs the actual 'ads' selling insurance or financials or Buicks.... i have really had a more cynical take in the last several years.....

the CEO's , ie: upper upper management of these companies have been depleting the dividends of us stockholders for the benefit of them rubbing elbows with the golfing fraternity... just another 'perk' of not giving a sh*it about the long term health of a company, but rather the golden chute they can build for themself before they sail off into the sunset, ot to the next suckers who pay they to move telephone calls to india, and manufacturing to China.


If I sound PO'ed, it's because I am. Our bought and paid for Congress has spent 40 years of ignoring the American middle class, and more than a few of the 'sponsors' of 'the PGA have proven to be common crooks.

One does not have to look very far to see a few of these crooks names on recent trophies. Triton, Anderson, Ginn......

have a great holiday!

digsouth

[OnInTwo]

The Nationwide CEO left abruptly last year. An excerpt from an news article:

During his tenure, Nationwide expanded its marketing activities, including sponsorship of NASCAR and the PGA's Nationwide Tour. Jurgensen was known for his own proficiency on the links. Earlier this decade, Jurgensen had the second-best handicap among golfing CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, according to a Golf Digest survey.

[Flo]

Denny's would be a perfect fit.

[Tottenham Hotspur]

I hear Waffle House is in the running instead of UPS.