I just listened to Mike Whan interview. Loved it. Soly is a great host. Mike is a pro talker lol. His take on multi- streams being the future was spot on especially for an old guy lol. (I’m older than whan😎). He dodged commercial load but Soly you let him off the hook too. But loved you allowed him space to him talk about his passion for golf. Kudos !
1 Like
Same on the coverage dodging. Having 1 product in 5 different locations sporadically and him telling us we should be happy was certainly a take.
If there are options and choices as he says down the road, great. Just copy paste the Masters site and Id subscribe to multiple feeds to flip through in one spot with limited commercials.
Seems like a tough job though of trying to please tv partners, equipmemt co’s, business partners, courses and clubs and lastly us.
3 Likes
I made it through this, and after listening I’m further solidified in my opinion that mike whan is a salesman, not a visionary. He needs to talk less and say more.
Maybe this is a deliberate, PR driven decision by the USGA board to hire a glad hander like Whan to be out there selling the utility of the organization, or the benefits of whatever decision is made to the players and the public. Leaving the difficult decisions to more knowledgeable people behind the scenes.
at least that’s my only hope, as I do not have confidence in his leadership to steer all aspects of the game the USGA is involved with in the proper direction.
4 Likes
The guy has had the job for a month and we are already writing him off for a few answers on a podcast. I started a new job two months ago. Ask me five questions about what my department does and I wouldn’t know how to answer most any of them.
Maybe we could give the guy a little bit of time to get better acquainted with his role and the challenges that come with it.
12 Likes
Just out of curiosity, are you basing that opinion on the podcast alone or did you factor in his previous track record at other companies?
I’m not a Mike Whan slappy, but considering the success he’s had at his other endeavors, I’m inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt. Or, do you think the USGA is just a completely different task and his previous success isn’t relevant?
2 Likes
I think with a leader/ceo it’s always important to listen to their diagnosis of the problem that they have to solve.
Is the business dying? We have to figure out a way to recover.
Is the business thriving? We have to figure out a way to keep it thriving and not stagnate.
Etc.
I think part of the criticism now is that what a lot of refugees feel is the “problem” is not necessarily what Whan sees as a problem. His description of the TV coverage was him saying he doesn’t see what NBC did during the actual event is a problem, which is a problem to use that word again. The way he payed lip service to the OEMs shows he doesn’t see the reliance on the OEMs for funding is a problem.
I think we we can all agree he probably won’t come to the same solutions as we would but I think we all would have wanted him to be more on the side of “us” when it comes to deciding what problems golf faces going forward rather than what the problems Mike Davis said existed.
Problem.
4 Likes
He did not say that. He said he did not get to watch it and will watch it back later and will look for those issues that @Soly brought up.
He said he is not concerned with NBC and Golf Channel’s commitment to innovative watching experiences. He did not say a single thing about his opinions about what NBC did during the broadcast because he didn’t watch it.
3 Likes
I mean, at the end of the day the problems with golf are pretty easy to understand, just follow the money. At every turn there are cash grabs that make the game less sustainable and less enjoyable to watch.
Expecting people cashing massive checks to be the impetus for change is a hopeless path. The only organization with the clout to do anything is the USGA (and maybe Augusta). So it’s disappointing to hear a glorified sales guy talk in cliches and buzzwords and think he’s fooling anyone.
Look, leadership means making some people unhappy. You can’t have that job and expect to somehow win over fans while delivering 18 minutes of commercials an hour and sitting there with your thumb up your ass while 100 guys bomb and wedge it at Oakmont.
4 Likes
Seems you sure better have both mastered to make a difference.
As a huge fan, my reference point is his LPGA efforts. Things were dire. There was certainly some amazing vision needed to get things on track. I imagine that was the easy part, and the ability to sell ideas to sponsors was amazingly difficult.
I’d guess he’s been in salesman mode for a while with the LPGA, and that is possibly why he was ready for a change. To say he lacks vision seems extremely immediate and shortsighted. Let’s let things settle in and be thankful there’s a some refreshment at the leadership helm.
5 Likes
He’s made some not insignificant changes in leadership in his less than two months at the USGA. If you were expecting him to tar and feather OEMs, broadcasters, and other key stakeholders from the jump that’s probably more on you than Whan, imo.
Dumping out a decade+ of very good LPGA work for less than two months of USGA tenure seems weird to me.
24 Likes
It was probably premature for him to go do press and talk about the strategic future of the USGA given he lead off by saying “I’m really just taking time to soak in the history of golf and the organization”. I dont think anyone would judge their new big boss after just a few months, that’s usually at least a 3 year cycle to determine.
Nothing here surprised me yet based on his comments of newness, nor will it surprise me if Mike Whan’s USGA looks very different than Mike Whan’s LPGA. I also have less and less faith that anything will be done to equipment or the ball unilaterally, but a set of ‘championship’ rules is the easiest thing you can do to fix the distance problem, which I believe we will act on eventually…he kinda touched on that:
- a pro ball
- driver head size limit to 400cc, 44" in length
- maximum putter length
USGA loves talking about the difference and elevation of ‘championship’ golf…so make some rules to ringfence championship golf. There are countless examples of this happening in other sports. Any amateur that wants to try the ‘hard’ level of golf can still go grab a pro ball and get a smaller driver and have the blade putter and see how it works for them.
Oh, and btw, those three things are all new revenue channels for OEMs. win win!
3 Likes
he certainly deserves some credit for the current state of the LPGA vs when he took over. however things like pace of play, ?venue/conditions/Evian?, and his approach to tv coverage/exposure is not ideal. I can’t say I follow the LPGA closely so I don’t have a lot of input here.
a fair point, but I also think it’s fair to expect the USGA and who ever is at the helm at the time to shit or get off the fucking pot. how many years ago now did they put out that first report? it was 20+ years ago they first drew the line in the sand with regard to distance, which has been a clear failure. they’ve been talking and talking and talking about the issues facing the longevity, sustainability, and approachability of the game resulting from the pursuit of distance. do something or STFU about it.
Mike is certainly skilled at talking his way around answering a question. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to hope he wouldn’t just get out his kneepads for the oems when the topic came up.
3 Likes
I think the one thing you can look at when it comes to change of leadership in any organization after two months is who stayed and who left. If he is shaking things up in terms of leadership that’s a pretty good indication that he thinks something was fucked and he’s gonna try to fix it.
2 Likes
Maybe hiring Whan is doing something? I’m willing to give him more than 54 days.
10 Likes
And there’s this!
9 Likes
Is hitting a 46 driver compared to a 46.5 that much less fun??
1 Like
more than 54 days to issue a ruling or whatever? sure. but i didn’t hear much signaling in that conversation that gives me confidence. instead i heard a bunch of mfg stroking.
phil mandelbaum needs to go away.
1 Like
What length driver are you playing these days, Randy?
If you don’t mind me asking, what are you hoping Mike accomplishes during his tenure at the USGA?
The man is just a parody of himself.
1 Like