Reader says Palmer, Trevino gave 'entertainment value' to golfers

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Arnold Palmer said recently there should be more fan interaction on the PGA Tour. (Courtesy PGA of America)

I applaud your writer's views ("Arnold Palmer is right: With Tiger Woods and company, today's PGA Tour has no personality") regarding golf's "watchability" and the impact it has on viewers.

Being bored to tears watching golf will never turn the true golfer away from playing the game but it will turn off the potential new golfer. Without the latter, our sport and the entire industry that surrounds it are doomed.

Look what happened to snooker, where TV created the initial boom and then was entirely responsible for its downfall, with clubs closing all over the place. The same could quite easily happen to golf and the results will have a much greater impact generally.

Arnold Palmer was and is right in his attitude to the gallery. He and Lee Trevino were instrumental in giving entertainment value to golfers and non-golfers alike. Without players like them on our screens, I fear for the future of both our sport and our industry.

- John Sterling

April 1, 2007

Any opinions expressed above are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the management.