When Tiger Woods emerged as a PGA Tour star a little more than a decade ago, the enthusiasm he sparked in the game of golf was dubbed the “Tiger effect.” All over the world, tens of thousands of budding golfers – especially young people and minorities — were attracted to the game because of his success.
The industry wisely attempted to cash in on that wave of interest by creating programs designed to turn these Tiger fans into golfers. The result was an unprecedented boom in golf development, equipment sales and play.
But a crippling economic slowdown in the wake of the 9-11 attacks and more recently a devastating recession has left many developers and operators struggling to find solid footing. The “Tiger effect” long ago seemed to fade.
Now, with Woods returning to the PGA Tour with much fanfare after an eight-month layoff because of surgery, some in the industry are hoping that his high-profile quest to eclipse Jack Nicklaus’ record 18 major wins will stimulate a new wave of interest in the game.
Is that realistic, or is it simply wishful thinking to hope that the “Tiger effect” can return? And has there been any lasting impact from that original stimulus provided by Woods? How many of those original “Tiger effect” golfers have operators able to keep playing?