Tristan Crew – ‘Why we're investing more in PGA tournaments’

The PGA’s Executive Director – Member Services, Tristan Crew, explains why he feels PGA tournaments are the Association’s premier Member service.

I'd like to share my point of view as the individual with responsibility for their strategy, planning and delivery.

Let's start with a myth-buster: tournaments are not a profit-making entity for The PGA. Watching events like the Open Championship and the BMW PGA Championship, you could be forgiven for thinking that all tournaments generate revenue. Sadly not.

These days, in order to generate revenue, tournaments must command significant commercial interest and companies are finding it more and more difficult to realise a return on their investment. An example is the Legends Tour having to generate prize funds through an alliance format.

So, what does it cost to run our tournaments? In 2021, The PGA invested £1.1m. Does this make tournaments any less of a priority? The answer is a resounding no. From club members taking pride in the performance of their PGA professional, to juniors aspiring to join the training programme, tournaments provide The PGA's 'window to the world' and are an essential part of brand placement.

Even more importantly to me, tournaments are The PGA's premier Member service. Each year, around 45 per cent of eligible Members play in at least one tournament. This level of engagement eclipses all other services my team offer.

Playing golf is the common thread that unites all PGA Members and we need to encourage more to play, more often.

So, what is the future for tournaments? Shona Malcom, The PGA's Head of Tournament Strategy, devised a new plan for tournaments in 2022 which has been implemented both locally and nationally.

The strategic principles fall into three main pillars:

• Optimisation: The significant investment that The PGA makes in tournaments demands that the entire operation is run as efficiently as possible. We are now considering the tournament team as a whole rather than operating in regional silos. Where appropriate, the regional teams will be used to deliver National tournament activity to ensure efficiency.
• Equity: Our Members join The PGA, not a specific region. To minimise regional and demographic differences in tournament access, we have invested in the under-performing regional Order of Merit Events and started an Open Series commanding a £14k prize fund. We have also considered services for different Member demographics. We have invested in the WPGA schedule this year and we are looking to better support senior golf in the future.
• Innovation: With sponsorship increasingly difficult to secure, we are looking at different models that engage the amateur golfer to supplement the prize fund. We are proud to announce the return of the St. James's Place National Pro-am this year as one example of a model tournament.

The result of all this activity is a 34 per cent increase in overall prize fund from £1.75m in 2021 to £2.36m in 2022. This demonstrates a firm commitment to invest in The PGA's premier Member Service -Tournaments.

I wish all Members a successful season and I look forward to seeing you at PGA tournaments over the coming months.

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