Players should engage more with real fans and less with Twitterati

CADDIE'S ROLE:Responding to spectators live, on the actual golf course, is more important than sharing those tweet nothings off it

IN AN Alpine swamp at an altitude of 1,450 metres was where the European Tour stopped off last week. What was traditionally a venue that has inspired unusual winners in the past, given the tranquil location if somewhat unconventional golf course, the European Masters was out of character this year.

It was the 66th time the professionals have competed in Crans-sur-Sierre. What was the Swiss Open became the European Masters in 1983.

Nobody can remember a more miserable week of weather and those early cut missers could not wait to get down off the misty and murky mountain and back to dry land on Friday evening.

Those less fortunate had to wait until Saturday morning to complete their second rounds and put them out of their cold and wet misery.

The breathtaking views were veiled in a grey shroud, the Crans course just took your breath instead.

It is easy to forget the impact of altitude until you mildly exert yourself and suddenly, gasping, you remember to tread carefully.

Crans-sur-Sierre is the centre of golf in Switzerland for the simple reason that the European Tour event is held here annually and professionally, the Cantons have nothing to shout about with only 15 professionals, men and women combined.

It has become so traditional there is a walk of fame from the entrance to the golf course, which is right in the middle of town, to the top of the town. There are plaques in the pavement framed in brass assuring immortality for those fortunate enough to have won there.

It is a unique feature for a ski town that it has its rather lacklustre summer revived by the arrival of the European circus at the end of August each year.

There was no mistaking the pedigree of the winner of this year’s Masters, with Richie Ramsay bounding on from his top-five finish in Gleneagles the previous week.

Richie may not be the most eye-catching golfer on tour but he is a player who understands his ability and plays to it.

I recall him approaching me in his first year and enquiring about what I had observed working for top players. He was keeping a diary on how to improve and maximise his potential.

Looking at his statistics he would have appeared to have mastered his wedge play. I figured that four holes were definite wedges for the shorter-hitting Ramsey and he was eight under for those four holes.

The importance of accuracy with wedges is not a revelation but many players resist the significance of good wedge play at their peril.

The sun finally shone for the denouement of the European Masters on Sunday and the snow-capped mountains were framed through the western hemlock and stately looking spruce trees and highlighted against the clear blue mountain sky, a scene that has made the trip to Switzerland so memorable for all of us over the years.

I took advantage of a free weekend to watch a bit of golf on probably the most idyllic course in the world on which to spectate. Let’s face it, golf is not the most dynamic game to observe, so if you are going to spend a day outside the ropes Crans is the place to do so. While you are waiting for a shot to be hit you can contemplate the power of nature as you marvel at the beauty of the Gletcherhorn or the Wildstrubel peaks towering above the course.

I was skipping around different groups on Sunday last to get a sense of what the spectator sees inside the ropes. I wasn’t following the leaders all day so without naming names, the players who were destined for the back end of the field they wouldn’t exactly draw you in on an emotional level. Heads down, a cursory nod of the head if a putt dropped, the caddies looked like the only ones on the course who were trying to lighten the dour mood that seems to engulf professional golfers in competition. I know sports psychologists want their players to perform in the state of zero, with virtually no emotion. It may be good for performance but not great at drawing the crowd in.

So I was a little miffed at seeing a notice outside the PGA office encouraging players to use Twitter and tweets in order to engage their fans and potential newcomers to the game. It is understandable, in what is not the easiest economic environment to promote golf in Europe, that the authorities want their players to do what they can to ensure a healthy future for the tour. But encouraging gossip is not the best way forward. We are surely not that desperate.

A more progressive approach would be to encourage players to somehow build up a better rapport with spectators who still have enthusiasm for live entertainment. I don’t mean engaging in idle banter but just little polite reactions to the spectators’ genuine appreciation for their talent. I remember David Frost saying that one of his biggest regrets in all his successful year on tour was he did not show enough respect the people who showed so much interest in his good golf over the years.

I understand we are living in a different communication era but it appears social networking is more important than live interaction to many of our younger players. It must be the same for the marketing and communication department. Twitter and tweets mean birdies for the tour it seems.

The experience of watching golf in the scenic canton of Valais will leave an indelible memory for the spectator. It would be even more memorable if the players engaged a little more with real spectators rather than be pushed to develop virtual enthusiasm.