Kyle Porter: Is This Golf's Moment?

Mar 26, 2026

Kyle Porter, proprietor of Normal Sport and sharp golf commentator, offers cultural takes on the sport. He discusses whether golf can break beyond niche audiences. They dig into post‑COVID participation, midlife parenting fueling play, player personalities like Scheffler and Rory, broadcasting challenges, and skill breakdowns from Tiger to modern pros.

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INSIGHT

Golf's Niche Strength From Player Viewership

Golf will likely remain a niche sport because culture is fragmenting and there is no single monoculture event outside football.
Kyle Porter notes golf's advantage: most viewers also play, and participation surged after COVID, creating engaged fans who watch majors and YouTube content.

INSIGHT

Golf Grows Because Dads Play With Kids

Midlife parenting trends push more 35–45-year-old dads into golf as an activity to do with kids rather than alone.
Porter explains modern dads spend more time parenting, so golf becomes a practical outdoors activity families share post-COVID.

ANECDOTE

Walking The Front Nine With Scotty Scheffler

Kyle Porter recounts walking the front nine with Scottie Scheffler during a practice round where Scheffler declined to interact.
Scheffler and caddie Ted Scott were alone; Scheffler threw a water over the ropes and maintained strict focus, showing his boundary-setting.

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Kyle Porter from Normal Sport is a thoughtful commentator who thinks about a lot more than just the sport he covers. So I wanted to press him on this topic, plus a few others: Is golf, with the PGA Tour now led by a former NFL exec, about to truly take off and conquer the culture? We get into the sport’s eccentricities and current moment. Topics include…

* Post-Tiger Woods stars: Debate on who has “juice” in golf, including Scottie Scheffler’s dominance, recent struggles, and potential as the next face of the sport.

* Golf’s niche status: Analysis of golf remaining mostly niche amid declining monoculture, contrasted with strong participation growth post-COVID and viewer overlap with players.

* NBA-golf parallels: Connections between waning NBA regular season interest and rising personal golf fandom, including entrepreneurial YouTube golf content.

* Family and aging into golf: How mid-life dads (around age 40) increasingly play golf with kids due to modern parenting trends, unlike past generations.

* Player personalities: Comparisons of “boring” narratives around Scheffler, Rickie Fowler, Steph Curry, and Mike Trout; Scheffler’s media interactions and focus.

* Golf’s watchability: Why golf suits casual viewing (especially with kids), constant action without stoppages, and unique moments like shots hitting birds.

* Broadcasting challenges: Importance of shot selection, pace (e.g., pitch clock analogies), and simplifying stats like strokes gained for fans.

* Skill breakdowns: Tiger Woods’ elite iron play and lag putting; Scheffler’s mid-round adjustments, course discipline, and avoiding risky shots.

* Equipment and distance: Debates on tech advances (e.g., TrackMan aiding young players like Spieth), gear’s role in driving distance, and need for pro-level limits.

* Rory McIlroy’s appeal: His humanity, vulnerability, and post-Masters career arc as the most relatable superstar, with older players sustaining power.