Communication is key in all relationships, and on Tuesday a group of PGA Tour players took that sentiment to a whole new level.

Working with a law firm, 21 PGA Tour members sent a memo to the PGA Tour Policy Board requesting information about the Tour’s recent process in soliciting bids from private equity firms. The cadre seemed particularly peeved about being left on the outside of any negotiations and discussions, making multiple demands in this area to the board. “All but a handful of PGA Tour players have been kept entirely in the dark about the prospective transaction, how it will impact them, and what conflicts of interest may impact the decision-makers,” the memo stated. “We demand full disclosure of the details and analyses of any proposals by prospective capital partners, which should be shared promptly with all Tour players.” The memo signers also demanded a meeting with the PGA Tour Policy Board, while seeking assurances that any conflicts of interest among board members would be disclosed. “The PGA Tour players who have been kept in the dark about this process are the lifeblood of the Tour. They deserve to know what is happening.”

I won’t list all 21 names — already down to 20, as Wesley Bryan pulled himself from the list — but it was the usual cast of characters from whom we’ve come to expect complaints over the last two years. James Hahn, Lanto Griffin, etc. Notably, 10 of the players on the list rank outside the top 500 in the Official World Golf Ranking. The group combined to make three cuts in majors this year.

To be clear, it’s fair to expect a certain level of consistent communication from your employer. You would likely be somewhat upset if you showed up to work on a Monday and were told that instead of being a local paper salesman, you now sell mufflers or mittens. But that’s not exactly what’s happening here. The PGA Tour Policy Board has been fielding investment offers for a new privately funded, for-profit division. I’m no legal expert, but that doesn’t sound like something that needs to be openly debated and discussed by 200+ professional athletes in order to reach a satisfactory deal. You could even argue that the few professional athletes who are at the table shouldn’t be there either, but that’s beside the point. And let’s not forget that literally every memo sent out to tour members ends up in the press and on social media within minutes of its release. I don’t think a private equity firm would be particularly keen on that.

PGA Tour members are undoubtedly entitled to some communication around the future of their tour. If they were truly being left in the dark, they would have a leg to stand on. But according to Padraig Harrington, that’s not the case. “I can tell you the PGA Tour has never been more transparent than it is now,” he tweeted on Tuesday night. Even without Harrington’s context, it would be hard to call this memo a legitimate request. If every employee knew the ongoings of high-level negotiations and external discussions within any company, everything would devolve into anarchy. Although, given the current state of the PGA Tour, we may already be there.


This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.