Anyone have thoughts on The Golf Channel’s 2007 PGA Tour debut?
Here are a couple of mine:
1) I may be looking for faults, but the announcers seemed a bit tentative. In particular, the announcer in the bit at the beginning introducing TGC and the tournament stumbled quite a bit.
2) Production quality was fine.
3) My impression is that they didn’t use nearly as many flashy graphics as the networks. And I don’t think I missed them.
4) I was hoping that TGC would do something a little different … but they didn’t. I guess, however, that at this stage it would be difficult to re-imagine golf coverage.
5) It was funny to watch Rocco help Immelman find his lost ball. I dont’ think I’ve seen that from a television reporter before.
I haven’t watched any of the coverage yet, and I probably won’t watch much until/unless the Golf Channel goes HD.
I would be curious to know if they showed more than just the few big name players that are playing. Usually, golf coverage on TV consists of 45 minutes of Tiger and every now and then some other golfer hitting a hole in one or something. I remember watching some tournament last year on a Saturday (don’t remember which tourney or which network) and they showed about 5 minutes of Tiger walking down the fairway to his tee shot and then another 5 minutes of he and his caddy talking about the shot to hit – never broke away, never a thought or mention about the 70 or so other golfers that might actually be, you know, playing golf shots at that point in time. On a Saturday! All the talk was about “what do you think he hits here? Will he go right at the flag or play to the middle of the green?” That kind of crap. And I don’t even remember it being that difficult a shot – I think there was some sand traps in front of the green, but I don’t remember any water or anything that could really hurt you. I think Tiger ended up hitting a 9-iron that stopped about 12-15 feet from the flag.
Don’t get me wrong, I like Tiger fine as a golfer, but I bet even his own mom was sick of him after that particular network lovefest.
The Golf Channel has make a joke of the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Hawaii. When I tune in to see an event, I want to see golf without jokes, laugher or instructions. I see too much of this on the Golf Channel, so please let me just enjoy the event.
Dottie Pepper was the the only one that did the job. They need to get Frank Nobillo out of the studio and into the booth fast. Tilghman is a better in studio host. Way to much humor from Faldo. Missed David Ferrity and they need one of the Brits out on the course. Did like the new putting visual. They have to take the emphasis off the booth and put it back on the course.
DOES ANYBODY KNOW THE PASSWORD FOR THE GOLF CHANNEL GIVEAWAY
Kelley Tilghman is, beyond a doubt, almost the worst thing to happen to golf announcing (Brent Musberger gets first place). Her stacatto, monotonic, rapid-fire speech leaves me cold. Her run-on sentences, with no pauses, are a disgrace to broadcasting. GET SOMEBODY ELSE! Also, Nick Faldo is fine when he is conversing with someone like Mark Rolfing, but is way too cutesy when involved in a dialogue with Kelley T. Will I have to tolerate 15 years of this pair? UGH!!
Did anyone see or hear the secret password on the Mercedes-Benz open? The contest is over, but I even recorded it and can’t find it. Now it’s just a quest. Where was it – so I can relook at the tape? Thanks.
IT’S THE 3RD DAY OF THE BUICK INVITATIONAL, WHERE’S KELLEY TILGHMAN?
I can’t stand Kelly T or Frank N… c’mon, people, get some CLASS in there.
Also, anyone else sick and tired of every reference to Corey Pavin being a comment about what a “short hitter” he is??? For pete’s sake, the man is a US Open Champion… I don’t think Nobillo ever got within sniffing distance of a Major… or McChord… or that other phony freakin’ aussie…
C’mon, get some real talent/personality manning the microphones instead of these has-been wannabe’s.