Golf TV Coverage must improve!!! - suggestions HERE ** including some sweet drone footage **

[Cvbaseball]

Bring back McCord and Kostas!!

[ray9898]

LOL....that would turn off viewers. You think the everyday golf fan who makes up the vast majority of television golf spectators cares about iron lofts, wedge grinds or how the driver is set up? Hell, many golf nerds wouldn't care either.

 

"Ok....here is Smith on the tee....he is playing a 7 iron that is 3 degrees strong which makes it basically a 6 iron from the 50's. It is a +1 shaft in X flex with a slightly upright lie. The pin is 190y and 4 yards uphill but the 8mph winds towards the flag and warm weather adding 3% to normal ball flight should get him there".

Ehhh....no. Just tell me the distance, any pertinent real time info about the leader board and let me watch him hit.

[tacklingdummy]

The drone shots are great. Must be hard to get those shots.

I think golf coverage needs to show less putting unless there is a little more meaning behind it. They show too much putting. I'd rather see long game and short game shots just to see how they craft a specific shot for the conditions.

[chip75]

When the BBC used to care about golf, we'd have 2 featured groups, the range, highlights and main coverage screens for things like the BMW at Wentworth and you could switch between them, I think yoiu even had multi-screens.

Drones should be used more as long as they're not too intrusive, they shouldn't be too noisy if they're kept back and could work well with the Segway camera operators.

[mdthornton]

I feel like technology-wise we're in a good spot now. Can't complain about the high-def images. Agree that the drones at Pebble provided a novel perspective but there'll be very few courses where this will be possible - probably has to be limited to ocean front holes. No pressure on the operators!

I know OP said to stay away but for me it is about the announcers that just blurt stuff out that is usually inaccurate and/or not relevant. Azinger is guilty of this more than most (eg Honda spat last week) willing to give him more time though. He is better than when he started on Fox. Less is more sometimes. European tour on Golf Channel is my favorite in terms of coverage. Commentary is spot on usually. When there's nothing to say there can be longish pauses which is is just fine. They also obviously have a great time together, cracks me up when you can hear them laughing in the background. I think this more laid back attitude helps carry the broadcast along.

Of course, like most I'm sure, I very rarely watch live coverage - too painful. I like the idea earlier about having Masters like coverage condensed commercials every half hour and therefore more continuous coverage.

[BogeyLJA]

More players mic'd up with real time caddy conversations would be fun

[PatrickD70]

PGA Tour Golf Rules for Broadcast Television:

If out of contention, do not EVER show a golfer unless he makes an 80 foot putt, chips in, or nearly makes (or makes) an ace. Variety of golfers shown is overrated. This way, the fans will intuitively know — when we show a guy for the first time all day — that he is about to do something crazy. Any time you show more than the pre-specified number of shots in a row — and the bigger the tournament, the more important this is, and the more frequently it should be done — cut away from the drama to insert a feature story hosted by someone named Jimmy. Do this even if only 7 people in the known universe would remotely care about it. By the end, only 4 of those 7 will still care (both parents of the subject and the parents of Jimmy himself). Still, you must trust that, no matter how good the actual on-course drama the fans are missing might be, that they DEMAND these feature stories. We have research buried under the 17th green at Sawgrass (along with someone's head) that says VIEWERS LOVE THESE THINGS. In case you missed the memo, fans like the following four things, in THIS order: (1) 11 straight minutes of golf equipment commercials where manufacturers lie through their teeth about how much further their drivers go; (2) watching Tiger fix a ballmark; (3) a root canal; and, in a distant fourth, these features. We can't give people the dental work (leave that to Bernie), but believe me we can give them the features. When we have driven the actual fans crazy with a feature, and it has mercifully ended, be SURE to then have Jimmy sitting in a rocking chair somewhere on a veranda overlooking the course, live, to re-cap everything we just heard. The ONLY thing better for the fans than one of these interminable features is forcing them to then listen to it again, once it has ended, in Jimmy's re-cap. The absence of golf — when one is trying to watch golf — surely must make the fan's heart grow fonder. That's our story and we are sticking to it. So press on. Write a thank you note to Jimmy's agent for apparently locking us, the network, into a contract that requires these features on all golf telecasts that matter. In a GREAT fluke that has gone our way, Jimmy seems to be exactly the same age as he was 61 years ago — when he surely must have been using a telegraph or the Pony Express to send features to interrupt sportswriters' stories about the golf. As a result, you can take comfort that he will still be doing these things long after we've gone on to that great 19th hole in the sky. If you have any self-doubt about this, or hear from countless viewers about how little they care about these features, ignore the noise and take comfort in the fact that many viewers have learned that THIS is the time in the broadcast to go get food, take a bathroom break, or actually talk to their family. If the golfer's name is Tiger, DO NOT MISS the opportunity to show him throwing grass up into the air to judge wind. Show this NO MATTER WHAT else is happening on the golf course. If lightning is simultaneously striking Feherty's goatee and Lee Trevino's one iron, DO. NOT. CUT. AWAY. FROM. TIGER. You have permission to even hold off on the feature-by-Jimmy, if Tiger is confused by wind shifts. If he then turns to his caddie to talk about the wind, do NOT cut away. Do NOT break for commercial. Show him walking back to his bag and looking into it pensively. Show him grabbing a new club, and if he throws grass up into the air again (or looks at the treetops in bewilderment), STAY WITH THIS. He will almost certainly cover his mouth and talk to his caddie in a way that viewers will not be able to hear or understand — this merely adds to the drama. Do NOT give in to the temptation to think this might be boring or that the fans would rather see players actually hit shots. Do this whether he is in contention or not. Then, once he has selected a club, show his full, normal, pre-shot routine. And then of course show the shot. Show multiple facial reactions and a replay or two, and then analyze WHATINTHEWORLDJUSTHAPPENED on that shot, whether good or bad. Actually, do this TWICE. Here's how: The tower host should immediately say exactly what he thinks just happened, but with a sort of an upspeak at the end that will make it sound like a question, followed by the on-course analyst's name. So Sir Nick might say, after we all just watched Tiger hit a shot fatter than a circus elephant, "Caught that a little heavy, Roger?" To which Roger will reply, "Yeah, Nick, I think he caught that one a little heavy." Do this on every... single... shot that Tiger hits. If on the green, show Tiger — on every putt — squatting behind the ball to read the green. If he has to shade the sides of his hat with his hands as he tries valiantly to block out the sun while reading a putt, zoom in, by all means. Capture the moment. Own it. Then show him walking around to the other side of the hole to look at the putt from the reverse angle. Show him walking BACK back to the ball and show every practice stroke he makes. ("Gonna move about 3 inches, to the right, Roger?" "Yeah, I think that's about right.") Ignore all fans who might actually notice that you show him for approximately 413x as long, on each shot, as you show any other golfer. Also, NEVER let your announcers mention that *if* average golfers absolutely must be looking at every putt from both sides of the hole (and they shouldn't), that they should be doing this WHILE it is someone else's turn — we do not want to ever admit how we the networks have been complicit in slowing down play due to the number of golfers who now emulate what they've "learned" by watching Tiger take all 10,000 of his daily Fitbit steps on each green.When Tiger is in contention — it is totally fine to pick a golfer or two or four (even if they are highly ranked in the world golf rankings and entertaining in their own right) who are also actually in contention, and not really show them. At all. This will allow more time to show Tiger pulling a water bottle out of his bag, unscrewing the top, and dramatically taking a sip, before screwing the cap back on and replacing it in his bag. If you are broadcasting The Masters, and Tiger is in contention, you can multiply the already outlandish percentage of time you show him by 27 and show virtually no other contenders who might be making a charge. Watching Tiger walk off of a green and to the next tee is FAR preferable, to the fans, than watching Tony Finau make a double eagle on 15 with one foot having actually fully fallen off due to an injury sustained in a Wednesday celebration. If the fans don't see Dustin Johnson play 3 holes in 8 under par to tie for the lead — by hitting lob wedge second shots into 600 yard holes — because they were entranced watching Tiger mark his ball, don't worry. They'll see DJ's name moving up the leader board before the one Cadillac commercial per hour. If Tiger is looking at his yardage book, it *IS* okay to not show — but just to mention — that a player has made 180 feet of putts on the last four holes for 4 birdies in a row. Still, when you finally do cut to him, only cut to him for a fraction of a second before he starts his swing on the next tee. Show the swing, the ball in the air, one facial reaction, then the ball landing. Then immediately cut to another golfer who is JUST about to begin his takeaway. Or to Tiger taking a bite of a sandwich. If you stick to the principle that fans would rather see Tiger adjust his hat than watch Rory hit his tee ball into Rae's Creek on 13, you'll be just fine.If Tiger is NOT in the tournament, and no prominent Americans are — and you are fresh out of Jimmy-features — you'll be in the unfortunate situation of having to simply trust the golf to carry the story. But hey — you might end up with a scenario like the Honda Classic last week, where the awesome Tommy Fleetwood was pursuing his first PGA Tour win and was in contention, then out, then back in again — until he wasn't (due to a 3-wood into the water on the 72nd). Where some Canadian dude who had missed 19 straight cuts fought against all odds, right up until the final hole, where he yanked HIS 3-wood into the grandstands and couldn't get up and down to tie. Where a great, great young talent like Sung-jae Im appeared to choke from the fairway on the 72nd hole, only to follow that up with a world-class up and down (especially when one considers the pressure) from the front bunker to lock down his first win. We know, we know — there was no watching Tiger pace. There were no features. Just outstanding golf drama by outstanding players. We are sorry you will be forced into this situation from from time to time, we know it was terri — um, er... wait a second.... P.S. Bones Mackay, as an analyst, is on the very short list of the best analysts in golf, already.

P.P.S. FWIW, I actually do love watching Tiger when he is playing well.

[FairwaysToHeaven]

Maybe drones are a pipe dream...

 

but as far as the coverage goes, we're pretty much getting the same. a close up of player hitting ball, ball in sky, ball plopping down on green from a tower cam. the difference is better quality picture, but i don't the coverage has come all that far.

[PuffyC]

I’m not sure that suggesting how coverage could improve is complaining thus we’re spoiled but whatever. American TV so often falls into this trap:

Costs are up so we need more money, let’s add more commercials.More commercials means fewer viewers because who wants to put up with 20 minutes of commercials every hour.Fewer viewers means less money so what’s the answer? More commercials.Go to step 2 and repeat.Radical idea but maybe try increasing viewership by offering fewer commercials. That, a smidge more Shot Tracer on full shots and more handheld cameras, plus more full shots and fewer putts. Done and done.

 

[Hawkeye77]

Except those steps aren't really how it works.

[cougarthesecond]

We shouldn't complain about TV golf coverage because it's so much better than it was 30 years ago? Our standards of living have improved so much through time. Why not golf on TV?

[PuffyC]

Those steps are how it works. Fox has tested reducing ad loads (not specifically for golf) and saw ratings increase while others have increased loads to make up for falling viewership and saw ratings decline. The catch is you have to have quality content. The tipping point was the younger generation growing up with streaming and they have much less tolerance for nonstop commercial interruptions. Networks can either adapt or continue their death spiral.

[oscar10]

[oscar10]

+1. Now they charge you up front and show you a ton of commercials. Should be one or the other. Don’t think I will subscribe next season.

[masegolf1978]

Anyone noticed how much louder the commercials are than the actual coverage? Infuriating...

[mulligan603]

The simplest improvement would be to stop saying”good effort” or “not his best effort “. Let’s be clear- they are all trying hard on every shot. To question effort is an insult to a PGA Tour Pro.

[MountainGoat]

Enjoy it while you’ve got it. I remember when there was more bowling on TV than live golf.

 

[ray9898]

.....because that is a reasonable way for a viewer at home to see the totality of a shot that at times travels several hundred yards at 180mph.

[kmbean]

They should def try to make Peter Jacobsen seem less human.

[cougarthesecond]

I cancelled Golf Channel a long time ago. To me, they demean and trivialize the game. I watch golf exclusively on line with the epitome being The Masters.com streaming with their Featured Groups, Amen Corner Live, Holes 15 & 16...and you can do split screen, double box, etc...simply he best way to watch golf. Plus the way they present the Leaderboard is also the best I've seen. I realize they have unlimited funds, etc. but sure wish the networks would try to utilize some of the techniques used by The Masters.

[JGL]

Pet peave , stop zooming into the ball while in the air, does nothing. How about a shot of the green, wide shot, on the approach shots.

more focus on equipment, clubs.

 

much more 4k.

 

dont care one bit about fed ex points.

 

 

 

[williamsnrb]

As a former player, I think one thing that TV coverage often fails to demonstrate is the undulation/elevation changes of these courses. These courses are not the local muni, but often times the coverage does not properly show the difficulty of the shots these guys are hitting. I routinely watch coverage and think, "This shot looks easy on TV, but I've played this course and hit this shot and it's 30 feet downhill from where he is." You just can't see it from the TV shots. So I think there needs to be some topographical integration to show the difficulty of the shots these guys are hitting.

Also, I think the commentary needs to be intriguing with either controversial takes (i.e. Johnny Miller) or humor (i.e. Feherty and McCord). At the moment, we are missing these elements, IMO.

[3jacker]

I disagree with the premise that golf coverage is better than it was 30 years ago. It is much worse. Ad frequency is the primary reason.

Technological improvements (HD TV, shot tracker, etc.) don't count as that would have happened anyways. I don't have many real complaints about the current product except that there are way too many ads. It's the Tour's fault, not the networks. Licensing costs money, they have to get it back. This is a short-sighted cash grab by the Tour and it WILL come back to bite them one day.

[bscinstnct]

 

 

TW wind cam should be a "feature group"

 

[BostonWRX]

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/every-shot-shown-live-its-coming-at-the-pga-tour-players-championship

[OrangeGravy]

The tee and the green are the only 2 places you can be assured that all of the players will be. The green is the lowest hanging fruit on the coverage tree. 18 stationary cameras and get 60-70% of your coverage or whatever than number usually is.

[freowho]

Caddie Cam. Best seat in the house.

[sshadow2]

I think drone coverage would be cool.

But I'd rather have my peeves resolved (tournament coverage):

Stop asking players to constantly talk about the #1 player (Rory currently) or Tiger (and I'm a huge Tiger fan). Especially questions like "What's it like playing with him?". As often as it happens, I find it get disrespectful to the player being asked. The playing player is probably never thinking about them until that question comes up.The only tour I enjoy watching is the PGA. Mainly for the commentary (they sound alive; not talking about what they actually say), and the technology (Shot tracer), drones ( hole overviews ), computer graphical renderings ( green slopes, wind direction, etc). Some tourneys on the LPGA are pretty good too (though the commentators need to wake up a bit, and they need a lot more tech). But the Euro Tour?!?! I can't watch that tour in any way, shape, or form! Complete snooze-fest! Feels like its 10-15 years behind in everything!Another thing! There's way too many repeat programming. I'd rather watch old but exciting tournaments. Even going back to the hey days or Palmer, Nicklaus, Seve, etc.

Lastly....bring back Big Break!!!

[Bad9]

I agree with most of your post but there is no way it would remain commercial free. That's what they said able cable channels when they started. look at them all now.

[cleatis]

They should put a camera in everyone's balls. A panoramic one.