I just watched the replay of Woods' presser online. After it ended, the Golf Channel Overkill Squad spent 30 additional minutes explaining what it all meant. (I bailed after five minutes, not being a masochist.) One of the nuggets... "Woods has basically been rehabbing for three years."
Huh? Rehabbing for three years? He was rehabbing in 2009 when he was Player of the Year? What was he rehabbing from in 2010? He pulled out of the TPC when he shot 42 on the front nine one round, but he never missed a start. If he was hurt in 2010, was it due to the car wreck? To Elin clubbing him? Then, last year he was fine until Augusta, no? Was he hurting when he exited the World Match Play in the first round?
Is anyone else tired of hearing this BS about Woods bringing athleticism to golf? Are there any all-conference Big Twelve defensive backs on Tour today? I didn't think so. However, there were when Hale Irwin played. Staying in shape? Gee, that's been Gary Player's calling card for what, fifty years? Then the whole idea that a football or NBA physique is optimum for golf is not even logical. An NFL linebacker being good at golf would be the exception that proves the rule. He would be an outlier: like Spud Webb or Muggsy Bogue. Well, I guess this is not going to be nonsense I'll have to endure for long; in ten years, when modest-sized Koreans fill the top ten like Beatles records once did, the idea that Lebron James and Dirk Nowitsky are closeted Jack Nicklauses will cease.
Well pretty much every other channel that covers golf mentioned Tiger 24/7. They just like to talk about it because he once was dominant and was running the game. Doesn't mean Golf Channel sucks, I still think they are the best channel to actually focus on golf....
Golf Channel does, at least, air the tourney they were scheduled to show, at the time said, unlike CBS who airs Golf AFTER all their other commitments are over. Doesn't matter if it's hr+ late. They want it all! Let Golf Channel have it all! We would see more golf related stories even if is yesteryear's, which I hate. On second thought, it does suck! LOL
There's not much that doesn't suck these days when it comes to media in all forms, be it tv commentators, opinionators, callaborators in the hype'em' and pipe'em!! There's more BS on tv than in a Texas honky tonk on a Sat'day night!!
What does it all mean? Tell ya what it means to me is some whacky folks are appeal'n to a whackier audience which is probably why I like Feherty better than any of'em!! *whoa bubba*
c'mon bro. so they spent a half hour talking Tiger. They also show European tour, Nationwide tour, LPGA, instruction, golf centric morning talk and infomercials. They're doing the game as much good as any other outlet or media or anything. I think they're better than they were a couple years ago in avoiding being all Tiger all the time.
I didn't say the European Tour sucked. If the Golf Channel didn't have an exclusive contract, we could stream it online, like with tennis. (I watched Caroline Wozniacki play many matches last year at the tennis tour website.) Keep in mind, though, that I'm not criticizing the content, I'm criticizing the Golf Channel's delivery of it.
I watched "The Morning Drive" regularly for three or four weeks last summer, long enough to give it a fair trial. At that point, I realized a more fitting name would have been "Morning Woods." I have not watched since.
If you go to my blog, you can find a description of Kelly Tilghman preparing to interview Tiger Woods. One of my life's regrets is that I did not grab my digital video recorder and capture it. However, I immediately wrote up a detailed description. I was watching the live stream online, which is why I got the inadvertent pre-interview feed.
I don't think "better than they were a couple years ago in avoiding being all Tiger all the time" is very hearty praise. After all, a guy who has not won in two years would not be expected to get, well, any coverage, really. Maybe a "Where Are They Now" piece or something.
I beg to differ Lanny. The Golf Channel can't suck for one reason alone. They were smart enough to cast Holly Sonders on the Morning Drive. She's worth watching anytime my friend. Now if they got rid of the other two knuckleheads, put her front and center and called it the Holly Sonders Morning Drive on the Golf Channel, heck, I'd watch it every morning while eating my Wheaties. :). She's just fine, fine, fine. Did I say fine enought?
I would say CBS Sucks when watching golf.... I think I counted 5 or 6 times where they did not show one full shot before going to another commercial break... we saw 3 or 4 putts, then some crap on last year, or some other drama that has turned up.. A birthday, something besides golf. At least the golf channel shows golf... that is during a tournamet.
Char, I think the Euro broadcasts are head-and-shoulders better than the US offerings. The US announcers try too hard to create drama, like they are afraid people will turn them off if they don't trick them into watching. The Brits will say, after a horrible shot, "Well, I don't think he quite got all he wanted out of that one." Knowledgeable golf fans chuckle at the dry joke; the Brit announcers don't care if you laugh or not, and weren't even trying to be funny particularly. In the US, the announcers agonize over the miss, then theorize what that miss will mean to his confidence on the next hole, etc., etc., etc. The Brits realize the guy hit a poor shot, end of story. The Americans will obsess over it. If a guy is having a bad round, the Brits will announce six holes in, "Well, it doesn't look like it's going to be his day." The Americans will speculate after each shot, wondering if a good shot will "turn it around for him."
As for good shots, the Brits are equally lowkey, knowing that good shots are the goal and they happen quite a lot. The Yanks act like cold fusion is solved when someone sticks an approach shot.
The Brits also don't much discuss players who are not entered in the tournament. Sometimess, the US announcers spend half the broadcast discussing a player not playing.
The Brits announce for golf minds. The Yanks announce for blooming idiots.
I meant every word I wrote. I'm LannyH, and I approve this message.
I think they have some good teaching show. The Golf Fix is pretty good, even though I'm not crazy about the guy who hosts it. Also, those "Playing a round with the Pros" shows are pretty good. I forget it's actual name.
noko, it's really eye-opening to watch the Brit broadcasts and contrast them to the US broadcasts. I'm noticing a lot more things now than I'm watching for them. Example: If a player hits a chip shot within a foot of the hole, the announcers will comment about the well-played shot. If the player skulls across the green, they'll comment. (Often, with just a brief word or two, perhaps a sly understatement.) If the players hits a shot to 5 feet, 6 feet, 8 feet, they often say nothing at all. The viewer, after all, just watched the shot and doesn't need to be told where the ball wound up!
American announcers, on the other hand, feel the need to tell us over and over again what we just saw on television. And as soon as the ball stops, they start this game... "Rog, what is that, about 12 feet?" "Well, Peter, I'd say more like 11-1/2 feet." "What do you see in it?" "It looks like it will break to the left, then back to the right." Total inanity.
I do have one complaint about the Euro coverage on the Golf Channel this morning. It's not live, at least through the first half of the broadcast. I understand why they do that -- and they will likely soon "catch up" and show it in real-time -- but as someone who monitors the online scoreboards, it's not much fun to watch a needlessly tape-delayed event.
Agree about the American v Euro broadcasts. I'm not sure the Euro has on course reporters or if they do, much fewer of them. After watching CBS over the past few weeks I do agree that stuff is generally overanalyzed but I have heard, mainly Faldo, IB-F, and Kostis take players to task for poor shots. Not quite the way the Brits do but nevertheless.
Re: Golf Channel, I think they do a pretty good job overall. I was actually thinking the other day that id I'd wanted to watch the first round of a tournament even 7-8 years ago I wouldn't have been able to. This week it's natural that Woods is going to be in heavy rotation because it's his U.S. debut. Is it right? Probably not, but hey whatever. I do agree that Tilghman has gotten almost unbearable, whether or not she's verbally massaging Woods. After the Matt Every interview and the way she approaches her studio spots I think she's totally jumped the shark. I think Win McMurray is much better and her reporting and tone of voice don't sound as though she's covering the fall of the Berlin Wall or the Kennedy asassination. Kelly has begun to sound very self important. It's still just golf after all
Great handle Dr. I'll meet you in the records room.
The playing lessons from the pros is what I think you're referring to. Those are fun to watch from the standpoint of heaaring a pro verbalize their course management strategy
The Golf Channel is just as lazy as other sports broadcasters, but it doesn't just apply to broadcasters, this also applies the people who fill these threads, too.
The Golf Channel does think. They're not very creative when it comes to programming because their viewing public isn't very interested creative programming. The public will hang on any mention of Tiger Woods, though; and the Gold Channel knows this. Therefore, it sounds like they elected to fill the air time with words having no content, but words mentioning Tiger Woods. Once again, the poor programming that America has come to accept, so they figured they'd just ride the same wave and be ignorant. There's so many other topics that could be covered that center around golf, but they choose the lazy way out.
These blog threads are no different. Just look at the many threads started that mention Tiger Woods or are related to Woods. What ever happened to the people's knowledge of the game, people who think, people having an opinion of something other than Woods. Seems Woods has become the easy way out for quite a larger group than just The Golf Channel.
I watched Morning Woods this morning, and I must tip my hat to them. Graeme McDowell was a fantastic guest.
That said, they slipped in plenty of suckitude. The sideline chick made this great opening remark: We have two US Open champions primed to win this week and another one in our studio. Okay, Graeme's in the studio. Rory is leading at Dubai. Who is the third?
Well, we all know Tiger Woods is the obsession of the Golf Channel. Rory is in first place after two rounds, and GC calls him "primed to win." A bit premature, but halfway sensible. Woods is 5 shots back in 15th place after one round, and that is "primed to win." Can't help but laugh.
dgm, you inadvertently typed "The Gold Channel." I laughed because they do indeed put dollars above journalism.
I thought what could be done to get them to abandon their Tiger Woods obsession. My solution...
Set up a "Tip Jar" on the Golf Channel website. True golf fans could make PayPal contributions to pay the salaries of the the Golf Channel employees so they could ditch their All Tiger All The Time format.
You make great points. The problem is that most Woods-only fans only know one golfer: Tiger Woods. That's it. (If I had a dollar for every time I've heard them say, "I only watch when Tiger plays," I'd be rich.) As soon as Woods retires, they will go back to watching Jersey Shore and Jerry Springer. Until that time they will obsess over Woods.
LannyH, I watched as much as I could take of the Morning, only reason stayed as long as did, Graeme was guest. As ALL talk shows, they did all talking and butted in when he did start to say something. Those TWO guys are a turn off to me. So stuck on themselves, it's sicking. Especially the one who lived on golf course where Dad taught him everything he knows about golf.. Funny, I had never heard of him before he got lucky and was hired to host. Bragged on day about being a child model, making big bucks. I don't know what he modeled unless it was NURD stuff. SORRY...
