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(Courtesy of CBS Sports)
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You might have trouble spelling Oosterhuis, but when it comes to covering the world's biggest golf events, Peter is ALL g-o-l-f. Now with CBS Sports, Peter Oosterhuis spent the majority of his life on the other side of the mic playing on the PGA and Senior PGA Tours.
Winner of the PGA Europe Tour Order of Merit for four consecutive seasons (a record that stood for nearly 25 years!), Peter's also played on the PGA and Senior PGA Tours - winning the Canadian Open in 1981! Also a six-time Ryder Cup team member, Peter racked up an impressive 19 international titles.
Working for the BBS and Sky Sports in Great Britain as well as his current station with CBS Sports, Peter is one of the most knowledgeable and entertaining golf personalities in the world. Living in Arizona with wife Ruth Ann, the golfing couple loves to travel together. CBS SportsLine.com wishes the Oosterhuis' continued health and prosperity.
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Below are Peter Oosterhuis' personal responses to your e-mail questions!
QUESTION: Peter, of all the golf courses you've played on, and those you haven't, which is the most challenging? Rocky Johnson
PETER OOSTERHUIS: Butler National in Chicago. It's where the Western Open used to be played. One year when I played it on tour, we hit from the middle tees and still shot the highest scores of the season. I'd have to say Carnoustie for the 1999 British Open is the toughest course I've never played on tour - although I've played it other times.
QUESTION: Who is the best golfer you have ever seen? Roy Brown
PETER OOSTERHUIS: It'd have to be Jack Nicklaus in the 70's - back in his prime. Tiger Woods is the best golfer today and might very well end up as the greatest if he keeps doing what he's been doing.
QUESTION: Is it more difficult to play in wind or in rain? Al Rosinski
PETER OOSTERHUIS: Definitely wind. Most people find rain simply aggravating, but a strong wind completely changes the way a course plays.
QUESTION: In your opinion, what all time golf record is the most amazing and will most likely never be surpassed? Don Denner
PETER OOSTERHUIS: Byron Nelson's 11 consecutive wins in 1945. With so many more talented players competing week in and week out, I don't think that record can ever be topped.
QUESTION: If you had exactly one hour each day to practice your game, what percentage of time would you assign to each skill? Also, does the order of your practice matter? For example, is it best to start putting and end driving? Thanks, Rick Blagg
PETER OOSTERHUIS: Tricky question Rick. It really depends on what part of your game needs the most work. Generally people like to hit their long drivers and irons, but if your short game needs the work, you have to put the practice time into it. My advice to everyone: Don't ignore your short game!
QUESTION: What made you become interested in golf?Jeff Coyne
PETER OOSTERHUIS: Growing up in S.E. London, our local course was lined with blackberry bushes. And when in season, we'd all go out and pick the berries. Well, I'd just about eat more berries than I picked, so my mom, a golfer herself, gave me my first golf club to keep me busy - keep me from eating all the berries that is!
QUESTION: Who's going to win the US Open? Thanks, Anne
PETER OOSTERHUIS: Well we all know who won by now. But going in, I thought Tiger had a real chance even though the course didn't play into his game. I also thought Sergio had a real shot, but his disappointing Sunday took him quickly out of the running.
QUESTION: Do you prepare differently for a major tournament as opposed to a normal one? Thanks, Don
PETER OOSTERHUIS: Being that the Majors have no Pro-Am the week leading up to the tournament, I would say most pros will get in an extra practice round.
QUESTION: I'm a 16 handicap and my short game is the part I need to work on the most. What are the most important things that I should remember as an amateur? Thanks, Alan
PETER OOSTERHUIS: Alan, don't always go for that amazing shot. Play it safe and smart and spend a lot of time practicing. I see many amateurs, for example, using a 60-degree wedge before they've really practiced the type of shots it was designed for.
QUESTION: Do you think the equipment available today helps the players hit the ball longer and straighter? Thomas Vislocky
PETER OOSTERHUIS: Definitely. Golf balls today have both soft covers as well as explosive distance. And the new materials in shafts and club heads have also made an enormous difference.
QUESTION: Do you consider Tiger Woods to be the greatest golfer of all time? Edward A. Bielecki
PETER OOSTERHUIS: Not yet. He's been the best ever for the first five years of a career, but he needs to keep winning Majors and other tournaments to be judged as the greatest ever as Jack Nicklaus remains today.
QUESTION: Peter, which courses, both domestic and international, do you think set up best for viewing tournaments on T.V.? Mark Preng
PETER OOSTERHUIS: Pebble Beach is, well, Pebble Beach. The finish at Hilton Head is quite impressive as well. And I think those great blimp shots out on the desert courses are spectacular. Of course we can't leave out Turnberry in Scotland.
QUESTION: How does someone who knows nothing of golf to learn the fundamentals in less than a season in order to play a decent game? Tammy Peters
PETER OOSTERHUIS: Good question Tammy. First you have to invest the time and energy required - prepare yourself to work extremely hard, both with golf and even in your overall fitness. And seek out a PGA pro that knows the game. Good luck!
QUESTION: What are some key factors that have increased the game's popularity (viewer ship) over the past 5 to 10 years? Marc Munger
PETER OOSTERHUIS: Tiger Woods' appeal, especially to a non-golfing audience. Entertainment and big business as well. Golf, it seems, has been accepted as a universal medium for entertaining, making deals, etc. At just this past U.S. Open, there were over 200 entertainment-related venues.
QUESTION: Do you prefer American or European courses? Bob Campbell
PETER OOSTERHUIS: Playing internationally much of my career, I prefer courses all over the world - including, of course, the United States. St. Andrews, Carnoustie, Pinehurst #2, Riviera C.C. and Pebble Beach just to name a few.
QUESTION: What would you recommend as the best way for a youngster to start learning golf? And at what age should a child start? Jeremy Zung
PETER OOSTERHUIS: There aren't any rules in starting a young child on the game. I believe the individual child's attention span and interest are two big factors. Like with so many other things, a parent must balance between encouragement and pushing.
QUESTION: Peter, what are the factors that come into play when trying to spin a ball back on a green? Gary Beitler
PETER OOSTERHUIS: Good question Gary, I've been asked this so many times! There are, of course, a number of factors. The ball, the acceleration and angle of the swing and how and where you strike the clubface. Add to that the lie and conditions of the green - it all comes into play when trying to make the ball dance on the green like the pros you see.
QUESTION: What was the greatest golf shot you ever witnessed? By the way you do a great job as a commentator and analyst...keep up the good work. Mike Battani
PETER OOSTERHUIS: Mike, thanks for the encouragement. The greatest shot was probably last year at the Canadian Open. Tiger Woods, with the tournament on the line, hit a 6-iron into the Par 5 18th to win. It was out of the bunker, over water, an obscured view and with the pin in the back far right. I knew just how tough this shot was since I actually won this same tournament on this same course twenty years earlier.
QUESTION: How does the Masters choose which amateurs to invite to play each year? J. Nichols Cutting
PETER OOSTERHUIS: The Masters has been tightening up a bit lately, but if you win either the U.S. Amateur, British Amateur, Mid-Amateur or Public Links Championship, you will qualify to play for the green jacket. Also, depending on how you played as an amateur in a past U.S. or British Open, you could qualify.
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