TV Coverage pet peeves

[revkev]

I realize guys prefer and dislike certain announcers and that’s fine here but mine are different.  I have 2 big ones, here they are.

 

1.  Player stats - strokes gained are nice but I would also like to know not only the tour average for a putt but the player’s average. Could you imagine Acuna batting in a Braves game and the listed .BA is .257?  It’s misleading. 8 feet is 50/50 on your - I’d like to know what it is for the guy putting.  56 percent? 47 percent?  What about this guy?  

2.  Shot tracking - no reason not to have it in every shot for the leaders. We have little portable LMs that cost $400 that do it with reasonable accuracy - it’s really not asking too much. 
 

what would you like to see changed? 

 

[sixcat]

Commentary seems to have gone off the rails. The guys in the booth (looking at you Nantz and Faldo) seem to think viewers tune in to hear them. Shut up and show more golf!

Edit to add; guys like Curt Byrum and Jerry Foltz are outstanding. Don’t have over-inflated egos. Don’t seek attention throughout a broadcast. Just present the action in a clear and concise manner without the garbage. Get rid of the puffed up chests and give the reigns to those guys. 

[TR1PTIK]

I absolutely hate when FORMER player commentators (looking primarily at Faldo) comment about how they would play a shot;  especially when a player doesn't pull something off - as if he could've just stepped up to the plate and done it first try. There's so much that can't be seen from the booth and so much about the professional game that has changed from when these men and women played. Moreover, every player has their own individual strengths, weaknesses, and preferences when it comes to course strategy. Thankfully I don't have to hear him on every broadcast, but Nicklaus is equally as bad as Faldo.

[fixyurdivot]

1 hour ago, TR1PTIK said:

I absolutely hate when FORMER player commentators (looking primarily at Faldo) comment about how they would play a shot;  especially when a player doesn't pull something off - as if he could've just stepped up to the plate and done it first try. There's so much that can't be seen from the booth and so much about the professional game that has changed from when these men and women played. Moreover, every player has their own individual strengths, weaknesses, and preferences when it comes to course strategy. Thankfully I don't have to hear him on every broadcast, but Nicklaus is equally as bad as Faldo.

Not to worry, it will be much better when Phil takes on his spot .  To be honest, I don't have much to pick on with the current format and commentators.   I watch quite a bit of golf, as most other programs makes my eye and ears bleed, and that includes most all of the tours.  Sure, some of the personnel (Faldo already mentioned) can be a bit too reminiscent but by and large they do a good job IMO.  I agree that adding shot tracer for all tee shots should be an absolute minimum and on all shots thereafter for featured groups... not much of a stretch in budget or technology.

[ParFore74x]

I agree that the shot tracer would be a welcome addition for the tee shots and featured groups. There are definitely some announcers that talk too much but I tend to tune it out for the most part. I’d probably say that the biggest annoyance is all of the commercials. It seems like they show a couple of quick shots, talk too much, and then go back to enough commercials that I end up walking away and finding other things to do. Maybe it’s because the coverage of the Masters is so amazing that I think that all of the coverage should be more like that. 

[Peaksy68]

My personal bugbear is showing players walking, or showing lots of big names when they aren’t in contention. It bewilders me when you don’t see a single shot from a player 3 off the lead, and the big name 10 off the pace is shown repeatedly. Too many putts, not enough average shots or lowlights, show it when someone hosels it. 

[MattF]

When there's a playoff and the network switches programming...I'm sorry, but I don't give a tinker's cuss for gymnastics.

[LICC]

On chip shots and short pitches, I would like if they kept the camera view from behind the player until the ball finishes. They always cut right after the stroke to the green.

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

1) wish we had more commentary from the players. I know they probably don’t like it but the human aspect of the game is awesome and makes these guys relatable to us common folk.

2) cutting away from a shot to soon, don’t even get to see it land sometimes. If you’re going to cut away make it for a big moment....

One thing I have liked is the split screen where they try to knock out a commercial instead of completely breaking I don’t know if that’s new or not seems to be happening in a few different sports now. It’s probably not new but I enjoy that

[GolfSpy BOS]

1 hour ago, Peaksy68 said:

My personal bugbear is showing players walking, or showing lots of big names when they aren’t in contention. It bewilders me when you don’t see a single shot from a player 3 off the lead, and the big name 10 off the pace is shown repeatedly. Too many putts, not enough average shots or lowlights, show it when someone hosels it. 

I’m with you there!! First time I went to TPC Boston to watch them play I realized just how different it really is. 
 

you walk in on the 9th hole around where a bunch of players leave their tee shots. First one we watched was a big ole snap hook that went into the woods and smashed off a tree. 
 

we stayed by that spot for a while and saw about half good shots and half bad shots. 
 

It would be cool to see more shots and groups. Honestly I think the Masters does it great, with their featured groups, hole grouping coverage, and range coverage. But I get that not every event can do that. 
 

 

[ejgaudette]

21 minutes ago, B.Boston said:

I’m with you there!! First time I went to TPC Boston to watch them play I realized just how different it really is. 
 

you walk in on the 9th hole around where a bunch of players leave their tee shots. First one we watched was a big ole snap hook that went into the woods and smashed off a tree. 
 

we stayed by that spot for a while and saw about half good shots and half bad shots. 
 

It would be cool to see more shots and groups. Honestly I think the Masters does it great, with their featured groups, hole grouping coverage, and range coverage. But I get that not every event can do that. 
 

 

Yes I remember following a couple early groups at TPC Boston in person and on the second hole par 5 with the water guarding the green saw some shots that made me go oh, wait I could do that. Of course the recovery was something I could never pull off, but still there was that gleaming moment where they seemed human.

[cnosil]

With the basics of today’s coverage(single channel) I’d like to see more stats.   As review mentioned PGA stats, player year stats, and current tournament stats for the shot the player is facing.  I Like the aerial/graphic layout of the hole and laying the shot tracer over that.   Not that matters since he isn’t playing but don’t give me a Tiger recap,  I want to watch the live action.   Shot tracer for every shot since you can’t see the ball.  Announcers are fine, but I don’t need to color commentary, just give me the facts.  Color commentary is BS and doesn’t accurately reflect how players play.  

Future would be a pick you group option just like the feature group.  Really enjoyed the masters featured group and Peacocks women’s US Open featured groups.  Allows you to get a better perspective into the player caddie interactions.   Ultimate would be to pick your players so you can see every shot by players you pick.  

[GolfSpy BOS]

3 minutes ago, ejgaudette said:

Yes I remember following a couple early groups at TPC Boston in person and on the second hole par 5 with the water guarding the green saw some shots that made me go oh, wait I could do that. Of course the recovery was something I could never pull off, but still there was that gleaming moment where they seemed human.

Haha yes. Those approach shots and recovery shots are something special. 
 

I saw Marc Leishman hit a shot out of the trees between holes after having to bring a rules official over and call a penalty on himself that sounded so pure and solid off of leaves I think I just said “whoa.”

One thing I have liked lately with the broadcast is the “playing through” commercials where we still see action on the course while giving sponsors time to air some ads.

 

 

[GolfSpy BOS]

1 hour ago, MattF said:

When there's a playoff and the network switches programming...I'm sorry, but I don't give a tinker's cuss for gymnastics.

Ouch. I don’t remember the last time I happened to be watching one that went long… but usually we see the whole thing and join the next broadcast “already in progress”

[sixcat]

2 hours ago, MattF said:

When there's a playoff and the network switches programming...I'm sorry, but I don't give a tinker's cuss for gymnastics.

Not a chance NBC would have done that to a men's event of any kind......especially not a major championship!  Terrible decision!

[Stuka44]

I agree with a lot of these comments. 

Too many excuses for just plain old poor contact mishits, by pros.  European announcers just say "that was a plain old mishit, and one of the worst shots I've ever seen".  Here they want to blame the lie,  or anything other than the player.

They don't show enough of the make percentages on the putts?  The reason is that they show mostly putts that are made from 12, 15, 18, 20 feet.  It would be hard to convince weekend golfers to buy new putters, if you showed the 90% misses from 18 feet, or made it clear to weekend golfers, that regardless of what putter they have, they are only gong to make likely 1 out of 10 putts (or less) from 15 feet. 

They don't show any of the other real  stats around the game for the pros because it would make it clearer to the average golfer just how hard the game actually  is for the pros and more likely lead the  weekend golfer to the conclusion that buying new equipment (and all that other stuff) is not going to improve their game. 

The television coverage, from who they choose to speak with, and ads shown and commentary is designed to convince the average golfer to spend money on equipment and lessons, fitted clubs, special shoes, balls.  The last thing the television coverage wants to promote is a narrative of save your money, and go and practice with your 10 year old clubs, and you'll be much further ahead than buying new ones.  NO WAY!  They only really speak with pro's who talk about swing speed, and gadgets, trackman, swing aids, talk about tweaking their swing, because they are hoping that the average weekend hack will decide he needs to do the same thing.  Watch how quickly they move away from pros who indicate they are just happy being able to play golf for a living, and that if they win great, but if they don't that is ok too.

The narrative of the television coverage is why I watch golf with the sound off, unless Trevor Immelman is on the broadcast.  Him I can at least tolerate     

 

[Kansas King]

I just want to watch more golf. I think most my gripes have been mentioned above somewhere but there is almost always a shot being hit somewhere on the course, let's see it. Yes, I'm fine with extra attention on the leaders but there are also 60 other golfers out there as well. Another thing I would like to see on a broadcast is camera angles that actually give some perspective on the shape of the course. I watch people take videos on their phone and those videos show the elevation and slopes on the course and really make you say "wow, that's a tough shot". Watch that same footage from the broadcast and it looks like their just hitting onto a flat green the size of Alaska. I don't care if they are correcting for color as they want the broadcast to look good but as least get some different lenses and try to actually provide some perspective on what the course actually looks like. The only competitor to the golfers is really the course and somehow TV coverage has managed to completely remove that aspect from their broadcast. If a iPhone video can make you say wow, then they can certainly find a way to do the same thing. I think people would pay more attention and watch more golf if the broadcast gave a true perspective for just how hard the shots are. If the full broadcast was shot on a iPhone, I think it would really help people respect and understand just how good the pros are. 

[fixyurdivot]

On 6/7/2021 at 7:05 AM, B.Boston said:

Haha yes. Those approach shots and recovery shots are something special. 
 

I saw Marc Leishman hit a shot out of the trees between holes after having to bring a rules official over and call a penalty on himself that sounded so pure and solid off of leaves I think I just said “whoa.”

One thing I have liked lately with the broadcast is the “playing through” commercials where we still see action on the course while giving sponsors time to air some ads.

 

 

Perhaps more impressing is the tunnel of patrons that encircle the player and the ball takeoff path, and, seemingly, are a shank or snap hook away from the ICU .

[MadMex]

***** YOU ASKED FOR IT WARNING *****

1) DRY AND BORING COMMENTATORS: Seems commentators seem to be afraid of having any sort of personalities, I loved Feherty's comments! Told it like it is, instead of these "gems" we hear every week, "He wants to get this close to the hole" or   "He's not going to like that shot", really Captain Obvious? He just pushed his shot 80 yards into the snake infested woods. 

2) DRUNK OBNOXIOUS FANS SCREAMING STUPID STUFF:  There should be gallery marshals' were as anytime a fan screams "Get in the hole" "Mash potato"  "your the man" or any other stupid remark, he is tasered and carried out of the grounds. 

3) Putt after putt after putt: I have counted 6 shots of different players putting and one of another as he finished his driver swing and BEFORE the ball lands and THEN back to another player putting.

4) CONSTANT TIGER WOODS SHOTS AND MENTIONING OF HIS ROUND:   I know it's been a while, but it drove me nuts how they kept mentioning him even if he was at bottom of leader board, then they kept showing more of  his shots than the tournament leaders.

[revkev]

Sounds like none of us is a big putting fan.  I get it down the stretch but I'd rather watch shots than putts any day - I love seeing tough shots around the green being executed.  As some have observed, pros miss shots, how they get up and down from there is remarkable.

[MadMex]

5 hours ago, revkev said:

Sounds like none of us is a big putting fan.  I get it down the stretch but I'd rather watch shots than putts any day - I love seeing tough shots around the green being executed.  As some have observed, pros miss shots, how they get up and down from there is remarkable.

EXACTLY !!! I want to see how a pro get's out of tricky situations than shot after shot from the groomed fairway, I saw Seve Ballesteros use a 5 iron to chip from the fringe using a putting stroke, later on I saw and interview were he said the closer to the green the less loft he uses for chip and run shots, the less green to work  the more loft  he would use,,,,,, been my go to shots since