2015 In Golf Television

Golfweek's Martin Kaufmann lists his ten biggest stories of golf on television for 2015, with David Feherty's move to NBC/Golf Channel finishing second to Fox's "uneven" debut.

He sees Fox's innovation pushing the other networks. However I've yet to see CBS or NBC putting a mic in a cup or employing some of the architecture-friendly camera angles and animated flyovers that stood out. I sense Kaufmann is still trying to convince himself that his predictions of Fox innovation spreading like wildfire will come true.

The newcomer's Open effort was uneven, and certainly hindered by the USGA's regrettable decision to hold the event at Chambers Bay. Fox has big issues to address on its announcing crew in 2016. But it is pushing innovative technology, forcing CBS and NBC to follow suit, and it already is doing a better job than competitors at capturing on-course audio. In the long run, the new competition will make the industry, and the consumer experience, better.

Comments

[McAron]

except for faxon, fox golf was absolutely unwatchable. norman no more wanted to be there than ??? no research, no interesting references and all this alongside another announcer who might be able to play but that is about it....simply a joke. faldo beats him again. usga and fox golf are perfect partners going forward.....or should I say backwards.

[benseattle]

At the risk of sounding partisan because the track is in my neighborhood, I'll disagree with Kaufman's stance that Chambers Bay was a "regrettable decision." What was actually regrettable was the USGA's setup of an outstanding, picturesque and challeging track. Years ago, even as the 2015 event was barely on the horizon, the word was that the greens at Chambers Bay were a loooong way off. It wouldn't have been ridiculous to say: "That's it. The fescue idea is done; bring in the bent/rye/Bermuda or whatever Greg Norman's lab is cooking up these days." Combine that with under-watered, burned-out, "Old Course fast-and-firm fairways" and your receipe for disaster couldn't be surpassed by Gordon Ramsey. In an efffor to be, well.... "creative" and "innovative," the USGA too often gets in its own way. I'm betting the Bluecoats try here again in about 12 years.

As for the Fox "innovations," I didn't mind the occasional 'high and wide' shot to give us an idea of what the golfer faced but who wants to watch players that are little more than tiny specs on the screen? And the "mike in a cup" gimmick? Useless and actually disconserting. Hearing a ball drop on a two-footer adds nothing but a sense of unreality to the stroke. If -- in real life -- you're 50 to 80 feet away from the cup, you're not going to hear the ball rattle the cup so why add it for TV? And while some are high on the coveted "player/caddie" discussions, I have yet to hear anything really compelling. "Smooth five?" "Yeah, just hit it solid." "Okay." Whew! Hot stuff!

[rmppia]

Every network doing golf on TV could and should use some of that technology to show us where the hole actually is on putts where the camera angel or distance make the hole disappear on the TV screen. Should be easy to do but no one does.