A minor irritation about tv coverage.

Agreed. I also am not a huge fan of the close-up of the ball in flight. I guess it's cool that the camera can follow it, but it would be more useful to keep the shot zoomed out and maybe add a fake tail to the path the ball is on so we can see where its going. It would be cartoonish but effective!

This.

Watching a ball in the air on my big screen TV tells me nothing about the shot.  Give me a look from either behind the player and/or behind the hole with the "tail".  Great idea!

Maybe even split screen it so I can see from behind the player AND behind the hole.  Basically anything to make Johnny Miller obsolete...

What are you, pyschic?  ;)  I've never really thought about this until read your post yesterday.  Then today while watching Billy Horschel win for the first time in his career ... on the final putt no less, which was a 26 footer for the win, they did exactly this!  Why?  It's really silly if you think about it.  Could you imagine if they cut to a close up shot of just the basket every time a guy put up a jump shot?  That is ridiculous.  I mean, they did cut back to him right away, but the original wide angle shot was perfect.  Just leave it there!  I want to see the reaction of the guy who has worked his whole life for this, and the reaction doesn't start after the ball falls, it usually starts a couple seconds prior.

Also, I don't like the lack of perspective.  If you've never been to the course, it's hard to appreciate specifics.  You see the player on the tee, the ball in the air, then the ball somewhere in the fairway.  The European Tour has a great idea regarding this that I wish the American channels would copy.  Oftentimes, right after each player in the group has hit their tee shots, they will cut to a graphic (it might even be google maps) of the course with the hole that is being played highlighted.  Then it will zoom in such that you only see that entire hole, and it will pinpoint exactly where on that hole each players ball sits.

And, it may not sound like it cuz I'm all worked up ;), but these irritations are "minor" for me as well.