Changes Coming to CBS Golf Coverage

[iacas]

Changes coming to CBS golf coverage under new leadership in 2021

"Sellers Shy" is the new head of golf at CBS (coordinating producer), taking over for Lance Barrow, who took over from Frank Chirkinian.

Shy has been with the CBS Golf team since 1987.

Quote

In recent years, CBS’s golf coverage fell under frequent criticism from golf fans for a series of perceived missteps. Some felt the network’s coverage moved too slowly and neglected to show an adequate number of golf shots, while others were frustrated with Barrow for what they saw as a refusal to adjust to modern sports television.

Umm, yes to all of that. But the bold part made me laugh.

Quote

Among the most significant changes: new music, updated graphics and a constant mini scoreboard in the lower righthand corner of the screen. The goal, Shy says, is to keep the leaderboard on-screen on a near-constant basis, similar to the score bugs used in other professional sports broadcasts.

New music, updated graphics, and a mini scoreboard are among the most significant changes? Well f*** us all, then!

Quote

“We’re hoping to have even more ‘Eye on the Course’ commercials so that live golf continues to be covered even when we’re in commercial,” McManus said. “So stay tuned for that also.”

Great. MORE ads.

---

I have very little faith CBS will do what golfers want them to do, even though it seems relatively simple: show more golf shots.

Who was clamoring for "new music and updated graphics?"

[dennyjones]

they will show more commercials.   they'll split the screen and show commercials while displaying a shot here or there.   

It doesn't seem like much of a change, just personnel.

[Double Mocha Man]

9 minutes ago, iacas said:

Changes coming to CBS golf coverage under new leadership in 2021

"Sellers Shy" is the new head of golf at CBS (coordinating producer), taking over for Lance Barrow, who took over from Frank Chirkinian.

Shy has been with the CBS Golf team since 1987.

Umm, yes to all of that. But the bold part made me laugh.

New music, updated graphics, and a mini scoreboard are among the most significant changes? Well f*** us all, then!

Great. MORE ads.

---

I have very little faith CBS will do what golfers want them to do, even though it seems relatively simple: show more golf shots.

Who was clamoring for "new music and updated graphics?"

Funny!  New music and updated graphics.  How 'bout Beethoven's Symphony #7, final movement, when we have a winner marching down the 18th fairway?   These changes are perhaps akin to rearranging chairs on the Titanic.  I read this article this morning with fear in my golfing heart.  C'mon, a constant mini scoreboard.  Yeah, let's block out potions of the course. 

This isn't football... golf is a slow-moving sport... I can wait 5 minutes for an updated scoreboard.  Or I can quickly go online and get the scores.  I'm not opposed to changes... just make them more than cosmetic.  Showing more golf shots, I'm down with that... as long as they are full shots.  Putting is boring... including mine.

[boogielicious]

24 minutes ago, iacas said:

Who was clamoring for "new music and updated graphics?"

Ah no. I want more tee, approach and short game shots. Maybe some aerial views to show what the player is up against and shot tracer more often. Less putting. My grandma could putt. 
 

[Double Mocha Man]

2 minutes ago, boogielicious said:

Ah no. I want more tee, approach and short game shots. Maybe some aerial views to show what the player is up against and shot tracer more often. Less putting. My grandma could putt. 
 

Agreed.  Anything but putting.  Unless it's just the stroke, not the whole walk-around and practice strokes and lining up the ball.  And it needs to be a putt that counts for something.  Tee shots and all approach shots, yes.

But a short special segment showing your Grandma putting, with Nick Faldo commenting, could be interesting.

[CarlSpackler]

If you want to improve golf coverage or any sport for that matter, put ball gags on the commentators so we don’t have to listen to their idiotic “captain obvious” commentary. We can begin with Chris Collinsworth. 

[Darkfrog]

2 hours ago, iacas said:

perceived missteps

I think they meant to say perceived missteps. Or maybe perceived missteps really awful golf coverage.

2 hours ago, boogielicious said:

I want more tee, approach and short game shots.

It would definitely be nice to see more tee to green play and less putting I was watching some older (10+ years ago) coverage of The Masters on CBS and it seemed like over half the shots shown were putts. The feed would cut to a player on the green and one of the announcers would say "here is so and so with a par putt"...thanks, but how did they arrive at this particular par putt?

I rarely watch live golf coverage anymore because the TV product mostly sucks, unless it's a major tournament. I just record, and replay at my convenience while skipping all the commercials.

[StuM]

Will the music be like when they play AC/DC between plays in College Football?

Maybe have a marching band between the front & back nine?

And we watch the Masters to see the beer commercials?

[iacas]

7 hours ago, StuM said:

And we watch the Masters to see the beer commercials?

The Masters is excluded from this conversation because ANGC won’t let them screw that up much.

[boogielicious]

9 hours ago, CarlSpackler said:

We can begin with Chris Collinsworth. 

If he was a golf commentator.

”He’ll have to make this putt if he wants to make par. This is his fourth shot on a par 4.”

[Sandy Divot]

I'll wait, and see.

[Double Mocha Man]

4 hours ago, iacas said:

The Masters is excluded from this conversation because ANGC won’t let them screw that up much.

Now that's the model CBS should emulate. Minus the music... I think that is exclusive to the Masters.

[StuM]

5 hours ago, iacas said:

The Masters is excluded from this conversation because ANGC won’t let them screw that up much.

You are likely correct, Thank God.

I did read an article yesterday about coverage of LPGA on Sunday where in 30 minutes they showed only 6 putts and 6 other shots.  I know some do not want to see routine putts but even counting the putts that is only 1 shot every 2 1/2 minutes.  That leaves way too much time for meaningless commentary or interviews with non-combatants.  I'm not sure I agree with Foltz's defense.  I agree Golf is hard to cover because it is across 18 holes, but the industry has had decades to figure that out and I would argue it has been figured out.  To claim they should only focus on the contenders on Sunday is a mistake in my opinion.  There is drama in fighting for 4th place and you cannot expect the lower level players, which may include rookies, to develop a fan following and improve overall viewership if they never show them.  

Golf Channel’s Jerry Foltz addresses viewer frustration from Sunday’s LPGA broadcast on NBC

---

Golf Channel's Jerry Foltz addressed viewer frustration from Sunday's LPGA broadcast on NBC during an episode of the Trap Draw podcast.

 

[iacas]

33 minutes ago, StuM said:

I did read an article yesterday about coverage of LPGA on Sunday where in 30 minutes they showed only 6 putts and 6 other shots.

First, that was NBC. And second, they showed more shots than that, those totals are just the LPGA players. It's a celebrity event to which they added the LPGA.

[StuM]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

First, that was NBC. And second, they showed more shots than that, those totals are just the LPGA players. It's a celebrity event to which they added the LPGA.

I missedread the part about that being only the LPGA player shots. Thanks for correcting me.

[iacas]

3 hours ago, StuM said:

I missedread the part about that being only the LPGA player shots. Thanks for correcting me.

Oh, the coverage was still pretty bad, but yeah, those were just the LPGA shot counts. 🙂

[CarlSpackler]

13 hours ago, boogielicious said:

If he was a golf commentator.

”He’ll have to make this putt if he wants to make par. This is his fourth shot on a par 4.”

And he is the best player on tour aT making par putts which is the best way to avoid a bogey. He really needs to make this. 

Edited January 29, 2021 by CarlSpackler

[iacas]

I like the mini leaderboard.

I still don't think it qualifies as a big change. Just something that's drastically overdue.