PGA Tour Commentary

golfer929 · January 5, 2018

We are off to some quality broadcast trolling in the New Year.

Who is trolling?

Lagavulin62 · January 5, 2018

I don’t think the golfers of today look as impressive to me as the ones I grew up watching in the 70’s. I realize I was younger and more impressionable back then. But I also believe the ball flight of today is pretty boring, straight up and straight down, and also the fact they don’t work shots like they used to. I watch them today and just not impressed. The technology has made it unnecessary for them to be as skilled at shotmaking and I think as fans we are being cheated to seeing what they could really do. If you really are blown away by what they do today, you would have loved earlier times.

nix · January 5, 2018

I can't stand how they try and make every shot seem like it is life or death. Like these guys are in battle, or are some warriors or gunslingers in a duel. They are playing golf, let's tone it down a bit here.

How a simple chip "Has an impossible lie, really buried in the rough here and the green is sloping away from him. I'm not even sure he can advance it out of this lie, 10 ft would be good here." Then the player hits a simple pitch shot and the commentary is "Oh my!! Wow! No other golfer on Earth could have chipped that to 6ft, just look at the acceleration into the ball, with the water behind the green, this man has no fear! These guys are good!"

Another one that gets me is the.. "Wow, what a drive right there, 320 yards! That's just a product of the hard work these guys put in week in and week out." Yea, I could hit it 300 yards too if I got the 40 yards of roll like they do on tour most events.

I understand they are great golfers, but not lets act like some of the shots they hit out there couldn't be done by somebody who is less than a 10 handicap.

This is actually pretty true. I can't count the number of times I've heard the announcers tell me the shot was just impossible and the player ends up putting it close.

nix · January 5, 2018

Hearing is overrated. There is not a single sport where the commentators can provide anything more meaningful than what you are viewing. Turn the volume off. When a commercial comes on use the time to check stats or text your buddies.

My no 1 request of all sports is to provide a natural sounds broadcast. NO anouncers, just sounds of the game. Baseball has done this on mlb.tv and it's wonderful.

Lagavulin62 · January 5, 2018

Hearing is overrated. There is not a single sport where the commentators can provide anything more meaningful than what you are viewing. Turn the volume off. When a commercial comes on use the time to check stats or text your buddies.

My no 1 request of all sports is to provide a natural sounds broadcast. NO anouncers, just sounds of the game. Baseball has done this on mlb.tv and it's wonderful.

You make a good point. In the 90’s I lucked out on a 40 yard, 10th row seat in Memorial Stadium Austin for the Texas/Arkansas game. In fact it was the last game for Arkansas in Austin before moving to the SEC. I still had perfect hearing them and let me tell you I could hear it all. Popping of helmuts, shoulder pads, player calls, coaches shouting. We always had the cheap seats, and though the sounds echo, it’s not the same as being up close. I am a big Bruins hockey fan and every now and then I listen using headphones. The local network does pretty good brodcasting ghe sounds on the ice and it does make a huge difference and bring the kind of excitement no announcer could duplicate. I’m not sure how they could do that in golf as they just don’t say much, and neither does anyone around them, including fans. Also I don’t like participants using mics because that turns it into a sort of cheap stage event. But I do get your point as far as most other sports. Maybe a golf improvement would be to keep announcers as single as they used to do in the past when they would practically whisper the action. Lol. Also who really needs on course commentators?

Sawgrass · January 5, 2018

I can't stand how they try and make every shot seem like it is life or death. Like these guys are in battle, or are some warriors or gunslingers in a duel. They are playing golf, let's tone it down a bit here.

How a simple chip "Has an impossible lie, really buried in the rough here and the green is sloping away from him. I'm not even sure he can advance it out of this lie, 10 ft would be good here." Then the player hits a simple pitch shot and the commentary is "Oh my!! Wow! No other golfer on Earth could have chipped that to 6ft, just look at the acceleration into the ball, with the water behind the green, this man has no fear! These guys are good!"

Another one that gets me is the.. "Wow, what a drive right there, 320 yards! That's just a product of the hard work these guys put in week in and week out." Yea, I could hit it 300 yards too if I got the 40 yards of roll like they do on tour most events.

I understand they are great golfers, but not lets act like some of the shots they hit out there couldn't be done by somebody who is less than a 10 handicap.

This is actually pretty true. I can't count the number of times I've heard the announcers tell me the shot was just impossible and the player ends up putting it close.

Back it up further! Old Tom Morris was the GOAT.

Holy Moses · January 14, 2018

For those of you who like the understated commentary, turn on the Sony Open. Due to a strike by a number of technical people on-site, there’s no on-course sound or commentary.

howellhandmade · January 14, 2018

If you listen to the call on PGA radio in the car, the tv commentary seems urbane.

Holy Moses · January 14, 2018

If you listen to the call on PGA radio in the car, the tv commentary seems urbane.

Those guys are really good. Dennis Paulson could get a TV job and Earl Forcey has incredible pipes. Their other PBP guy does work for CBS at times. Luke Elvey I think.