Marvellous! SkyTV loses the rights for USPGA Tour Golf to Setanta. Now the Golf Channel UK is gone. No more Big Break for us here in the UK!


I'll have to play more instead of shining the couch with my a***!

just found this out myself, no explanation from sky, just removed the channel as far as i could see and then i read it on the net. Happy New Year UK golfers!

what a joke, i like watching the lpga on there, any reasons given by sky and can we find it anywhere else

Setanta Golf from now on then

Sorry to hear, especially in light of the next 'Big Break' comin' up in Feb......it'll be a tough one to miss!

finally get something decent out of my 15 pound a month...
well other than football

There's Rupert Murdoch for you! What a cheap SOB! I used to work for Newscorp here in the states (FOX TV) and you would have thought the dollar was almost extinct! Yet he owns the most expensive condo in NYC!

Can you guys get it on the web?

The Golf Channel was pretty poorly done though. Programme listings were often wrong, the content was mostly filler, with lots of ancient episodes of 'Academy Live', re-runs of some LPGA event from 2002 and teleshopping.

Big Break was just about the only decent thing on it, so too bad about that, but overall, I will survive!

Guys before you go slagging off Sky get your facts correct. The channel was pulled by JJB who own the rights for the Golf Channel in the UK. They didn't feel it was commercially worthwhile to run the channel and so it was pulled. Only thing i'll miss is Golf Central daily and the LPGA coverage which we're not gonna have any of in the UK.

Yes JJB are responsible. I think they are also behind a new chain of golf shops about to launch in the UK too. Guess what boys, i'll be voting with my feet on this one. I think the channel could have been run well but you just didn't try hard enough.

I'd like to see SKY step in and pick up the Big Break and the LPGA coverage not to mention golf central daily. They could use the money they saved when they lost the UStour coverage.

Very strange.

Albeit, apart from the LPGA coverage and Laura Baugh there wasn't much that stirred my interest on there...

The majority of stuff on there was a bit low rent IMO, and why there's such a following for the Big Break is beyond me...

I agree with Mat about the Big Break. Could not understand what anyone sees in that. And the constant reruns everything used to drive me mad.

But like others, I will miss the LPGA coverage. I still have Setanta Golf, but that feels really low budget to me compared to the Sky services. I'm sure it isn't low budget, but it sure looks and feels like it.

RIP Golf Channel.

I don't know why i like the big break but i do. The only one i had a vested interested was the USA v Europe one @ Carnoustie. Following the Brits was fun as I used to play with a few of them when I was half decent. I really enjoyed Guy Woodman winning on the Europro Tour as he's a nice kid and has worked very hard for many years.

Strange that the most famous Big Break person won the US Open this year. As Angel Cabrera's Caddie!

Great!As Soon as I get my mum to update from Freeview to Sky+,The Golf Channel is gone!! Typical...LOL

Quite annyoing. I used to get it as part of a freeview package and enjoyed watching Golf Central. Pity it was pulled.

It will be sadly missed.

I found this on another Blog site, it is from a member of the Golf Channel, hope this helps explain.


After 4 very happy years we had to take the commercial decision based upon a number of factors.

1) Cost of "good" quality programming. Yes we could have got cheaper programming but not without denigrating the viewer experience

2) Lack of availability of good programming and rights.

3) The commercial revenues that were projected over the coming years.

I'd like to thank all those viewers who have supported the channel since 2003 I believe we created a great channel with programmes that golfers wanted to watch. We also managed to cater for a wide range of golf tastes so if a particular show wasn't for you another certainly would be just right.

The Shopping channel continues as does the US version of the Golf Channel.

Hey Guys, For all of us across the pond......Who or what is Sky and Setanta? Are they cable networks? Sorry to hear you've been cut off from GC. The 08 season just got under way today! Guess the UK has the same type of Big Corporate "BS" as we do here in the US.

Sky is the main satellite provider - owned by Murdoch with the resulting links to Fox.

Setanta is a specialist sports satellite provider which beat Sky to win the rights to PGA golf coverage. They also show some of the big football (soccer) games.

Have to take this time with a topic full of Brits to say... GO WEST HAM. Don't get to say that much in America with anybody knowing what i'm talking about. We lose nobody to the africa cup and we get everybody back thats hurt... hopefully.

No more JJB adverts...No more Kenny Dalgliesh....No more slazenger...sounds like a late christmas present if you ask me!!

Just close your eyes and listen to the sound from the film 'White Heat' - the James Cagney bits sound almost exactly like Jacko...

You can even picture him saying 'look ma.. toppa thaworld..' on the 18th green at Lytham if you try hard.

I think you can watch golf central on thegolfchannel.com

so you can keep up in the uk with golf central

I am in the opposite boat Roger cable (ontario) added GC to the sports package But then Setanta came along and piched all my premiership matches from my Saturday moring routine. With the new baby I can't justify the extra $$ .. No Man U for me this year

NO MORE DAVE PELZ AND HIS SUSPICIOUSLY BAGGY TROUSERS AND SPIRIT CRUSHING VOCAL TONES.

No more K1 Speed 28 handicappers driving the 10th at the Belfry

is there now way to watch the lpga coverage live on the web, im desperate to see the lpga this year in the uk, nobody aware of live streaming i can use, thanks

Benje, you sometimes get LPGA coverage on the below. Most PGA, most European Tour and some of the smaller tours are also on there..
http://myp2p.eu/competition.php?competitio...discipline=golf