[Ryan_Less]

who else here prefers watching the European tour's announcers as compared to the Nick Faldos/ Johnny Millers of the world.

Is it just me or do they care more about golf and less about ratings? I just prefer watching the announcers on the European tour because it seems like they're not trying to be celebrities, just parlay golf to you, the viewer... and they are quiet more. Anybody else agree?

[astamm8]

i greatly prefer the european coverage. and, i don't really mind faldo or miller. they just do soooo much of a better job over there. and the marathon coverage of the open, priceless.

[Ryan_Less]

astamm8, on Jan 22 2009, 09:00 PM, said:

i greatly prefer the european coverage. and, i don't really mind faldo or miller. they just do soooo much of a better job over there. and the marathon coverage of the open, priceless.

Yea it just seems a lot more classier and tasteful

[Furrankee]

Do you not like the personalities doing the telecast OR the golf coverage system?

I've got another question: What if the euro tour employed americans to do their telecast and euros to do the american telecast? Which telecast would you prefer?

[Ryan_Less]

I don't like the style of American broadcasters. I think they tear down players too much and just look for a story in everything to boost ratings. so i would prefer European anouncers, that is if their style was the same as on the Euro telecasts.

[Got An Itch?]

CJ,

Couldn't agree more. The Euro broadcasts are way better. No posturing, no inane analysis. Just golf coverage. I always love hearing "Hmmmm, I don't think he's going to like that one." It is so much better than "I can't believe he would hit it there." As if the guy was trying to hit it in the waist-high grass or plug one in a bunker.

[Viking Golfer]

I do

I hardly watch Bob Hope this week, much prefer to watch the Desert Swing tournaments, Abu Dhabi, Quatar and Dubai

It's all about golf and you avoid constantly having to listen to boring "essays", boring interviews and Rich Lerner talking and smiling like there were no tomorrow

[bovi]

i much prefer the euro commentators. no cliches or sound bites; real commentary + they tell the best golf stories - current and yesteryear. though i do like faldo, because at least he commentates. the rest are like on repeat - especially kelly. seems EPGA is more balanced player-wise too.

though the golf is definitely better state-side. for EPGA, some courses are so dull and gloomy - weather being a factor. they should get swing vision, trackman and shot tracker on the EPGA!

i'd LOVE to watch the masters with the euro guys commentating!

[astamm8]

and this may be splitting hairs, but when the euro coverage does keep a little off topic, i really don't mind. they'll just show some cat fly fishing near the course for like 30 seconds going to a commercial. i'll take that over most of those brutal interviews they so like to show here.

i think it's the coverage that makes the european broadcasts so much better, so i'd take those even with the american announcers. that being said, those british announcers are fantastic.

[nickGT]

I struggle to watch the golf in america for a couple of reasons.

The first is the announcers wind me up. They are way too dramatic and just seem to loud. I know it sounds daft but golf is a slow paced game and i don't like hearing people talk at 100mph and raise there voices.

The 2nd one is the commercial's /infomercials. IMO they are aimed at idiots. I hate the way they convey the products and its just way too cheesy.

[longbal30]

I love the euro golf anounsers, there is no one better at putting me to sleep.

[Ham Solo]

I enjoy watching the Euro tournaments on GC.

[seypat]

nickGT hit it on the head. Most of the American announcers are overly dramatic. Golf doesn't need that. The golf itself produces enough on its own.

I would much rather watch the Euro, Australazian(?) and even Nationwide Tour broadcasts. Here are my reasons:

The broadcasts starts with the two announcers in a beautiful place on the course. They simply inform us about and discuss the 9 or 10 players in contention. Then we go to the course and (at least on the Australazian broadcasts) get to watch those 9 or 10 players tee off. I really like that. Then they stick with it. They show the tournament as it unfolds. Nothing MORE and nothing less. If someone drops we usually find out why. If someone comes on, we find out why also.

Here is what I want out of a broadcast. I want it to feel like the two announcers and I have just got off of the shuttle bus and came through the entry gate. We have picked up the pairing sheets and are figuring out what to do. (refer to the above paragraph) We discuss our options and head off to see the action. I want the commentary to be like we are outside of the ropes watching the action. Some "he's got 226 to the front of the green and a tree blocking his entry on his left." Then show me the camera shot from behind the player. Then let him/her hit it and show me the result with a "that was a good swing there" or a "that wasn't a very good effort there." Nothing more. Then move on to the next shot. And if the camera picks up a gaagle of geese on a pond or a couple walking their dog on the adjoining beach for about 10 or 15 seconds that is fine with me. Because I look at that stuff when I am actually at a tournament.

The Euro, Auzzie and Nationwide coverages give me that. The PGA tour does not. Except for the majors, the PGA coverages usually shows me mostly the highest ranked players in that tourn. playing their rounds. Whether they are shooting 65s or 75s. I want to see the "tournament."

[bucky316]

+1

Renton, Doogie & the rest of the Euro announcing team have class.... they're all about the golf & that's what I like!

However I do like the technical gizmos from the PGA Tour telecasts; that adds much value.... and I really like Nantz, Feherty & Oosterhuis

TGC should fire Tilghman, Faldo & Lerner....and make bigger roles for Foltz & Dottie Pepper (she's terrific on the LPGA telecasts)

[pickerjohn]

I like to watch the European Tour more, most of the time, because:

1) more golf shots, better leaderboard coverage.
2) better announcers in general, because they don't relate the events
in a manner that they are talking to dummies. I've never been a fan of an
announcer trying to explain to me what I just saw.
3) they are not over-dramatic.
4) I do like Johnny Miller
5) The Golf Channel acts like its a show production, featuring their announcers, analysists,
and such as the stars of the show with a few golf shots thrown in.
6) And American network coverage is twice as bad for the same rasons.
7) In addition to Johnny Miller, I also like David Ferherty, and some of the on course guys.

[Lefty17]

I prefer it. They know something about everyone in the field and it's not the same thing over and over. I guess for me as well they talk about the world and the place where the event is being held.

That don't having annoucers saying they choked they call the golf how it is.

[Shah G]

I just love the european telecast. They r so real and so laidback-the way golf should be. Golf is all about enjoyment and fun rather than a on ur toes sort of a sport!!!

[Babaganoosh]

longbal30, on Jan 23 2009, 08:35 AM, said:

I love the euro golf anouncers, there is no one better at putting me to sleep.

+1

[CALLYHO]

It is so miserable to listen to, However at least they show golf. Isn't that the whole point of the golf channel? If I wanted to watch interviews with Celebs, I would watch E! with my girlfriend and Ryan Crest.

[Golf Monkey]

The BBC overage of the Open Championship is good but their involvement in golf is minimal. Skysports satellite coverage is dull. Setanta cover the USPGA but just take the pictures from Golf Channel and other US networks.

[AUDuffer]

I don't really mind the CBS/ESPN/TGC/NBC announcers although there are some things that get on my nerves. Rich Lerner and his NBA analogies the first day of the Hope while Faldo was giving him the deer in headlights look.

What I like more about the Euro broadcasts is the content. LOTS more golf and less fluff, which, to me, is great. They seem to spend much less time on the human interest pieces, which to me is fine.

[McGuire]

Miller and Faldo are very good. Only problem with US telecast is the lack of golf they show. Show more golf ! more players , more golf shots and less grinding over putts.

Besides TGC having freaking Tillingham as the lead .... US telecasts aren't bad

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

I do as well!

less critical, not condescending, just talk about the purity of it all.....I enjoy their announcers so much more....

[Bomb and Gouge]

The Euro coverage has better announcers, shows more golf and more golfers.

[deakanutz]

The Euro telecasts are nice because they seem to show alot more different players in the field. The drawback for me is that their camera shots are sometimes awful, they never seem to find the ball and where it ended up etc. The anouncers are fine, I loved it when Mercedes was sponsoring an event and the camera showed the Mercedes and it was dusty and dirty. The anouncer started screaming "SHame on you Mercedes and what a travesty"

[golfbaka]

I think the issue has less to do with American vs. British commentators per se and more to do with the way the networks cover the various tours. It seems to me that the Golf Channel are afraid with the PGA tour to just 'show the golf' and accept that sometimes there just won't be any great drama.

(REALLY can't stand Lerner! Somebody needs to tell him he's not a great essayist / poet. He can't even do the basics of a simple interview. Ask an interesting question and let the golfer talk. Leave your ego at home Vince!)

[druecu]

Throw Peter Alliss and Ben Wright in the booth and I'll watch it more often.

[ultra45]

I agree that the coverage should show more "golf" than all of the other non-sense that they show... but are we (golfwrx members) the small fish in the big pond of golf viewers who are actually interested in the fal do's +fal don'ts ??? i'd rather see stuff like that covered in their own instructional show explaining the different lies/spins/technical stuff/etc

[thomaskelly]

The Euro announcers seem to talk to the viewers as fellow golfers (who else would be watching?) whilst the Golf Channel are aiming at and referring to 'golf fans'.
The jabbering Americans seem to be constantly searching for that memorable "Yes, Sir!" call. I suspect cocaine abuse.

The punishing and relentless commercial breaks make USPGA golf virtually unwatchable, which is a shame.

Less Viagra and more African rhinos basking in mud pools please

[thomaskelly]

Apologies, I'm not quite over that Kentucky drubbing.

[The Boom Bapp]

I could listen to Renton Ladlaw and Warren Humphries all friggin day!!!

Keep David Feherty, Vern Lundquist, Peter Oosterhaus, Gary McCord & Jim Nantz.

As far as the rest of these ego maniacal, elitest, blowhards such as Johnny and Lanny, PLEASE.....spare us and go jump off a bridge.

[CMAN300]

I have been watching more of the European tour lately not only because they have a couple of my favorite players, but also because of the announcers. It seems like they don't talk as much and just let you see the players, but when they do talk it is something I would actually like to hear.

I must say that Nick Faldo isn't as bad as the rest of the announcers such as Johnny Miller

[Alefty]

I'll try to find the Euro casts. I've noticed British sports coverage being superior in a few sports. Boxing, and.. well I can't think of the others but in general British sportscasters seem to have a more appealing style.

[stealthontour]

The Sky coverage of the European Tour is great, I'm pretty sure you don't get the Sky Sports commentators on the GC coverage you see in the US, The Sky on course commentators are even better.... (Wayne Reilly, Richard Boxhall, Howard Clarke, it's like a lads club of the old jokers on tour who do an amazing job of making the coverage very entertaining to watch)

Plus every event is HD and they are using alot of High Speed HD camera's this season for super slow-mo shots which looks great and is a million times better than the awful swing vision I've seen on PGA Tour coverage. You can see all the small movements the players make in the swing to hit various shots, very impressive.

[SpinMill75]

I like the Euro telecasts much better than those in the US, they seem to care more about the game and traditions as well as being respectful. Sometimes the Golfchannel borders on Nascar coverage.

[Bee-Man]

I find the European broadcasts are generally much better paced than the US coverage - and still for the main, let the golf do the talking. The opinion that the ethos of golf gets a lot less respect in US coverage is very valid IMHO...

The business of sports coverage is to extend beyond its core audience.....and if the sport gets in the way of that happening, something gets tweaked......

I turn to the European coverage - and am still happy just to watch the golf and the golfers.

[Foreleft]

Trying to watch PGA golf coverage on the Golf Channel is like watching MTV for the music. You may occasionally catch a snippet or two, but you end of wondering why you bothered.

[Carl Spackler2]

I love watching the Euro telecasts just to watch the golf coverage, I do put it on the mute though lol, rather listen to some music than listen to dorks try to make interesting convo. But got to love the amount of shots they do show.

American golf adds way to many stories, blah blah blah. I do not care...

Show me the golf!