WRX Forum Buzzz
Today from the Forums: “How would you improve golf television coverage?”
Today from the Forums, we take a look at a discussion on how WRXers would improve golf TV coverage. Golf TV coverage has come in for its share of criticism in recent weeks on the likes of social media, and FairwaysToHeaven kicks off the discussion with his six ideas to improve the broadcasts:
- “Fox seems to lead the way with the drone footage, and it was pretty impressive at Pebble for the US Open. Not sure if its money or logistics that prevents more use of drones, but check out this feed… You can’t tell me networks, if they actually cared about quality of coverage, couldn’t incorporate drone usage more.
- We absolutely need more handheld cameras to eliminate the generic top-down views from towers to greens. Give me more views as if I’m watching from the sidelines rather than a tower. No more tracking ball through the air which gives us ball in sky look.
- We must show off the course elevation. Current tv camera angles not only eliminate elevation and undulations but eliminate hole layout, sense of distance to pin, etc. and many shots are so generic the viewer wouldn’t be able to tell if it was footage from any other course in the world…example…every top-down zoomed-in view of a player putting on green.
- Stop zooming in on putts rolling towards the hole – which only eliminate player, caddy, fans reactions to a miss/make
- I’m ok with recorded footage. Show more shots. Show fewer tap in putts.
- And of course…. eliminate the fluff…showing the announcers, showing a FedEx cup leaderboard in February, we can have CEO interview audio while watching golf…we don’t need visual, etc”
Our members have been getting involved in the discussion and sharing their thoughts in our forum.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- LeoLeo99: “Get a chance to watch the feature group telecast. I forget where I was watching it, but they use more handheld cameras, and they stay with a group. So, you see all the interaction between the players and caddies. It’s a lot more of “being there” feel to the broadcast.”
- FlyingBasset: “Really great responses in here so far. I’ll summarize my thoughts since they have mostly been covered. 1) Drone coverage – not happening. Drones large enough to carry HD cameras are NOT quiet. And the noise is also not constant as claimed – any time they move or even account for wind they change pitch quite a lot. It’s one thing if you can drown it out by being over the ocean, but players would hate this IMO. The cost-benefit ratio is just not there compared to things like ShotLink and ShotTracer. 2) CEO interviews – Eh, give them their 15 minutes for the money their companies are paying. 3) Shots covered – I completely agree with showing more shots and less putts. I don’t watch to see the best players in the world tap in 2 footers – I do that enough myself. Overall it just needs to be a higher shot-to-putt ratio. Overall, we have so much to be thankful for with golf coverage. ShotTracer and ShotLink have revolutionized how we watch golf, and I think that has a lot more room to grow. PGA Tour Live allows people to get the extra golf-coverage they want for a reasonable cost. And if you subscribe through Amazon Prime, no commercials to boot! Best $65 I’ve ever spent (I’m watching at work right now!) Bonus Gripe: I know we said no ragging on announcers, but give us more stories or opinions instead of generic comments. They’re around these players all day! I would honestly rather hear about the pastrami on rye Rory had for lunch instead of ‘OMG he hits it sooooooo far!’ on every, single, tee shot.”
- Fyll: “Bring on the drones.”
- Hawkeye77: “Remember the fad of showing the putting line all the time? Eventually wore off and thank goodness. Tracer is okay; I like it in the little box off to the side. ‘Demanding’ having every tee shot and iron shot traced isn’t necessary at all, and plenty of them get shown. Still enjoy watching golf and not a video game like the NFL has become.”
Entire Thread: “How would you improve golf television coverage?”
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In our forums, our members have been discussing Mini-Drivers and accompanying shafts. WRXer ‘JamesFisher1990’ is about to purchase a BRNR Mini and is torn on what shaft weight to use, and our members have been sharing their thoughts and set ups in our forum.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- PARETO: “New BRNR at 13.5. Took it over to TXG (Club Champ but TXG will always rule) in Calgary for a fit. Took the head down to 12, stuck in a Graphite Design AD at 3 wood length and 60g. Presto- numbers that rivaled my G430Max but with waaaaay tighter dispersion. Win.”
- driveandputtmachine: “Still playing a MIni 300. The head was only 208, so I ordered a heavier weight and play it at 3 wood length. I am playing a Ventus Red 70. I play 70 grams in my fairways. I use it mainly to hit draws off the tee. When I combine me, a driver, and trying to hit a draw it does not work out well most of the time. So the MIni is for that. As an aside, I have not hit the newest BRNR, but the previous model wasn’t great off the deck. The 300 Mini is very good off the deck.”
- JAM01: “Ok, just put the BRNR in the bag along side a QI10 max and a QI10 3 wood. A load of top end redundancy. But, I have several holes at my two home courses where the flight and accuracy of the mini driver helps immensely. Mine is stock Proforce 65 at 13.5, I could see a heavier shaft, but to normal flex, as a nice alternative.”
Entire Thread: “What’s the perfect Mini-Driver/Shaft combo? – GolfWRXers discuss”
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In our forums, our members have been discussing one of the new sensations in the world of golf – Ludvig Aberg. The 24-year-old finished solo second at the Masters a couple of weeks ago, and gained many plaudits, including from several WRXers.
- RELATED: ‘There were a number of red flags’ – Ludvig Aberg reveals why he turned down multiple LIV offers
One member, RoyalMustang, took to the forums to explain why Aberg is now their favorite player, saying:
“I loved the way the Ludvig was out there, having a great time, not taking himself or the situation too seriously. Even after the double at 11, he was like “well, that’s golf!” Loose and relaxed: that’s the way to play. It’s obvious he loves what he’s doing, he loves the big moments, and he loves being a part of it all.
Arnold Palmer was viewed that way. Just like Brooks Robinson was forever viewed as not just a great baseball player, but a great human being and friend to Baltimore.”
And our members have been reacting and sharing their positive takes on the young Swede.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- redfirebird08: “Ludvig has a great attitude, a great smile, and a great golf swing.”
- otto6457: “I’m very lucky to have talked with Ludde several times at the Rawls Course at Texas Tech. He’s a truly nice guy and very friendly. Always said hello when we passed each other in the club house and was always smiling. Watching him hit balls on the range was a joy. He has “that sound” and trajectory to die for. There were many times he was out on the range in 30+ mph winds just hitting the most beautiful shots that just seemed to ignore the wind. World class ball striker. And yes……..I am a fan boy.”
- konklifer: “I like him. In an era of endless waggles and laboring, his swing and pace of play are a joy to watch.
Entire Thread: “Why Ludvig Aberg is my new favorite player – GolfWRXers discuss”
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At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Titleist TSR 9-wood.
From the seller: (@RHenderson): “Titleist TSR 9 Wood, Like new. Mint, Custom ordered from Titleist and received it Friday, played 1 round & only hit 4 balls with it, it does not fit my gaping so my loss your gain. Hzrdus Riptide CB 60 Stiff $200.00 Will sell just the head & cover for $175.00.“
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Titleist TSR 9-wood
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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Robert
Mar 8, 2020 at 9:09 pm
Run a list of the sponsors periodically on a ticker tape at the bottom of the screen. Ditch the other sports updates.
Cdub
Mar 8, 2020 at 6:18 pm
Take Azinger off the air!
Shallowface
Mar 8, 2020 at 1:39 pm
One thing I would eliminate are pre and post round interviews. There’s no content.
Pre-round: “What do you need to do today?” “Well I need to drive it in play and hit the greens and if I make some putts I should be right there.”
Post-round: “What do you need to do tomorrow?” “Well I need to drive it in play and hit the greens and if I make some putts I should be right there.”
Post round Sunday: “How’d it go out there today?” Well I drove it well (or didn’t it depends), I hit my irons great (or didn’t, it depends) and my putter was on fire (or cold as ice, it depends).
Rich Douglas
Mar 6, 2020 at 11:53 pm
Split screen: golfer and shot tracer on one half, overhead map with shot tracer on the other. Every single time on every single full shot.
Keep the golfer and his surroundings in the camera while watching a put. No need for a close-up.
Strategy, club choices, alternatives, etc. Keep it analytical.
MarC
Mar 6, 2020 at 9:57 pm
Get rid of the Blimp and add a fleet of drones! Call them GLIMPS! CHEERS!!
Madeline Morgan
Mar 6, 2020 at 6:09 pm
Take a page out of European Tour coverage and have announcers mostly just STFU. The American penchant for constant air-filling blather and shameless shilling for corporate sponsors is annoying, distracting, generally uninformative, and too often provides cover for USGA/PGA Tour idiocy or the bad play and/or bad behavior of players. Fewer putts, more full shots. The relentless avalanche of commercial breaks has long since gotten completely out of hand.
A. Commoner
Mar 6, 2020 at 6:39 pm
Maddy: Excellent post. My short version: Muzzle the entire TV crew.
Shallowface
Mar 8, 2020 at 1:01 pm
The problem with complaining about the sponsors or the commercials is that without the sponsors there would be no professional golf. It is advertising money trying to reach an affluent audience. The only reason we have professional sports is because someone pays for them. The players would do well to remember that.
What I really do not want is would-be stand up comedians providing any degree of yuk yuk commentary. You don’t see it in any other sport, and we don’t need it in golf.
I enjoy the commentary of Paul Azinger and Johnny Miller before him. Call out choking dogs when they expose themselves on national television.
Finally, and we don’t see as much of this with Tiger not playing much anymore, but stop the fawning over him. The most ordinary shots get “Okay! Okay!” or “that was a smart play.” More than likely it was a miss, just like it was for anyone else who hit it.
CrashTestDummy
Mar 6, 2020 at 4:26 pm
Those are pretty amazing shots. Got to be so difficult to get them with a drone though.
db
Mar 6, 2020 at 11:56 am
shot tracer every full shot..