Voices of Golf - The Good, The Bad and The Lucky

They call the shots. They give us the stats and the history. They give us insight into the players' minds and moods. And, for better or worse, they give us their opinions on every aspect of this game we love.

What follows is my own take on the personalities that strap on the headphones to bring us their analysis of professional golf.

Who's The Man?

Johnny Miller

Love him or hate him, no on-air personality garners more comment on golf forums than Johnny Miller. With 32 professional wins and 2 major titles, he obviously has the credentials to be 'lead golf analyst' for NBC. What sticks in the craws of many, though, are his critical comments of the decisions that golfers make week in week out. I for one don't fault him for these opinions. He is being paid for his insights, and, while I may disagree on occasion, I would have to say that he is more often right than wrong. The only criticism I have of Johnny is his dog-with-a-bone like quality when he talks about the influence of the grain or wind on greens. O.K. Johnny we get it! Every player has come up short with their approach putts on number 12 because they are failing to factor in the grain. Easy to say when you have watched 26 groups play the hole, but gee whiz golly, do we have to hear it every time?

Nick Faldo

Sir Nick has been a solid and interesting analyst, since he joined ABC in 2004 and moved to CBS two years later. He's definitely not controversial, but his dry wit and ability to focus in on the essential challenge facing a player in any given situation makes him worth listening to. While he is even more accomplished than Miller (40 wins worldwide, 6 majors and ranked World Number One for 98 weeks,) I've never felt Faldo to be arrogant. You've got to respect that.

Let's Hear it From the Girls

Kelly Tilghman

You can't mention Faldo, without Kelly Tilghman. Indeed, I've long suspected they were romantically involved, but I have absolutely no proof on which to base that opinion. Perhaps it's the way she gushes at every word that comes out of his mouth. She does a good job at setting up Faldo though and she handles interviews with the big names rather well.  Aside from the notorious 'lynching' comment she made in regards to Tiger a while back, she has managed to bounce back and hold her own.

Judy Rankin

One of the best analysts out there; male or female. She knows the game, and is always on point. Perhaps it's because she is an on-course commentator, rather than an in-booth talking head, she gives you the lie, the yardages, the breaks with crystal clarity. I'd love to have her on my bag!

Dottie Pepper

Not as refined as Judy, but knows what's she's doing out there. She gets better every tournament she covers. I wonder if she doesn't try a little to hard to be 'one of the boys,' though, but that's a minor criticism. I also wonder why she stopped competing. But, that's a legitimate question for many of the people we're looking at here. For some it's because they know they wouldn't be competitive, for others it may be because they make a lot more bank on the air than they would on the links.

The Jokers

Gary McCord & David Feherty

Ever since Tiger Woods' video game hit the shelves, these two are inseparable in the minds of many. Actually, McCord's 'Tin Cup' appearance made him a household name to many non-golfers and affirmed what we all know; he's a hoot to listen to, but he doesn't exactly demand respect from his colleagues. Be that as it may, I think the reason I like McCord is that he is at heart a big fan himself. So, his cries of ecstasy at well struck shots and groans of agony at missed putts reflect what the viewer is thinking. I just wish he's stop peddling merchandise.

Feherty is a whole other lunatic. His quirky, self-deprecating style gets me every time. I remember a few years back at The Canadian Open that his gallery was bigger than any golfer, except for Mike Weir. People love him and it's not hard to see why. He's not afraid to say what he's thinking and is looking for any opportunity to crack wise. But, perhaps I give him too much credit. What is just as likely is that there is absolutely no filter between his brain and his mouth. Either way, he's my favorite.

The Journeymen

Peter Oosterhuis

Of all the commentators out there, he's the guy I trust the most. He is like the glue to any telecast in that he reins in overstatements and warns one and all that there is no more important shot than the next one. He's what Johnny Miller aspires to be. He gives credit where credit is due, but he doesn't give it out liberally, which makes those occasions when he is effusive all the more meaningful.

Peter Kostis

No one can break down a swing as clearly as Kostis. I just wish he didn't have to say, 'Now with the help of the Minolta Biz Hub Swing Vision Camera...' every time he does it. What a mouthful! Anyway, as a coach to tour pros, he is the best guy out there for helping the average Joe wrap his head around what is without a doubt one of the most unnatural motions a human has ever been forced to perform.

Gary Koch

Solid commentary and analysis. He is the definition of embedded. Koch has been doing it for such a long time, that I'm sure there would be a pretty substantial void in any telecast without his voice. A trusted man on the ground day in and day out.

The Golf Channel Boys

Frank Nobilo

The best of the TGC crew, Frank is still actively involved in some big stakes events like The President's Cup, so he can sit down with people like Nicklaus and Norman and ask real questions. He didn't have the most stellar career, but he has real empathy with players and cuts them a bit of slack when everyone else (Chamblee) are ready to burn them in effigy.

Brandel Chamblee

Seldom has someone who has accomplished so little on the golf course had so many opinions about so many golfers. Of course, you don't need a resume like Faldo to state your case, but do you have to do it as though your life is at stake? I guess that's what he gets paid for, but is it just me, or does he sometimes contradict himself? Especially when Tiger comes up, he knows no middle ground. Full on praise or damnation of biblical proportions. A little balance would make him a much better commentator.

Charlie Rymer

There was never a period during Tiger's meltdown that warranted tears from an on-the-air golf commentator. But, that didn't stop Ol' Charlie. Stick to the Big Break for Pete's sake.

Rich Lerner

Yiddish is the only language that accurately describes this guy. Schmaltzy! I know tradition is important to the game, but Lerner thinks his little pieces are high art and will wind up in the Golf Hall of Fame. Sheesh! Get over yourself!

Michael Breed

The idea that you can 'Fix' a persons swing faults in 30 seconds is ridiculous on its face. The idea that you can do that while screaming with a nasal twang makes it surreal. Let's not do this!

There are so many more, good and bad (Rolfing / Byrum – good, Lewis / Sands – Bad) that it would take too much blog space to comment on them all, but I just wan't to mention one more.

The Lucky Man

Dave Marr

Along with Mark Lye (also good) this guy has the best job in broadcast golf. He schmoozes with past greats every day, knows them all intimately, and he knows more about their careers than they do. He asks good questions, and never stops smiling. Granted the seniors are a lot more approachable than regular tour players, but I give Marr credit for taking what was probably not the most prestigious post in golf commentary and making himself hands down the best at what he does.  

Canadians on the Tour

Here's a look at how our boys are doing on Tour.  

(As of April 18)

NAME	RESIDENCE	POSITION	POS. MOVED
Stephen Ames	Calgary, AB	147	-9
Graham DeLaet	Weyburn, SK	243	-7
David Hearn	Brampton, ON	254	-9
Mike Weir	Bright's Grove, ON	293	-16
Adam Hadwin	Abbotsford, BC	328	-5
Jon Mills	Oshawa, ON	461	-3
Dustin Risdon	Calgary, AB	551	-8
Chris Baryla	Calgary, AB	630	-17
Jim Rutledge	Victoria, BC	702	-15

Golf Canada - a Rebranding

The Royal Canadian Golf Association has decided to embark on a new course under a new name - Golf Canada.  I personally support this move and here's why.

1.  It's young!  The old R.C.G.A. was clinging to a very thin rope known as a weak association to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews - the home of golf.  No one really thought there was a connection; because there wasn't one!

2. It's got zip!  Yes, it's simple, and yes it's quite American in it's simplicity.  But one thing we should never  doubt about American branding, it works.

3. It's got a cool logo.  Compare

It's a no brainer!

MAJOR CHANGES

With Charl Swhartzel’s victory at The Masters it didn’t take long for someone to point out that an American  does not hold at least one of the four Major titles.  It got me to wondering if this was an unprecedented event.  Has there ever been another occasion when the Americans were blanked since 1934, when the first Master’s was held?  

I was surprised to learn that one doesn’t have to look that far back to see that this is in fact the second time it has happened.  In 1994 Jose Maria Olazabal (Spain) won the Masters, Ernie Els (South Africa) was U.S. Open Champ and Nick Price (Zimbabwe) won both The Open and The PGA titles.

Actually, the announcer who made the observation quite rightly pointed out that all four titles are now held by European Tour regulars, as opposed to USPGA Tour full timers.  It was not an anti-American statement as much as it was a pro-European remark.  There has been a lot of that in the past year, and it begs the question why there weren’t such comments being bandied about in 1994.  There are a variety of reasons why the current situation is different and they are interesting to ponder.

Sixteen years ago, while Olazabal was essentially a European Tour full timer, both Els and Price were USPGA Tour stalwarts.  Schwartzel, Kaymer, Oosterhuis and MacDowell are all European Tour regulars with only occasional appearances on American soil.

Another major difference of course is that 1994 was pre-Tiger.  Both Els and Price have held The World Number One ranking (for 9 and 44 weeks respectively.)  While Olazabal never made it to the top, had he beaten Ian Woosnam at The Masters in 1991 (he finished second) he would have become the World number one.  Tiger of course held the top rank for a stunning 623 weeks (with Greg Norman a distant second at 331 weeks.)  Kaymer is number one as of this writing, but MacDowell, Schwartzel and Oosthuizen are well back at 6^th, 11^th and 28^th respectively.  The importance of Tiger’s dominance to this story is that his brilliance blinded the Americans to what was going on across the pond.

True, back in 94’ Colin Montgomerie won the second of his seven consecutive Order of Merits and reached his highest ever ranking of number two.   Given that, even with his complete dominance of the European Tour, he still couldn’t reach the number one spot, it isn't difficult to understand why the Americans felt the Europeans to be a minor threat.  It does demonstrate the depth of the US Tour at that time as Tiger didn’t turn pro until 1996.  And Tiger’s rise to number one in a record 42 weeks blotted out anything noteworthy happening in Europe. 

In fact the focus on Tiger was so intense that any golfer no matter where he called home had no choice but to tee it up at US Tour events and compete against Tiger if he wanted to be considered a ‘real professional.’  The growth of purses that his star power generated was another thing that could not be ignored; European purses being about 50% of American.

But the European Tour did not crawl off into a corner and die.  In fact it got bigger and better.  The topsy turvy American economy has made finding new sponsors and keeping old ones the bane of every US Tour Commissioner.  Yet, the European Tour has had no such difficulties. Of course, junior golf development programs like The First Tee, as well as strong college level golf, has always meant that there will be plenty of talent in the U.S. But, Tiger's popularity woke the Europeans up to the fact that they must also invest in their youth and grow the game.  Their rise in Ryder Cup competitiveness bears this out, as does the addition of the very successful Race to Dubai in response to the FedEx Cup playoff system.

So, when Tiger crashed and burned last Thanksgiving, the Europeans were poised and ready to step into the void created by his absence and resulting loss of dominance.  More so it would seem than Tiger's fellow Americans.  And it is this fact that makes me think that we probably won't have to wait another 16 years before non-American players hold all four major titles again.