Improve Television Golf Coverage
Overall, television coverage of professional golf is very good.
But I feel that adjustments are necessary for that coverage to reach the level of excellence.
Typical tournament coverage involves many distractions from the game at hand.
Endless interviews while there is action on the course are an annoyance, taking away from the focus on the continuity of the tournament.
These diversions can be easily eliminated.
Television is, obviously, a visual medium.
There is no need to concentrate entirely on an interview with a player while blocking out what's transpiring on the course.
Baseball also falls victim to this tendency, as do other sports, failing to use split screen technology that keeps sport fans in touch with the developments on the field while announcers are interviewing players.
I enjoy interviews with players that interject their perspective on the contest, but I want to also see the current action on the field.
Too infrequently, television devotes one hundred percent of its attention to these sidebars and neglects the story that is unfolding on the course at the moment.
There is no reason that TV cannot multitask.
One set of actions does not have to be sacrificed for another.
One of my pet peeves of television's golf coverage, for example, is the ever-present need to indulge in lofty introductions as they begin telecasting a golf tournament.
Introduce the announcers, give a synopsis of previous play, mention the sponsors, etc.
By the time we get to actual coverage of what's happening now, we're five, six or seven minutes past the opening of the telecast.
I want to see what's happening now, not a day ago.
I've already read about that in my morning newspaper.
I don't want to see today's analysts bantering back and forth, I want to see what's going on at the course, live and on time.
The analysts can banter if they wish, and much of what they say is timely, but we can and should see the game develop at the same time.
These do not have to be separate and independent exercises.
Then there is the obligatory appearance by the CEO of the sponsoring company.
There is no reason that we must see him/her full screen to the elimination of the course action.
Put him/her on a quarter screen, while we still follow the game on the course.
If television would give us all a chance to see multiple views more viewers would be able to see more action.
The other imperatives which networks need to include could all be accommodated by using split screen technology and we could all enjoy that continuity of tournament coverage that we deserve to have.
But I feel that adjustments are necessary for that coverage to reach the level of excellence.
Typical tournament coverage involves many distractions from the game at hand.
Endless interviews while there is action on the course are an annoyance, taking away from the focus on the continuity of the tournament.
These diversions can be easily eliminated.
Television is, obviously, a visual medium.
There is no need to concentrate entirely on an interview with a player while blocking out what's transpiring on the course.
Baseball also falls victim to this tendency, as do other sports, failing to use split screen technology that keeps sport fans in touch with the developments on the field while announcers are interviewing players.
I enjoy interviews with players that interject their perspective on the contest, but I want to also see the current action on the field.
Too infrequently, television devotes one hundred percent of its attention to these sidebars and neglects the story that is unfolding on the course at the moment.
There is no reason that TV cannot multitask.
One set of actions does not have to be sacrificed for another.
One of my pet peeves of television's golf coverage, for example, is the ever-present need to indulge in lofty introductions as they begin telecasting a golf tournament.
Introduce the announcers, give a synopsis of previous play, mention the sponsors, etc.
By the time we get to actual coverage of what's happening now, we're five, six or seven minutes past the opening of the telecast.
I want to see what's happening now, not a day ago.
I've already read about that in my morning newspaper.
I don't want to see today's analysts bantering back and forth, I want to see what's going on at the course, live and on time.
The analysts can banter if they wish, and much of what they say is timely, but we can and should see the game develop at the same time.
These do not have to be separate and independent exercises.
Then there is the obligatory appearance by the CEO of the sponsoring company.
There is no reason that we must see him/her full screen to the elimination of the course action.
Put him/her on a quarter screen, while we still follow the game on the course.
If television would give us all a chance to see multiple views more viewers would be able to see more action.
The other imperatives which networks need to include could all be accommodated by using split screen technology and we could all enjoy that continuity of tournament coverage that we deserve to have.