TV ideas for 2012

[Mike Hendren]

Or maybe just put Charlie and Paula in a food cart and see what happens. GC version of reality TV.

Bob

Bob, reminds me of the old joke:  What do you get when you cross Charlie Rymer with Paul Creamer?  Nothing - there's some things a pretty girl just won't touch.

Charlie, what about Cox?

Bogey

[Kalen Braley]

I think Charlies got it exactly right about architecture.  I've tried engaging my buddies on this stuff and it just don't take...I don't see how the average weekend warrior will sit thru an hour long program of that kind of stuff.

So far, I think the best ideas are:

- How would an average joe be able to play that "stupidly good shot the pro just hit".  Perhaps even give him 10 tries and see if he can come anywhere near to pulling it off.

- Showcasing a local muni in the area of where an event is played...or perhaps even several munis.  It would be great for tourism and the like.

- Given that the Food Network show "Chopped" is so popular...it'd be good if there were something like that to be done on the golf channel.  But i'm not sure what that format would look like.

And yes of course, they could always televise Grudge Match 3 in Canada next June.  Forget Ryder Cup, lets see what the action looks like when 2 hacks go at it.

[BCrosby]

Or maybe just put Charlie and Paula in a food cart and see what happens. GC version of reality TV.

Bob

 

As long as Charlie never gets the hot dog. 

Too late for that.

[John Kavanaugh]

You will love a new show on Golf Channel in 2012 that addresses what's happening on the practice range. Stay tuned.

A non-commercial show on golf course architecture isn't gonna happen. I'm not sure what you do for a living but I doubt if you do it for free. Somebody has to pay the bill. And outside of the 1300 of us geeks on this site, nobody really gives a shit about golf course architecture. I love  learning about design and try to fit in as much as I can. But the main idea is to have people tune in and stay tuned in.

Great ideas!  Keep 'me coming.

Charlie,

It would work if you did a Project Runway style format where you sent a group of aspiring golf photographers out to a course with a mission to take a picture and then eliminate the worst person each week.  Base it in one of the great cities in the country where there are enough courses so a different one could be used each week.  It would be interesting to see which hole is chosen and from what angle the picture is taken.  Have celebrity guest photographers as judges come in each week.  One week phone pics only, golfer perspective only, from the tee, from the green, etc, etc.  The show practically writes itself and it would be easy to get a cast of characters since everybody thinks they take excellent pictures.

Funny thing about this show is that people would learn about architecture without even knowing it.  One other treat for free:  My favorite episode would be the one where the contestant is required to take his picture during the course of a round.  Nothing more frustrating or funny than seeing guys who are more interested in taking a picture than golfing.  Put them each in a group of some charity scramble and you will get more tape than you know what to do with.

With all the product placement this show is profitable before it airs.

[George Pazin]

Another thought for a weekly segment: Take an unknown guy that was in contention a few years back and bring him back to discuss his day in the sun. For example, after reading Carl Paulson's book (Rookie on Tour), I followed him closely the year he was in contention at the TPC. I've always wondered what he's up to now.

[Kalen Braley]

I've also wondered how well a pro would shoot with my clubs.

So the show would be....during a tour stop event, the cameras follow a pro as he plays 9 holes at an averagee joes course, using that guys clubs that whole time.  9 holes, 2 guys, 1 set of clubs....as they would both use the same set.  Hijinks and awe ensue as the local hack sees how well shots can be executed from a 10 yr old set of "worn in" clubs.

You could get "Play it Again Sports" to sponsor it!  

Or as a 1 off.

Let the pro use his own clubs, but he only gets to use 2...against the average joe who gets to use all of his.  They could play 9 holes and see who is victorius.

[Matt MacIver]

I would watch a regular 30 minute show called "This Week's Courses"...and it included pieces on where the tourneys are that week: pick the most interesting from the PGA, LPGA, Nationwide, US, Euro, Asia, USGA, etc.  

Each segment would go discuss:

- history of the course
- evolution of routing and holes (and WHY)
- tournament history
- player commentary, current and ex- champs
- what makes it a great course -- or NOT  
- course type (penal, strategic; FUN?)
- what the original architect had in mind and if any subsequent GCAs made changes for the better -- or worse
- what has modern technology done to the course, i.e. will three golf balls or spring-effect drivers make this course obsolete soon?  
- lastly how does all this affect the golfers playing it this week (the 1%) vs. the rest of us?  

[Peter Pallotta]

Let's cut to the chase, boys -- two words:

Nude Girls!

That's right, can you imagine it -- totally nude!

Except for a pair of those little golf socks....and a pearl necklace.

At Cypress Point. 

[Mike Hendren]

Hickory Club Match between Luke Donald and Corey Pavin.

Special Guest:  Lee Buck Trevino playing with a tape-wrapped Dr. Pepper bottle.

[BCrosby]

Naked girls, just golf socks and shoes -  so simple, so elegant. I like it. Low production costs. High viewership. Cha-ching.

Only one problem. No one will notice Cypress Point in the background. Golf architecture will be short-changed again on TV.

Bob 

[Charlie Rymer]

Come on Bob. The tie wasn't that bad. It's a Loudmouth Golf tie.  I'm friendly with those guys and they sent me some ties. It wasn't a clip-on or anything. You should try one, I read a recent study that said men who wear loud ties have more sex with females. or in my case, the same female.

[Jud_T]

Charlie,

Welcome to Thunderdome!  I agree with the less putting, more full shots credo,  at least until the back 9 on Sunday.  Anything that makes the players appear more human and less like automaton range-rats could be good for ratings and the sport.  I know there's only 1 Boo, but I assume everyone else isn't sitting in bible study class when they're not on the course.  Love to see some way for TV to prick the "green is good" myth.  Do a feature when you're at firm and fast tracks on how a greenside recover shot or an approach can be played a variety of ways then go to some overwatered track in the area and show how there's only 1 option for a similar shot.

[BigEdSC]

Here's my suggestion:
     Charllie and Paula Creamer are hanging out at a par-3 in a beverage cart at a golf course near that week's LPGA event.  They bet any foursome that comes through that one of them can hit the ball closest to the pin versus the rest of the group with a nominal bet on the line or make it a stupid bet like the loser has to jump in the water or something stupid like that.  But something has to be on the line, not the loser gets a gift certificate from Dick's Sporting Goods or something.

Entertainment.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Okay Charlie..now we realise that commercialism truly rules the programming...
follow a tour player and a non tour player through the club fitting process...one week at Taylor Made...one week at Nike...etc
Half an hour show showing the respective players and companies dealing with the players wants and non wants.
Offer it out there to all the companies and see who comes up with the money to showcase thier players/products and show the audience what goes on behind the scenes...for example at Nike..Mike Taylor on the grind wheel working on Tiger's wedges, of Dave Franllin working on the grooves of tiger's method putter....just some examples...
I know you are Taylor Made man...but who isnt nowadays....

[Dan Kelly]

... outside of the 1300 of us geeks on this site, nobody really gives a shit about golf course architecture.

Maybe so -- but they DO care about golf courses (when they're worth caring about), and they DO care about history (when the history is interesting).

I suppose too many of the PGA Tour courses fail both tests.

I have proposed, earlier and elsewhere, a golf travel show combining golf and travel and food and history. Maybe, to make it "commercial" enough, you could do it sort of "Big Break" style ... driving a bunch of guys (and, of course, gals) from course to course and town to town, on some sort of Jumbo Vehicle ... and sending one of your players home each week.

[Jason Topp]

Charlie:

Thanks for asking.  I would love to see a series of features on smaller state level amateur tournaments that have unique histories or interesting back stories.  In Northern Minnesota there are a series of resort tournaments that are a week long and involve some of the best players in the region as well as some very average competitors.  The Resorters is probably the biggest.  http://www.echopress.com/event/article/id/86781/

In Iowa, there is an Iowa Masters where I have been told that the folks in Augusta attempted to stop the tournament from using the name but could not because the Iowa version predated the Augusta version.  I am skeptical of that story because the timing does not seem right but I am not aware of other tournaments in the US called the Masters.    http://www.veenkergolf.com/tournaments/iowa_masters/


For me, the biggest tournament of the Year is the Northwest Amateur in Spencer, IA.  http://www.nwamspencer.com/

In 2007, I wrote the following description of my experiences in a thread:
http://www.nwamspencer.com

My highlight was shooting 82 - 81 = 163 to miss the cut by 10 shots in the Northwest Amateur in Spencer Iowa on a course that rates somewhere between a 3 and a 4 on the Doak scale.

This weekend is very special to me for many reasons.

The Northwest Amateur represents a disappearing segment of society in general and golf in particular - the major event in a small town.  Approximately 350 players participate and the skill level ranges from top level midwestern amateurs to guys who are 80 years old and shoot 90.  Decent size galleries follow the lead groups and the winning score on what was once considered a difficult 7000 yard test now is in the range of 14-18 under par with top players hitting wedge on nearly every par four.

The people who run the tournament do an outstanding job.  The course is firm and fast every year.  The course is set up in a benign fashion for the first two rounds which makes for an enjoyable day in which you can only blame yourself for screw ups.  The tournament officials strike the right balance between running a serious tournament and recognizing that most people are there to have a good time and try their best.

I took my first real hard knock in golf here.  After playing well for 30 holes at age 16, I realized that 1 or 2 over for the rest of the round would make the cut.  My hands started shaking, breathing got shallow and I suddenly felt fear and had no idea how to deal with it - triple, double, single, double, single, single for an 82 to miss by 4.  I thought the world was going to end.  That was in 1983.  I played a couple of more years, but never made the cut.  My friends and I drifted seperate ways and lost a burining desire to compete at golf after being exposed to real talent in the game.

A few years ago, I got the idea to go back, even though at 36, I was a 12 handicap and had no hope of making it to Sunday.   Before I tried to put a plan in motion, a high school friend called me with the same idea.  We have been going back for five years.  One lives in Seattle, one in Santa Cruz, one in San Francisco and I live in Minneapolis.   On average, one of us makes the cut in flights (153 or so) and 1 year we had a guy make the championship flight at 1 under.  

Each year there are a set of young skinny pimply faced kids who have not yet been hardened by the pain associated with of trying to shoot a low score in competition.  Most are not as good as they think they are.  I've felt the pain they are about to go through.

There are oddball stories, like a father son pairing that slept in a tent in the parking lot this year.  

There are many memories from high school and college days when exhuberent nights led to stories best left alone - except for the time one friend being chased leaped from a ladder 50 feet in the air into a pool that was used for a show by an act called the human torch and only escaped police when some unknown guy yelled, put a halt to all the commotion, allowing my friend to make a run for it.  When everybody left he said he had to do it, it was the coolest thing he had ever seen.  

I get to meet my childhood hero who invited me to play with him and caddie for him when I was new to Des Moines, knew no one who played golf and who still has a smooth swing and still cracks 80 often even though he has to be closer to 80 than 70 in age.  Whenever I see him I think "Stay to the right and shut up" which was his primary instruction to me when I carried his clubs.

There is a long drive contest on Friday night that has become a tradition for us to attend, primarily because of the free beer.

Kids set up lemonade stands along the course and the tournament officials do a great job of setting up an event that is enjoyable both as a social ocassion and as a serious competition.

My friends are much more subdued in their 40's.  Nights rarely make it past dinner.  We spend most of our time catching up and bragging to each other.  

I've never made the cut.  Maybe next year.  

I am still trying to make the cut but enjoy the chase.

[Mac Plumart]

More cowbell!!!

[BCrosby]

Charlie -

Just between you and me? The tie was awful. I loved it.

As for the more sex part, do you keep the tie on?

Bob

[Tom Birkert]

Definitely a hickory match between a couple of the players, on a classic course. it could be the new version of "Wonderful World of Golf" matches.

[JMEvensky]

... outside of the 1300 of us geeks on this site, nobody really gives a shit about golf course architecture.

Maybe so -- but they DO care about golf courses (when they're worth caring about), and they DO care about history (when the history is interesting).

I'm with you--everybody who plays is interested in golf course architecture.They may put it in terms like "this course sucks" or "who put that bunker there?",but we all have some inherent interest in the design of the golf course we're playing.

The Golf Channel is never going to show a Masterpiece Theater,but does everything have to be as insipid as Big Break?

If the Golf Channel isn't going to speak seriously about the game,who is?

[BCrosby]

Definitely a hickory match between a couple of the players, on a classic course. it could be the new version of "Wonderful World of Golf" matches.

I like it.

Another idea. Seriously.

How people have taught the golf swing has changed over the decades. Do a show on what instructors once taught that is different now. What would they not teach today that they taught in the past? I'd love to hear Harmon, Ballard, Leadbetter, MacLean, any of those guys, talk about the evolution of what they teach.

Inseparable from that is the evolution of the perception of the 'ideal' swing.

I would love to watch a show on those topics.

Bob

[SL_Solow]

This is an architecture site.  Charlie has established that no one will watch an architecture show except for this group.  so the logic of asking this group what will sell on TV escapes me.  Having established my scepticism, and trying to maintain an architectural focus, I have always thought that the best way to engage the regular golfer in architecture is to do a feature on how architecture impacts  strategy.  How does a pro "read" a hole and plan his attack?  More importantly, how should players at various handicap levels alter their approaches based on the architecture.  Some of the Golf Channel "experts" can take players to significant holes, watch them play the hole and then walk them through a better way to play it given their abilities.  This would feed into the instructional/game improvement theme that permeates much of the programming while allowing viewers to see good architecture and gain some understanding of its impact on play.  But it's probably not commercial enough.

[Daryn_Soldan]

Finding ways to showcase the courses/venues from a player's viewpoint...

Inside the club/course with the club champ. Obviously this guy/gal doesn't play a pro's game but they're relatable and have the authority to move it around better than most. I'd love to be hosted by an accomplished member or regular at any of the courses, good and bad, that we see on TV every week. We stick our heads into the locker room or pro shop, take the walk from the putting green to the first tee that the pros do, highlight a couple key shots or holes from ground level (recreate famous shots, look at the toughest or most picturesque holes, highlight the differences in where the pros vs. members tee it up from). Could maybe even loop in some fast-forward cart driving or walking between shot locations with typical accompanying sound effects/music  And finally retire to the grill/pub/patio for a cocktail and to hear an anecdote or two about the place or someone famous who once slept there.

Finding camera-ready members could always be an issue... but there's got to be some good ones out there. Randy Haag for example. He does a great job at showing off Olympic Club in videos on his blog.

- Daryn

[BCrosby]

"If the Golf Channel isn't going to speak seriously about the game,who is?"

While I'm with you in my heart of hearts, you are asking the GC to do something that is not part of their mission. They are a for-profit corporation, ultimately answerable only to their shareholders. Your question might be better directed to the USGA or the R&A.

The relevant question for the GC is rather, "Will a show about gca attract enough viewers to interest advertisers?"  

Having had that conversation with Charlie and others over the years, the answer seems to be "no".

Bob
 
 
 

[Edward Buchanan]

Better camera work during tournament broadcasts.

I love it when there is a crane shot that allows you to actually see the flight of the ball in relationship to the target.  Normally you just get the close up of a ball flying through the air with no idea where it is going until it lands.

More crane / elevated camera angles.  Or, for the normal angle behind the player at ground level, place the camera much lower so we can see the inital flight of the ball.  Also love the worm cam for putts.