Golf Channel Programming

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Now Showing Shell's Wonderful World of Golf @ Pine Valley   Nelson v Littler

[Jeff Schley]

Thanks for the alert Steve.  Just watched the opening tee shots on 12 the 330 yard short 2 shotter.  Littler topped his drive and didn't even make the fairway!
Also another thing is watch their preshot routine on the tee box.  There is no visualization standing behind etc.  The both walked from the side put the tee in the ground with no practice swings and boom.

[Jeff Schley]

Also I didn't realize they were playing stroke play... .after 12 Nelson is 2 over par, Littler 8 over.  Maybe it has been a while, but was it always stroke play?  Weird format for a one on one match.

[Jeff Schley]

Is it just me or does Nelson's swing in this match look a little like a Tom Lehman finish?
Also 170 4 irons and greens that are rolling probably 8/9 on the stimp.  Another era.

[Jeff Schley]

Woah... where is the PGA tour rules violation number?  Check our Littler's moving his ball mark on the green back into position after moving it one putter length for Nelson to put. He doesn't move the ball mark he only puts his putter down on next to the ball mark and lays the ball in that place.  He doesn't move the ball mark over and then put the ball in front of the ball mark.  Violation today, but no idea if they had it back in the early 60's.


Correction it is worse. He moved it two putter lengths without moving the ball mark and just eyeballed it and put down the ball and clearly see him pick up the ball mark after putting the ball down.  Oh well he lost anyway.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Also I didn't realize they were playing stroke play... .after 12 Nelson is 2 over par, Littler 8 over.  Maybe it has been a while, but was it always stroke play?  Weird format for a one on one match.

All the telecasts I remember were stroke play.

[Peter Pallotta]

Also another thing is watch their preshot routine on the tee box.  There is no visualization standing behind etc.  The both walked from the side put the tee in the ground with no practice swings and boom.

Jeff - yes, watching the great Byron Nelson makes me think that there is no other sport/game where those who play it go so out of their way to make it *harder* to play! We fill our heads with ideas like 'visualization' and 'pre shot routines' and force our bodies into a dozen different 'positions' that we've convinced ourselves are essential...and then we wonder why we find it so hard to simply make a good athletic move and just hit the darn golf ball! And then, when we're so frustrated by this that we're about to quit the game, most of us make it *worse* by reading even more sports psychologists and 'how to' books!
Luckily, we can watch a multiple major winner who won 11 events in a row and had a scoring average of just over 68 for the year and remember that the game really truly is simpler than we make it out to be.     

[jeffwarne]

Watched Henry Cotton and Gene Sarazen play TOC this morning.
No marking, just set puuter down behind ball and knock it in.
The other nonsense has become so normalized it actually caught me off guard
and seeing some actual grass around the greens was refeshing too

[Steve_ Shaffer]

I saw some of Peter Thompson v Gary Player at Royal Melbourse earlier but dozed off.

[Tom_Doak]

Also I didn't realize they were playing stroke play... .after 12 Nelson is 2 over par, Littler 8 over.  Maybe it has been a while, but was it always stroke play?  Weird format for a one on one match.

The format was always stroke play.  Most Americans didn't know much about match play back then.


This presented a problem, because in the match they are showing, Littler made a much bigger number at the 5th hole -- I think it was an 11 -- after tangling with the trees on the right.  The producers realized that would take most of the drama out of the match with their format, so they agreed that they should credit him a lower score for the hole.  When they told the President of Pine Valley, John Arthur Brown, of their decision, he reportedly told them they could do anything they wanted for TV, but that none of them would ever be coming back to Pine Valley.

[jeffwarne]

Also I didn't realize they were playing stroke play... .after 12 Nelson is 2 over par, Littler 8 over.  Maybe it has been a while, but was it always stroke play?  Weird format for a one on one match.

The format was always stroke play.  Most Americans didn't know much about match play back then.


This presented a problem, because in the match they are showing, Littler made a much bigger number at the 5th hole -- I think it was an 11 -- after tangling with the trees on the right.  The producers realized that would take most of the drama out of the match with their format, so they agreed that they should credit him a lower score for the hole.  When they told the President of Pine Valley, John Arthur Brown, of their decision, he reportedly told them they could do anything they wanted for TV, but that none of them would ever be coming back to Pine Valley.

I always find this frustrating when 2 players separate themselves and announcers go for the itired cliche of "it's match play now"
No, it's not.
Different set of rules and in stroke play it's never over.
I can birdie the last two and you make 2 doubles.
In match play we don't even play those holes.
It's only match play on 18 if we're clear of the field and we're tied.
If I'm 4 behind and you knock it in the woods I'm not laying up on a hole I wouldn't otherise, but in match play I might.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Mornings are for Shell's WWoG


Today I saw Mickelson v Garcia @ Querencia @ Cabo   & Palmer v Boros @ Cotton Bay @ Bahamas

[Tom_Doak]

Mornings are for Shell's WWoG


Today I saw Mickelson v Garcia @ Querencia @ Cabo   & Palmer v Boros @ Cotton Bay @ Bahamas

What a coincidence that most old WWoG shows were at great old private club courses, and the modern reboot shows were mostly at resorts and second-home residential developments.

[Kalen Braley]

I'm really really missing basketball and select golf events this time of year.  They need to resume pronto cause my wife is peppering me with a longer and longer honey do list of stuff to do around the house...

[SL_Solow]

Kalen,  Likely no escape so keep a list and build up some "credit" for the return to normalcy

[Peter Flory]

I'm really really missing basketball and select golf events this time of year.  They need to resume pronto cause my wife is peppering me with a longer and longer honey do list of stuff to do around the house...

I was thinking that now would be a good time for a sequel to the Tiger vs Mickelson match.  Maybe put 2 FL residents against each other (so they can drive there) and make it a charity match.  Rory vs Koepka at Streamsong? 

One of the big criticisms of the Woods/ Mickelson match was the lack of fans.  That would be perfect right now. 

[MCirba]

I watched most of the special on Hogan last night.


I've come to the unmistakable conclusion that I do not practice nearly enough.

[Peter Pallotta]

I watched most of the special on Hogan last night.

I've come to the unmistakable conclusion that I do not practice nearly enough.

Watching videos of Hogan *is* my practice! And when I'm really serious about practicing I watch Hogan vs Snead from SWWoG. He hit every fairway and every green that day, so I'm certain it must be making me a better player.

[MCirba]

Golf swing visual osmosis is vastly underrated, Peter.

[Bill Gayne]

Watched Henry Cotton and Gene Sarazen play TOC this morning.
No marking, just set puuter down behind ball and knock it in.
The other nonsense has become so normalized it actually caught me off guard
and seeing some actual grass around the greens was refeshing too

One of the players ball came to rest on Grannie Clark's Wynd and they used the old style drop over the shoulder. We've gotten so far away from the randomness of the drop with dropping at the knee. Before long it will probably be a simple placing.

[Tim Leahy]

I'm really really missing basketball and select golf events this time of year.  They need to resume pronto cause my wife is peppering me with a longer and longer honey do list of stuff to do around the house...

I was thinking that now would be a good time for a sequel to the Tiger vs Mickelson match.  Maybe put 2 FL residents against each other (so they can drive there) and make it a charity match.  Rory vs Koepka at Streamsong? 

One of the big criticisms of the Woods/ Mickelson match was the lack of fans.  That would be perfect right now.

A match play tourney for the top 16 or 32 players over the month of April would be great. Test the players, caddies and officials all now. Wait 2 weeks then start with no galleries. TV ratings would be awesome and portions of ad revenues could be donated to relief organizations.

[Tim_Cronin]

I'm really really missing basketball and select golf events this time of year.  They need to resume pronto cause my wife is peppering me with a longer and longer honey do list of stuff to do around the house...

I was thinking that now would be a good time for a sequel to the Tiger vs Mickelson match.  Maybe put 2 FL residents against each other (so they can drive there) and make it a charity match.  Rory vs Koepka at Streamsong? 

One of the big criticisms of the Woods/ Mickelson match was the lack of fans.  That would be perfect right now.

A match play tourney for the top 16 or 32 players over the month of April would be great. Test the players, caddies and officials all now. Wait 2 weeks then start with no galleries. TV ratings would be awesome and portions of ad revenues could be donated to relief organizations.

Sounds like the old CBS Golf Classic, which was taped in the fall and shown the next spring. I'm for it.