Oft repeated. I’m sure I’ve shared it here before, but my favorite and sworn to be true. Henry Longhurst and Peter Alliss watching a broadcast on two small monitors during a ladies event: one showing a flyover or general view of the entire hole, one showing a lady putting and picking her ball out of the hole. Apparently, they had no idea which monitor was being used as the live feed. While the feed was showing the shot of the lady putting and picking up her ball out of the hole, Longhurst and Alliss were thinking the feed was about the flyover.
Diaglog:
Alliss: “Lovely hole.”
Longhurst: “Yes, but it was quite a bit tighter in my day.”
Broadcast feed: Lady bending over, shot from behind, picking the ball out of the hole.
Sadly I fear this is apocryphal. There was no ladies golf on UK TV when I was a kid in the 1970s; it's hard for me to believe there was any earlier.
Too good a story to give up on.
I clearly remember seeing women's golf at Sunningdale on the BBC when I was a teenager in the 70s, particularly Sally Little, Jan Stephenson and Laura Baugh.
I didn't remember it was the Colgate European Open, but Google did, confirming the event was held there from 74 to 79.
Henry Longhurst died in July 1978 but I remember him as well, I think he worked for the Beeb until quite close to the end.
As for Alliss, I always liked the way he never became a grumpy old man, until, quite suddenly a few years ago, he did. Perhaps he realised this, or listened to those who pointed it out to him, or is in a better place, because the empathy and humour Brian refers to are back. May he enjoy a 'long finish'.