Category Archives: Golf Channel

Jimmy Roberts on reporting golf story from Attica: ‘It’s a scary place; Everything you would think it is’

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Jimmy Roberts never imagined he ever would do a golf story at Attica State Prison. Yet there he was in a room interviewing convicted murderers.

“You never know,” Roberts said. “Attica is a scary place. It’s everything you’d think it is.”

The piece highlights the debut of his new show, In Play with Jimmy Roberts. The premiere episode is Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. on the Golf Channel.

This is the network’s version of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. The show, which will air once a month, will focus on long-form storytelling about all things golf.

There should be no shortage of material. Here’s the rundown for the debut:

Golf Vistas From Behind Bars – Sentenced to prison for a murder he claims he did not commit, Valentino Dixon has spent the past 21 years in Attica State Prison in Upstate New York. Eligible for parole in 2030, Dixon has never played a round of golf or even picked up a golf club. However, he passes the time in his cell drawing famous golf holes from around the world. Interviews with Dixon, Charlotte Ross, his childhood art teacher and Lamar Scott, who also is serving a life sentence but claims he committed the crime Dixon was convicted for more than two decades ago, are featured.

The King’s Warehouse – Latrobe, Pa., is an iconic location in American golf as the home of the sport’s most famous player, Arnold Palmer. In a massive warehouse is a treasure trove of memorabilia that Palmer has collected over the years. Rich Lerner joins The King for a rare tour.

Divots of Depression: Christina Kim – With her robust, upbeat persona, LPGA professional Christina Kim seems an unlikely victim of depression. Known for her incandescent smile and her full-throttle cheering at the Solheim Cup, Kim found herself in that unlikely position in 2011, wrestling with depression and contemplating suicide. Damon Hack sits down Kim for her first on-camera interview about her battle with depression.

Roberts’ prison story is really compelling; more than worth your time. I did a Q/A with the long-time NBC Sports reporter (@jimmyrobertsNBC) on the show and the art of telling a good story.

So this is the Golf Channel’s version of Real Sports?

That’s a very apt description. You need three things to tell a good story: You need the resources and time to report it; you need the time to tell it; and you need a good story.

With those three components, you have a fighting chance people will want to either see or read your story. Golf Channel made a commitment to storytelling with this show.

What is it that has drawn you to this role as a storyteller?

For better or worse, it’s the lot I’ve fallen into. I grew up with the Wide World of Sports, and later I was very fortunate to get to work with people like Jack Whitaker and Jim McKay. I’m not a stats guy. I’m more of an up-close-and-personal person. I still think there’s nothing like a good story.

(Below is Rich Lerner talking about his story with Palmer)

Why will this type of vehicle work for golf?

I think it was George Plimpton who said something to the effect, ‘The smaller the ball, the better the writing.’ A lot of what’s going on in golf is pretty compelling. You can watch golf on TV and enjoy the competition. But there’s a whole segment of the population, myself included, who play golf. We relate to the game in that aspect.

Golf may be a sport, but it’s also a culture. Golf Channel has done a good job of positioning itself as the voice of this culture. There are so many stories out there. We look forward to telling them.

What was it like going to Attica?

If you’re of a certain age, Attica means something to you. I got goosebumps walking in there. You remember the helicopter shots of the dead bodies (from the famous prison riot).

It’s a dark place; it’s a dangerous place. It’s Medieval. It’s every bit as dangerous as its reputation.

I’m glad I went there. It’s one of the more interesting stories I’ve ever been a part of. I’m glad I met (the main subject). I hope somebody sees his story and says, ‘I wonder if this is worth taking a look at.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Haney Project: Phelps treading water when it comes to golf; ‘Humbling’

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It’ll be tough to top the weirdness of Charles Barkley playing golf, and don’t get me started on Rush Limbaugh. But when it comes to landing a big name for the latest edition of The Haney Project, it doesn’t get much better than Michael Phelps.

Phelps helped NBC pull in massive ratings for the Olympics. Now, many of those fans will tune in to see him go from swimming to swinging. The debut of the eight-part series begins tonight at 9 p.m. on The Golf Channel.

Judging from the swing pictured above (he almost wraps the shaft around his neck), Phelps is treading water when it comes to golf. His height, 6-4, also isn’t an advantage in golf. Haney noted, taller players “usually have a harder time finding their ball.” As in Phelps can be wild with a club in his hand.

Phelps and Haney did a teleconference to promote the show last week. Here are some of the highlights:

Phelps on taking up golf: It is probably one of the most humbling things I’ve ever done in my entire life; to be able to learn from the best and see some of the best courses, it was something that really interested me.

There is still something that is keeping me hungry, and I do have a goal in this sport, and I’m going to do everything that I can to hopefully achieve that.

Phelps on that goal: I have friends who play as scratch golfers, and for me it would be exciting to be able to get down to where I could compete with them.  So it’s a challenge for me, and it’s something that, like I said, keeps me ‑‑ sure, it’s not like I can go out and play a perfect round and hit all good shots, but that’s what really keeps me coming back to try to reach that point.

I’m sure it’s very challenging and who knows if it’s possible to hit every perfect shot in a round.  But it’s obviously something that I am learning and hopefully I can go out and enjoy the game even more than I already have.

Phelps on feeling pressure to perform because of the TV series: Hank knows what I want to accomplish and I told him that, and he’s going to do everything he can to get me there, and one day, I’m sure it will happen.  But I think in a sport like this, in any sport, it really depends on how much time I’m willing to putt into practicing to be able to get to that point.  I put a lot of pressure on myself.  I don’t like to fail.  I don’t like to fall short of a goal.

So I mean, I think that’s just where the pressure comes from on my standpoint, and I’ll say that being able to play in the Waste Management and also playing in The Ryder Cup Pro‑Am, I felt pressure there because I’ve never played golf in front of thousands of people.  I guess that was an interesting and new experience.

Haney on working with Phelps: Obviously Michael is an incredible athlete, and as most unbelievable athletes see, translating it into golf is a little bit harder than it looks.  But obviously he’s got a tremendous amount of potential.  Just his size and the length of his arms and his height, those give him such an advantage in the game, because so much of golf is distance, it’s power and how far you can hit the golf ball.

So when I looked at Michael, like most people would say, wow, he’s got a lot of potential for the game of golf.  But the thing about potential in golf, it’s really directly related to your clubhead speed and that means that anyone with a lot of potential when they are first starting is going to be wild with their shots and that just kind of goes with the territory.  But I knew that he was raw as a golfer, but had incredible potential, and I was just looking forward to helping him.

The thing that I think gives him a big advantage is that he knows the process, he’s patient with the process.  He always talks about just taking little baby steps and he’s had great coaching through his career, so he knows what it’s like to be coached.  So I felt like, you know what, this is going to be a dream student for me.

Phelps on why people should watch the show: It’s probably going to be one of the funniest shows you’ve ever scene of the Haney Project.  With the experiences that we have with the friends that I have on the show, I don’t want to give too much away, but I guarantee you, we will have you laughing each part of the show, every single episode you ever watch, you’re going to be ‑‑ you may be crying because you’re laughing so hard.

 

 

 

Miller tees off on slow play: They have to call for an official to wipe their nose

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Ah, leave it to the two most candid analysts in golf, Johnny Miller and Brandel Chamblee, to tee up the players on the biggest problem in golf: Slow play.

The issue came up yesterday during a teleconference to promote the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. The opening matches begin today.

Inevitably, things will grind to a halt at some point, as several players continue to make a mockery of the concept, see ball, hit ball. Slow play makes for bad everything, including bad TV.

Here’s Johnny’s take:

I was watching the guys pretty carefully about the slow play and I counted several times, guys taking four or five, six, practice swings, and that’s prior to the start of pre‑shot routine, that’s unbelievable.

Another thing, these guys can’t even take a drop by themselves near a gallery stand or sprinkler head or burrowing animal; they have to call for an official to wipe their nose. You have guys calling for these stupid rules that everybody should know at junior golf level.  I’ll bet you in my whole career, this is no exaggeration, 20‑something years, I didn’t call in ten rulings. In other words, I knew the rules and made the drop and didn’t take much drop to do it.

There should be a stat that calls out guys for the most rulings and that should be something that’s posted in the locker room and with the public, just to see these guys, they cannot make a decision and that’s what really slows things down.

(And it isn’t just the players’ fault; Miller also went after the caddies)

The caddies are getting so involved that they are taking twice as long to make a decision with the player, and they throw out a question after the guy already knows what he wants to hit and the guy has to go through the question in his mind, well, the caddie, is he right; I thought I had it right myself.  The caddies are slowing things down big time, too, it’s not just the players.

Chamblee: There’s no single bigger deterrent to growing this game than how long it takes to play golf these days.  And I think that’s somewhat an extension of what people see on TV.

I just think that the TOUR does so many wonderful things, World Golf Federation, the Hall of Fame, 20/20, all of the initiatives that the TOUR does, they do so many great things.  And it’s a marvelous organization, but I do think they are missing the boat on the pace of play.

I think they could be more vigorous in their pursuit in players that are violating the pace of play rules and they should higher more rules officials, almost like a fitness instructor who whips you into shape in the first week and slaps you out of your stupor.  It’s like we are not going to take anybody going over the allotted time, you play each hole in an average of 12 minutes, get out there and get it done and if you don’t, there’s going to be penalties and there’s going to be warnings on every hole.  Within a month, I think guys would speed up and it would be noticeable on television.

*******

Amen, Johnny and Brandel. You would think the PGA Tour would do something at some point. You would think the networks would complain and force the PGA Tour to do something at some point.

You would think…

So why hasn’t it happened yet?

 

 

Golf Channel: Morning Drive to unveil new set; goes 7 days a week

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The new set has been named “Studio AP” in honor of Golf Channel co-founder and pretty good golfer Arnold Palmer.

With the Super Bowl out of the way, golf heads into full gear. Pebble Beach, this week.

The Golf Channel is stepping up with enhancements to Morning Drive. Not that co-host and old pal Damon Hack needs any help looking better than he already does.

From Golf Channel:

Morning Drive welcomes an A-List roster of guests next week when the show re-launches on Monday, Feb. 4 at 7 a.m. ET with a new format, a new set, an expanded cast and a new, seven-days-a-week schedule. Headlining the roster of guests in-studio on Monday are 2011 PGA Champion Keegan Bradley, who is making his first appearance in-studio, and 2010 U.S. Open Champion Graeme McDowell.

In addition, Monday’s show will feature the first official interview conducted in the new Morning Drive studio: a sit-down with co-founder Arnold Palmer. The interview was taped earlier this week after he cut the ribbon on the new Morning Drive set, “Studio AP,” which was named in his honor. In addition to the ribbon cutting, Palmer also introduced a new autograph board that will be signed by every guest who visits Morning Drive.

Additional studio guests throughout the week include (subject to change):

 

  • Tuesday, Feb 5: Hall-of-Famer Greg Norman, including his arrival via helicopter; 10-time LPGA Tour winner Suzann Pettersen; and 2011 Kia Classic champion Sandra Gal
  • Wednesday, Feb 6: Hall-of-Famer Annika Sorenstam, for her first regular weekly appearance; 2012 Sybase Match Play champion Azahara Munoz
  • Thursday, Feb 7: European Ryder Cup hero Ian Poulter; 2012 LPGA Rolex Player of the Year Stacy Lewis
  • Friday, Feb 8: Nine-time LPGA Tour winner Paula Creamer

 

Joining Morning Drive regulars Gary Williams, Damon Hack and Holly Sonders as co-hosts starting next week when Morning Drive expands to seven days include Golf Channel analyst Charlie Rymer, longtime Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman, Emmy Award-winning sports broadcaster, Ahmad Rashad, 11-time PGA TOUR winner John Cook, Hall-of-Famer Annika Sorenstam, former Golf Digest travel editor Matt Ginella, and host of Top 10 and GolfNow Lauren Thompson. Golf Channel contributors Tim Rosaforte, Brandel Chamblee and Win McMurry also are scheduled to join the show next week.

Morning Drive’s new studio features four dedicated sets: a main anchor desk, an interview area, a product demonstration area and a news update desk. The new home is nearly four times larger than the show’s original studio. Panoramic, high-definition video backdrops throughout the studio will make viewers feel like the cast is broadcasting from just inside the picture windows of their local clubhouse. This signature look is accomplished by linking 20, 90-inch and 10, 52-inch monitors to create golf course morning vistas.

Ready or not: 2013 PGA Tour season kicks off today in Maui; Golf Channel hopes to build on momentum

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It is 16 degrees in Chicago right now. So yeah, I wouldn’t mind seeing a little golf. At least the thought might warm me up.

The 2013 PGA Tour season kicks off today (Golf Channel, 5:30 p.m. ET) with the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. The event is at Kapalua’s Plantation Course on the island of Maui, otherwise known as my favorite place in the world. During my days at the Chicago Tribune, I actually got paid to cover the tournament. If there’s a better assignment, I can’t think of one.

The Champions won’t include Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy or Phil Mickelson, but Bubba Watson, Keegan Bradley, Dustin Johnson, Jason Dufner, and Webb Simpson are among those in the field. And the downhill 18th hole always is fun to watch.

It’s golf in Hawaii. That’s enough for me.

******

The Golf Channel is on a good run. The synergy created by NBC’s purchase of the network has produced record ratings.

From the Golf Channel:

In 2012, Golf Channel scored its most-watched year ever in the near 18-year history of the network.This marked the second consecutive most-watched year after a record breaking 2011. This continued surge in viewership since joining the NBC Sports Group early in 2011 has retained Golf Channel’s status as the fastest-growing network on U.S. television (among networks serving 80 million or more homes throughout that span), according to data released today by The Nielsen Company.

 “We share in celebrating this milestone with our partners and most importantly, with our increasingly loyal family of viewers who have watched in record numbers to help us achieve these consecutive record-breaking years,” said Golf Channel President Mike McCarley. “While we’re grateful for this recent success, we continue to set our goals high and are committed to serving our passionate fans with more and more high-quality golf content in the New Year and years to come.”

Golf Channel averaged 95,000 viewers in 24-hour Total Day (6AM-6AM) during 2012, an increase of six percent more than a record-breaking 2011 (90,000) and 36 percent more than 2010 (70,000). Contributing to a banner 2012 were seven PGA TOUR events on Golf Channel reaching audiences in excess of 7 million unique viewers, led by the BMW Championship with 8.4 million unique viewers. Additionally, an unprecedented 14 million Golf Channel viewers watched some or all of the PGA TOUR Playoffs, which was the most-watched ever in the PGA TOUR Playoffs’ six-year history.

 

 

New columnist for GolfChannel.com: Some new guy named Palmer

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Who knew that Arnold Palmer always wanted to be like one of us? Does this mean he has to apply for a press credential if he wants to attend the Masters?

What’s next? Arnie on Twitter?

Golfchannel.com announced this morning that Palmer will become a regular columnist on the site. At age 83, I guess it’s never too late to try new things.

By the way, Palmer is a founding partner in the Golf Channel. Does the guy ever lose?

Of course, Palmer’s columns will be ghost-written. Still, it will be the voice of the King. His first column is titled: “State of the Game.”

Palmer opens:

I have been around the game of golf since I first hit a ball when I was 3 years old. That was 80 years ago. I still have interests in golf course design, course ownership and so on, but I haven’t really played competitive golf for quite some time. So as 2012 comes to an end, I’m seeing the game as you do: as a casual player, as a fan and as a businessman. And I like what I see.

Not a fan of the long putter:

Do we have issues? Sure – what truly global enterprise doesn’t? We need to keep bringing the game to youngsters and women. We need to address the distance that today’s ball travels. Slow play is turning time-starved people away from the sport. We need to encourage nine-hole rounds. We have environmental concerns to deal with and we have to keep a vigilant eye on the standards of sportsmanship that set our game apart. The U.S. Golf Association and R&A recently announced a ban on the practice of “anchoring” clubs – usually a long or belly-length putter – against the body. I applaud them for not only their ruling, but also for the patient and thoughtful approach they took, studying the issue for years and across all levels of golf before making their decision. There was nothing knee-jerk about it. The game is in good hands.

Dan Jenkins might have said it in a different way. Then again, Palmer hasn’t had as much practice as Jenkins.

 

New Golf Channel show: Ultimate buddy trip in tribute to the ‘Dead Guy’

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I like the potential for this show. Sometimes, it is good to be reminded about the best part of golf: Spending time with your friends.

From Vic Mast:

“It was a living metaphor for where we were in our lives. It was traveling fifty-five-hundred miles to where the road ends … to a place where you can play golf in the endless light at midnight of the longest day. So, we had to do it.”

From the Golf Channel:

With his ashes in tow, three Chicago golfing buddies take a journey of self-discovery to the Arctic Circle to play one last round of golf in honor of their deceased friend in a new, six-part Golf Channel series titled Our Longest Drive, premiering Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Filmed along a journey of more than 5,500 miles in an RV – traversing seven U.S. states, two Canadian provinces and two Canadian territories – Our Longest Drive follows Vic, Dan, Jim and Mike (whose ashes are along for the ride in a cherry wood box) on an adventure of a lifetime. All past retirement age, each with health issues and no previous experience traveling in an RV, it becomes apparent that these men are not ideally suited for the trek ahead. In fact, not 45 minutes into their trip, Vic needs a bathroom break and refuses to use the RV’s toilet. Nonetheless, each man shares a love of golf and for each other, and embraces a common goal to honor Mike with this journey.

Vic Zast is the ringleader of their small group, who has played golf together for more than 20 years at Westmoreland Country Club in Wilmette, Ill. Vic is an entrepreneur who is accustomed to fancy living and it’s no secret that he loves the attention – he spikes his hair with mousse and downs a tray full of heart medications with a beer chaser. He calls golf an “intoxication” and pitched the trip to his friends so they could honor Mike and play golf with him one more time. “It was much more than just a trip or an adventure. It was a way for us to connect with the game we love and with each other,” Vic said.

Jim and Dan thought Vic had a screw loose. “The guy can’t change a light bulb, and yet he wants to drive fifty-five-hundred miles to the Arctic Circle,” Dan said.

Dan Johnson is the worry-wart who obsesses over every detail, especially safety. When the group reaches the Arctic Circle and decides to have a cookout, Dan inexplicably worries about starting a forest fire in the treeless, barren tundra surrounding them. From the very start, his preoccupation is a fear of everything.

Jim Thompson is the introvert. An ex-ad man and diplomat to the core, Jim initially questions Vic about the purpose of the trip but, ultimately, discovers that purpose takes on many forms. He faces his own personal challenges along the way and, with the help of his friends, comes to grips with one of his biggest fears. “It’s not exactly your all-adventure team going to the Arctic Circle, but there we were anyway,” said Jim.

Viewers also learn about Mike Allen – the “dead guy” as they call him – as friends and relatives share remembrances about the way Mike lived his life and how he failed to cope with divorce, depression and diabetes. According to Vic, all Mike had left before he died were his friends and Saturday morning golf. The wooden box that contains his ashes – which is seen in nearly every scene – seems to become another character in the series.

Feherty: On stage doing his version of Letterman; Jordan surprises Michael Phelps

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With a golf club in hand, David Feherty performed before thousands of people during the game’s biggest tournaments.

On television, Feherty analyzes golf for millions of viewers throughout the world. Sometimes, he even makes sense.

On Monday, though, Feherty stepped on a different kind of stage. He hosted a David Letterman-like talk show in front of a full house at the Tivoli Theater in Downers Grove, Ill. Among his guests were Michael Phelps and a surprise appearance by Michael Jordan.

Feherty was taping a new version of Feherty Live, which airs on the Golf Channel Wednesday at 9 p.m. I’m not sure how you call a taped show “live,” but who am I to quibble with semantics?

This is the second time Feherty has done a show before a studio audience. He did it at the Super Bowl in Indianapolis.

Feherty now has a great appreciation for Letterman and all the other talk show hosts who do this for a living.

“Oh, absolutely,” Feherty said. “You know, they’re so comfortable with it, and I’m not.  I was jumpier than a box of frogs until the bell rang last night.  That’s typically ‑‑ I’d be worried if I wasn’t, because like I said in the opening monologue, confidence is that warm, fuzzy feeling you get before you fall on your ass.

“But yeah, it does give me an appreciation for what ‑‑ and they go through it every night it seems.  They tape, what, two or three shows a day.  It’s a different discipline, that’s for sure, than just walking around behind the leaders making inane comments every now and then.”

He had plenty of inane comments, er, observations during Monday’s show. Feherty, though, is in his element. Give him a captive audience, some stories and jokes, and he’s good to go. He’s done it at pubs throughout the world.

The native of Ireland, who now is a U.S. citizen, came out rocking a suit that was half American flag, half European flag. He actually shot a taped opening wearing a speedo in honor of Phelps. No, the guy isn’t shy. And no, it’s not something I want to see again.

Among his lines:

About the Ryder Cup: “The U.S. defends itself against the rest of the world. Kind of like a United Nations meeting.”

On the U.S. early dominence over Great Britain and Ireland: “(The figure on the trophy) is bent over alright, but it has nothing to do with putting.”

On Seve Ballesteros: “Seve united Europe. Even the French.”

To Phelps: “You must have come out of your mother like a dolphin.”

To Jordan and Phelps: “Among the three of us, we have 18 gold medals, 6 NBA titles, and 2 Irish PGA Championships.”

The highlight of the show came when Jordan surprised Phelps; the basketball star was his hero. Feherty needed the boost from MJ because the other Michael was about as dull as a 3-iron.

According to the Golf Channel’s Dan Higgins, Phelps said “he froze from the shock of seeing Jordan entering the stage and thought he was going to burst into tears.”

Said Feherty: :(Phelps) was sort of overwhelmed, I think, by the moment.  He’s such a Michael Jordan fan, and I think to have the big man come up on stage… I was so grateful that (Jordan) chose my show to come on this week because he’s been tortured by a lot of people.  Why on earth he would pick me is another story.”

Later, Feherty mined more familiar territory with former Ryder Cup captains Paul Azinger, Sam Torrance, and Lanny Wadkins. Plenty of terrific stories.

Afterward, Feherty appeared to be spent. I asked what’s harder: Walking 5-hours in the 90-degree or doing a one-hour show?

“(I’m) much more tired than I’d be after walking 18 holes with Tiger or whatever,” he said  “I was really sort of jumpy before the show, and I felt like somebody had let the air out of me afterwards with a loud rasping noise characteristically.”