NCG’s Matt Chivers has seen some American fans grumbling about their golf viewing experience every week, so what is required to put on a show that everyone at home can enjoy?
It is not often I make people jealous in any walk of life.
Especially in golf, I frequently miss short putts, lose balls and go through a headloss all over 18 holes.
But what is increasingly clear every time I log on to X/Twitter is some golf fans, particularly our friends across the water, would drop to bent knee and beg me for one thing every week.
And that is quality golf coverage.
You might have seen No Laying Up and Brandel Chamblee’s online exchange about the PGA Tour’s broadcast set-up across stations such as NBC, CBS, Golf Channel and Peacock.
No Laying Up’s gripes represent many other comments I see from some golf fans.
Advertisement breaks. Subscriptions. These are all issues that invariably dominate my timeline at the weekend.
I am pretty satisfied with Sky Sports Golf in the UK, and if I take the majors as the prime examples and the Ryder Cup too, I rarely see a bad word spoken about the quality of coverage that this platform offers.
So why is this? What makes the perfect golf broadcast? How do you keep fans entertained?
Let me speak from my own viewing experiences:
PGA Tour golf TV coverage: What is required to put on a show?
How to solve a problem like advertisement breaks
Something many golf fans from the USA aim their frustration at is the advertisement breaks.
We all know advertisement breaks make the world go around and they are part of any broadcast on television.
I can never remember complaining about the amount of adverts that are shown when I watch on Sky, especially when they’ve adopted the popular Rolex Hour feature before.
It is worth noting that Callaway and NBC renewed their commercial-free partnership at the 2024 Sentry, and the last hour of coverage was free of adverts on Golf Channel.
But this issue is the one that grinds the gears of golf fans.
The on-screen talent
In the UK, we have always been blessed with quality sports broadcasters. Peter Alliss and Ken Brown immediately come to mind throughout my childhood watching golf on the BBC.
Maybe the charm and cheekiness of that pair don’t resonate as strongly, but I enjoy the figures we now find on Sky Sports.
Ewen Murray. Andrew Coltart. Radar. Beemer. Iona. Dame Laura Davies. Nick Dougherty. It’s a fun and tight-knit group.
Their passion is clear to see on the screen. They are informative and descriptive and seem to nail critical moments with the right words.
The build-up
On Sky Sports, you know when The Open is coming. You know when the Masters is coming. That fever hits you and they are often brought to us through dedicated channels as well.
Official films. Interviews with past champions. It is rammed down our throats in a classy fashion, if that’s possible.
UK golf fans appreciate that. They know where to go if they want to tune into the action. Have they started at Troon yet? Let’s immediately get Sky Sports Golf on because the action is on from the crack of dawn.
It’s not everyone’s cup of tea but features such as live range sessions, chatting to players before they play, and watching little challenges with your favourite golfers are immersive.
It is covered from every angle and UK golf fans are treated respectfully.
Some will complain about the subscription fees required to access the coverage, which you’d have every right to do, but the coverage you’re then given is quite unrivalled.
What do you make of PGA Tour television coverage or general golf TV coverage where you live? What do you think makes quality PGA Tour golf TV coverage? Tell us on X/Twitter!
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