The Golf Watch

Golf Central--New sponsor in Titleist, new time at 6

Tonight was the debut of the 2009 season of Golf Central, now sponsored by Titleist.  Vince Cellini and Kraig Kann anchored the telecast, which aired at its permanent new time, live at 6:00 p.m, with a replay at 11:30 p.m.  Last year, the show aired at 8:30 p.m. 

Most of Golf Central's graphics stayed the same, but it is now broadcast in HD.

A few other notes about Golf Channel programming:

* Despite several rumblings in the rumor mill, Kelly Tilghman is staying on board for play-by-play of Golf Channel's live coverage. 

* It seems that The Approach with Callaway Golf will continue to air at its normal time on Tuesday nights.  Fingers crossed they change the format and cut out the hokey banter.

* No clue if Sprint has stayed on board for the Pre Game and Post Game shows, but there was no indication on The Golf Channel site that they have.

Curt Byrum Interview

I had the opportunity to interview a favorite here at The Golf Watch, Golf Channel announcer Curt Byrum.  I have separated the interview into two segments. 

In part one, Byrum speaks about his strategies in the booth, teaming up with Jerry Foltz and what Golf Channel broadcasts bring to the table.

In part two, we discuss FedEx Cup 3.0 and the current economy and how it could affect the Nationwide Tour.

Hoggard spruced up for Golf Central

It looks like Rex Hoggard will have to get used to a different dress code with The Golf Channel.  Note the changes from three months ago at the Ryder Cup to today on Golf Central.

Walker joins Golf Channel team

The Golf Channel has upped their game in recent weeks--adding Rex Hoggard to their online editorial staff and now picking up Scott Walker as an on-air personality. 

Correct me if I am wrong folks, but I believe tonight was the debut of Walker on Golf Central.  And don't be surprised if you recognize Walker's face--he made appearances on PGA Tour Sunday on USA and was a reporter for ESPN's Sportscenter. 

I guess this is what you might call the transition time for TGC, as it was around this time last year when Todd Lewis was introduced to golfing viewers. 

Chamblee: Finishing on Nicklaus course was the wiser path

Brian Vranesh was outside of the bubble as he started his final round at Q-School, but fired a 7-under 65 on the Nicklaus course to finish on the number at 19-under. 

Brandel Chamblee said on Monday's edition of Golf Central that playing the Nicklaus course for the final stage, rather than the Stadium course, was the "wiser decision":

Give credit to the Tour staff.  I think they chose the wiser path and had these guys finish on the Nicklaus golf course.  In years past, they had them finishing up on the Stadium golf course.  That meant moving day was always the fifth day when they were playing the Nicklaus golf course.  It's by far the easier of the two.

When you take a closer look at Vranesh's scorecard, he was not able to shoot lower than 71 the three days he played on the Stadium Course.  I haven't made up my mind on whether it's better to have a tougher or more benign course setup for the final stage of Q-School.  What I do know is that we saw enough mishaps on the Nicklaus course earlier today where, although there were lower scores, it still packed a strong test. 

Hoggard hired as senior writer for Golfchannel.com

GolfChannel.com reported Monday that Rex Hoggard has joined their ranks as a senior writer, leaving Golfweek, where he held several positions for more than eight years, most notably as a columnist.

The move comes as a surprise, considering this clipping from the August 30 edition of Golfweek...

 

Hoggard's name has been removed from the Golfweek contact list and the new editor of digital media is Eric Soderstrom, who served previously as the Managing Editior of Golfweek.com. 

This is the second key player to leave Golfweek for GolfChannel.com in the last year.  Jay Coffin, the former Digital Media Editor at Golfweek, now serves as the editorial director of GolfChannel.com.

Hoggard didn't waste much time between the two jobs.  He covered the Nationwide Tour Championship for Golfweek last month, and has already contributed one item to GolfChannel.com.

Foltz-Palmer post-tourney interview heartfelt

At a time when golf viewing isn't a priority for many golf fans, The Golf Channel has deployed their all-stars--namely Rich Lerner, Curt Byrum and Jerry Foltz.  I still don't understand why TGC continues to utilize less personable and relatable personalites like Kelly Tilghman and Nick Faldo during the heart of the season, but that's a whole different story.

Nevertheless, one of the more memorable moments from this past week's coverage at the Ginn sur Mer was Foltz's post-round interview with winner Ryan Palmer.  Foltz embraced Palmer before the interview started and it was clearly a joyous moment.  Palmer was able to open up to Foltz, as he began to cry midway through. 

Just like Curt Byrum, Foltz spends a lot of time with these guys, not just on the PGA Tour, but on the Nationwide Tour as well.  He gives each player, whether it's Phil Mickelson or Ryan Palmer, the same degree of seriousness and respect.  Jimmy Roberts could learn a thing or two.

Curt Byrum, we're not worthy

It seems that The Golf Channel is going to continue to use Curt Byrum during The Fall Series...and all we have to say here at The Golf Watch is, "thank you."  No more shenanigans or ostentatious behavior, just journalism at its finest with factual, reliable information.  This is golf announcing at its best--enjoy folks.

Foltz shows his prowess as TGC reporter

If you've been on this site at all the past year, you know that we have a great appreciation for the talents of Curt Byrum and Jerry Foltz of The Golf Channel.  Their commentary is fresh, insightful and heartfelt.  I like to compare our site to that of Awful Announcing in the sense that they worship Gus Johnson (their category for him is 'The Greatness that is Gus Johnson'), as we admire Byrum and Foltz.

Foltz did a superb job as an on-course reporter at the Turning Stone Resort Championship, and conducted a great interview with Robert Allenby, who fell one shot short.  Foltz was able to capture Allenby's sheer disappointment, while doing it in a respectful way.

Hopefully, we'll see more of Foltz, and Byrum, as the Fall Series continues.

Nobilo selected for President's Cup team

Greg Norman selected Frank Nobilo as the Assistant Captain for the 2009 President's Cup team during a Golf Channel telecast earlier today.  It was an interesting time and place to make the announcement, as it was one hour into the TGC's telecast of the Turning Stone Resort Championship.

Nevertheless, Norman divulged to Rich Lerner that he had "a lot of sleepless nights" as he wrestled with the decision.