Tag: Golf Channel

Brandel Chamblee’s solutions to fix golf’s problems? Grow the rough, play 12 holes

After the release of the USGA and R&A’s Distance Insights report, Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee had a few solutions to fix golf’s problem.

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On Tuesday morning the United States Golf Association and the R&A released their highly anticipated report which determined distance is playing an excessive role in the game and causing the sport to go in an unsustainable direction.

The 102-page Distance Insights report features data and information from 56 different projects, but doesn’t offer a solution to the distance problem. Instead it paves the way for change, after a period of research and evaluation.

Brandel Chamblee has a few ideas on possible solutions, and he shared them during Golf Channel’s two-hour special edition of Golf Central Tuesday evening.

“As I read (the report), I found myself agreeing with some of the issues from a sustainability standpoint as the game continues to grow,” said Chamblee. “But I found myself differing in a lot of aspects of the report. Namely, I feel like the game is out of whack at the professional level in one way, and I think we do agree about this, the inability to play the game with great accuracy, what I would define as being outside the top 100 in driving accuracy and to be rewarded is out of whack.”

Chamblee, as he’s known to do, gave a strong opinion and brought some stats to help support his argument. Six players who finished 2019 in the top 10 in scoring average were outside the top 100 in driving accuracy. Patrick Cantlay was 160th in driving accuracy, and second in scoring average.

Chamblee, winner of the 1998 Greater Vancouver Open, compared that to the first year the Tour started to keep that kind of data in 1980. For players in the top 10 in scoring average, the worst driver of the golf ball finished 80th in driving accuracy. The leader in scoring average? Lee Trevino, who finished 12th in driving accuracy.  Jim Herman was 12th in driving accuracy last year on Tour and finished 167th in scoring average.

“I can find those correlations diminishing and I think impoverishing the game,” said Chamblee, “but I think the solution is more organically found than the more difficult solutions that are proposed or hinted at.”

His first solution? Grow the rough.

“The golf ball can easily be constricted by raising the fairway heights, growing the rough and firming up the greens,” he explained.

His second solution, this time to solve the sustainability problem, is much more fun: Play 12 holes.

“On the sustainability issue, real quick if I can, I’ll use a rowing analogy. You row forward by looking back. This game was 12 holes when it began, at the highest level it was 12 holes. For a dozen years it was 12 holes. The record was 149 and he won by 12, Old Tom Morris in 1870. Why is it 18? You want a smaller footprint, you want a faster round, why don’t we go back to the beginning of the game and play 12 hole golf courses?

Why not play 12? Historical records, thousands of courses are built for 9 or 18 holes already, just to name a couple. Chamblee’s retort?

“There was a historical record when they went from 12 holes to 18,” said Chamblee. “I’m talking about sustainability issues. I’m talking about times issues. Why do I worry about those records? We’ll have new records for 48 holes or 60 holes or whatever you want it to be. But if you really want a smaller footprint, and you want to play faster, the easiest solution is 12 holes, not 18.”

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Golf Channel, travel insider Matt Ginella parting ways

After seven years together, Golf Channel and travel insider Matt Ginella are parting ways.

After seven years at the Golf Channel and Golf Advisor, Matt Ginella and the network are parting ways.

Ginella joined Golf Channel, which celebrated its 25th birthday last week, in 2013 as a travel insider, and was often seen on Morning Drive recapping his trips to golf destinations around the world.

Ginella shared the news that he and the network “decided to part ways” on Twitter while thanking Golf Channel’s executive vice president of content & executive producer Molly Solomon and senior vice president and executive editor Geoff Russell for “affording me countless opportunities to tell stories.”

“Exciting stuff on the horizon for both me and them,” added Ginella. “You’ll continue to see some of my content on the Golf Channel as I explore other options, possibilities, partners and stories within the world of golf and beyond. Thank you for your support. See you on the first tee.”

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Golf Channel’s nine major moments in its 25 years

Golf Channel’s first 25 years have included many significant moments, but none more so than these nine.

As Golf Channel celebrates its 25th anniversary, here’s a look at nine major moments that stand out or shaped its future.

Golf Channel launches

Jan. 17, 1995 — At the time, Joe Gibbs, a Birmingham entrepreneur, and co-founder Arnold Palmer, had an audacious idea that drew plenty of skepticism. But it would prove to be a stroke of genius and change the way the game is consumed. Its first televised event was the 1995 Dubai Desert Classic.

Peter Kessler interviews Arnold Palmer about controversial Callaway ERC driver

Dec. 2001 — Kessler’s criticism of Palmer, Golf Channel co-founder and chairman, for his endorsement of the unconforming driver led to the popular talk-show host, who had become the face of Golf Channel, being let go.

Golf Channel televises complete live coverage of Solheim Cup for first time

Sept. 2003 — This is an underrated moment that opened a lot of eyes to what Golf Channel was capable of doing.

Comcast acquires full ownership

Dec. 2003 — This gave the network deep pockets to pursue PGA Tour rights, which they may not have been able to do otherwise. The merger with NBC Universal in 2011 provided wonderful synergies and access to live “weekend golf” and properties such as the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup.

Golf Channel becomes exclusive cable home of the PGA Tour

Jan. 2006 — This unprecedented, 15-year rights deal beginning in 2007 took GC next level and turned out to be a sweetheart deal for the network.

GolfNow joins Golf Channel portfolio

April 2008 — For better or worse, GolfNow changed the way golfers book tee times while offering courses a more advanced suite of products to run their business for little to no cost. Given that GolfNow has evolved into Golf Channel’s cash cow, this deal proved to be critical for future financial success.

Mike McCarley becomes fourth president

Feb. 2011 — No one has been a bigger cheerleader for the network both in the public eye and privately in board rooms. Despite losing the USGA bid under his watch, he has guided GC to new heights and made GolfNow a focal point and more successful that anyone could have dreamed.

Carries the inaugural Drive, Chip & Putt Championship National Finals

April 2014 – On Sunday prior to the Masters, Golf Channel shows the inaugural Drive, Chip & Putt Championship National Finals live from Augusta National Golf Club. Any time you have rights to broadcast an event at Augusta National, it is a big deal.

Golf Channel televises its first men’s major championship

July 2016 — All that seemingly had eluded Golf Channel was a major. But that ended when it acquired early-round coverage of The Open from Royal Troon. What once seemed like a pipe dream became reality.

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From humble beginnings, Golf Channel celebrates 25 years

Golf Channel was an audacious idea 25 years ago that has changed viewing habits and become part of the very fabric of the game.

Happy 25th birthday, Golf Channel.

On Jan. 17, 1995, the first 24-hour single-sport station launched in a mere 10,000 households, capitalizing on the cable-TV boom.

President George H.W. Bush spoke the network’s very first words, welcoming “his fellow Americans and fellow golfers to this special occasion” before handing off to hosts Lynda Cardwell and Brian Hammons, who took the reins for two hours of live programming, beginning at 7 p.m.

Golf Channel has changed the way golf fans consume the game and paved the way for the eventual creation of the NFL Network as well as MLB, NBA and NHL channels. It has grown from just 15 hours of live programming in the network’s first week (the 1995 Dubai Desert Classic was the first televised event) to more than 100 live hours from three U.S. time zones and five countries this week.

A 24-hour golf channel was the brainchild of Joe Gibbs, a Birmingham businessman who made his fortune in cable and cellular phones, and partnered with Arnold Palmer, who gave instant credibility to an idea that drew more than a few snickers. One writer called it “24 hours of chubby guys in bad clothes” and another claimed, “We’ve already got C-SPAN.”

“There were plenty of questions about who’s going to watch it?” recalled ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt, who got his start in TV as a production associate working in Golf Channel’s video library. “We kind of figured it out as we went.”

Despite the skepticism and resistance from investors, Gibbs forged ahead in selling his vision. He touted an audience of 25 million golfers and conducted a national survey that suggested there were more than 44 million golf fans that would be interested in tuning in.

His biggest sales job may have been on Palmer himself. In what has become part of Golf Channel legend, Gibbs was in a meeting with Palmer and Palmer’s financial advisers, who had their doubts about the notion of a 24-hour golf channel. Retaining Palmer’s involvement was critical to future success. When it was Palmer turn to speak, he said, “Gentlemen, if I hadn’t tried to hit it through the trees a few times in my life, none of us would be here.”

Brandel Chamblee, who served as lead analyst at Pebble Beach, is best known for his studio work.
Brandel Chamblee is one of Golf Channel’s most-opinionated commentators. (Photo courtesy Golf Channel)

That was the last time Gibbs worried about his co-founder’s participation. “It was almost like we were going to the party; it was just a question of what were we going to wear,” said Alistair Johnston, Palmer’s longtime manager with IMG, in the short film “Day One: The Making of Golf Channel.”

Another key moment that gave the start-up further legitimacy was securing a rights agreement with the PGA Tour. The contract was signed in 1994 during the Masters on the hood of a rental car.

 

Gibbs put together a consortium of six cable companies that together invested $60 million in Golf Channel. In short order, they assembled a state-of-the-art digital facility and hired a rag-tag crew, but they were still flying by the seat of their pants. Two weeks before launch, producer Dave Kamens turned to a colleague and said, “Why don’t we do 12 hours of golf and 12 hours of tennis per day. I mean, 24 hours of golf?”

“I had come from the launch of F/X seven months earlier where we put on eight live shows a day and still ran re-runs of the old Batman series,” he said. “The Golf Channel being ‘born’ as Tiger took hold of the game was mighty fortunate, but the secret sauce was Joe Gibbs’ visionary idea and the eventual viewership that scaled towards Cadillac buyers and Rolex-wearers.”

Producer Jeff Hymes remembers walking down a corridor of the gleaming new studio and Matt Scalici, vice president of network operations, was coming the other direction shortly before the network’s big debut.

“He looked at me and I looked at him and it was dead quiet,” Hymes recounts in “The Making of Golf Channel” podcast. “I said, ‘Matt, stop and listen. It will never be like this again. Starting tomorrow there will never be a dull moment in this building.’ ”

A Golf Channel crew sets up for an early morning live shot at TPC San Antonio. Photo by Erich Schlegel/USA TODAY Sports

Golf Channel has become part of the fabric of the game, with more live tournament coverage than all other U.S. networks combined. Over the past 25 years, it has become the place golf fans turn to watch everything from golf’s major professional circuits to NCAA Men’s and Women’s National Championships, Drive Chip and Putt Championship National Finals, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, golf’s return to the Olympics, documentaries like Arnie, original programming such as more than 100 episodes of Feherty and more than 300 episodes of School of Golf as part of its news, instruction and entertainment programming dedicated to showcasing the global sport in more than 70 countries and nine languages.

“It’s fun to know that the excitement that night and the hope of a group of people actually turned out to be well-founded,” Van Pelt said.

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Longtime golf insider Tim Rosaforte to retire from Golf Channel at year’s end

Golf Channel has announced Tim Rosaforte, 64, will retire at the end of the year, ending a 12-year stint as an Insider for Golf Channel.

Over the course of his more than 40-year career as a golf journalist, Tim Rosaforte has become one of the most respected storytellers in the sport. Golf Channel has announced that Rosaforte, 64, will retire at the end of the year, ending a 12-year stint as an Insider for the network.

Rosaforte parlayed his in-depth reporting skills as an award-winning senior writer for Golf Digest and Golf World into an on-air role with Golf Channel in 2007. By 2018, he was reporting exclusively on the top players and trends in golf for various Golf Channel shows.

Rosaforte’s debut on Golf Channel dates to the mid-1990s, which was early in the network’s history. He also was the host of PGA Tour Sunday.

“Tim Rosaforte has been a stalwart of golf journalism for more than 40 years, first as a newspaper reporter in South Florida, then as a magazine writer for Sports Illustrated, Golf Digest and Golf World, and finally as a television insider for NBC and Golf Channel,” said Geoff Russell, executive editor of Golf Channel. “As our industry evolved, Tim evolved with it. No matter the platform, he excelled and established the standard for the rest of us to try and match. Golf Channel will miss him, and so will the entire golf community. But our loss is his family’s gain. No one I know deserves a happier retirement more than Tim Rosaforte.”

The list of Rosaforte’s accomplishments in telling the stories of golf’s biggest names and events is staggering. He reported from more than 125 majors and 17 Ryder Cups throughout his career and racked up writing awards from the Golf Writers Association of America.

He is a recipient of both the PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Journalism, as well as the Lincoln Werden Journalism Award, and is the author of three books.

“It’s been a great run, but now it’s time to reset my focus from golf to family,” Rosaforte told the Golf Channel. “I’ll always have fond memories of Golf Channel and all the great people that work there.”

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Gio Valiante, sports psychologist who has appeared on Golf Channel, arrested on battery charges

Gio Valiante, best known for his work as a mental consultant who has appeared on Golf Channel, was arrested at his Florida home this week.

Gio Valiante, best known for his work as a mental golf game consultant who has appeared frequently on the Golf Channel, was arrested at his Winter Park, Florida, home this week on first-degree misdemeanor battery charges.

According to an incident report filed by the Winter Park Police Department, officers arrived at Valiante’s residence on Dec. 16 at 9:40 a.m. after a phone call from a male caller indicating he had been hit by a female.

Officers reported that upon arrival, Valiante, 48, was waiting outside the residence while his wife Melissa Valiante was inside, in her bedroom closet. Both individuals had visible injuries. Gio had lacerations on his face and red abrasions on both forearms, while Melissa had “a blueish green lump on her right temple and red marks to the right side of her neck,” according to the report.

Gio Valiante was booked into the Orange County Jail on Dec. 16.

In a statement to police, Gio said his wife had hit him with a stool and scratched him after an argument over her inability to wake up and get their children ready for the day. The children were not present when officers arrived, shortly after 9:46 a.m.

According to the police report, Gio said that he had brought up the issue in the doorway of his wife’s bedroom, where she picked up a footstool and began to hit him. He told police the scratches on his face “may” have been a result of his wife scratching him while hitting him with the stool.

Melissa’s statement to police indicated that she had been working on a computer in the corner of her bedroom when Gio entered, became “aggressive” and was “scaring” her, the report said. She had taken a short video that showed Gio sitting on a fabric bench at the end of a bed in the room, hands in lap, and using a stern voice to argue about Melissa being out late and unable to wake up, according to the report. In the video, Melissa is heard asking Gio to leave several times but the recording ends abruptly – without showing Gio rising from his seat on the bench, the arresting officer noted.

Melissa said that Gio did get up and move toward her, at which point she used the stool to create distance between the two of them, the report said.

“The Suspect (Gio) did not leave and the Victim (Melissa) utilized the stool to ‘inch’ forward corralling him toward the door,” the report reads. “Victim stated Suspect grabbed the foot stool from her, hitting her with it on the temple (where injury was observed), and discarded the stool, causing Victim to fall onto the sofa.”

Officers reported that a struggle ensued on the sofa as Melissa scratched Gio’s face and kicked him multiple times before he stood up and made the 911 call, stating he had been hit by his wife.

When in custody, Gio Valiante said to himself, “Your life is over there’s no second chance for you here,” according to the report. When the officer asked him about the “Your life is over” comment, Valiante said he was referring to his own career.

The reporting officer stated that while he found Melissa Valiante to have incited physical contact, Gio was the primary aggressor, the report said. Gio Valiante’s arrest was based on probable cause from the officer’s report, and he was first transported to the Winter Park Police Department, then the Orange County Detention Center before being released on his own recognizance on Dec. 17.

Neither party wished to press charges, according to the police report.

An arraignment is set for Jan. 17, 2020 in Orange County for the first-degree misdemeanor charge of battery. In the state of Florida, a midemeanor battery conviction can carry up to a year in jail, up to a year on probation and/or up to $1,000 in fines.

In addition to his appearances on Golf Channel, Valiante has worked with PGA Tour players Matt Kuchar, Jack and Gary Nicklaus, Charles Howell III, David Duval and Davis Love III. He is well known for helping golfers perform under intense pressure.

Valiante is the author of ‘Fearless Golf: Conquering the Mental Game,’ and previously worked as a professor at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, but has not been employed at the college since 2016.

Officials for the Golf Channel did not immediately respond to Golfweek’s request for comment.

Presidents Cup TV viewership soars for Golf Channel’s drama-filled singles broadcast

Golf Channel reports that the final day of singles became the most-watched cable telecast in Presidents Cup history.

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If it seemed like all of Twitter was glued to late-night Presidents Cup broadcasts this past week – living, dying and Tweeting with every putt – it’s because it was. Stellar play, a close score, plenty of drama and a spectacular venue all contributed to a Golf Channel broadcast that culminated with a peak viewership of 2.15 million viewers per minute during the high point (11:15-11:30 p.m. ET) in Saturday night’s singles matches.

In fact, Golf Channel reports that the final day of singles – played Sunday in Australia but broadcast Saturday night in North America – became the most-watched cable telecast in Presidents Cup history, according to Nielsen Fast Nationals.

PRESIDENTS CUP: Special podcast | Sunday results | Photos
GRADES: Captains, Royal Melbourne earn high marks
MORE: When Captain America is hurting the USA

The time difference certainly helped the popularity of the broadcast. Singles coverage aired live on Golf Channel from 6 p.m. to 12:05 a.m. ET.

According to Golf Channel, that final day posted a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 1.742 million viewers per minute (up 141 percent compared to the final day coverage of the 2015 Presidents Cup, played at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon, South Korea), including 1.705 million viewers per minute tuning in to the linear telecast.

Saturday also became the most-streamed final day in Presidents Cup history.

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Golf Channel’s ‘Live From’ crew pays touching tribute to CBS-bound Frank Nobilo

Golf Channel’s ‘Golf Central Live From’ crew Rich Lerner and Brandel Chamblee paid a touching tribute to CBS-bound Frank Nobilo.

Golf Channel’s broadcast of the 2019 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne showed not only an incredible week of golf, but some emotional moments as Tiger Woods and the United States fought back for an eighth consecutive victory.

The emotions continued on Sunday during a segment on ‘Golf Central Live From,’ where host Rich Lerner and analyst Brandel Chamblee paid touching tribute to Frank Nobilo on his last segment before joining CBS.

Lerner opened by giving the viewer some background on Nobilo’s career, noting how he was “a Sunday fixture at major championships” in the 1990’s before injuries took over the prime of his career.

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“The first event I ever covered for Golf Channel was the 1997 Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, which Frank won,” said Lerner, who went on to note how Nobilo has become “one of the most respected voices in the sport.”

“Frank, 16 years I’ve been sitting next to you, I feel like I’ve argued more with you than my ex-wife, and I think I’m consoled by the fact that I don’t have to send you checks,” joked Chamblee, whose arguments and debates with Nobilo have produced compelling television over the years.

Chamblee added he’ll miss not only Nobilo’s boxing analogies, puns and long, unfunny jokes, but also his analysis and “unbelievable versatility” and ability to take the players’ perspective.

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After taking a few seconds to collect his thoughts, Nobilo said it was a “touch of irony” that his last ‘Live From’ segment came at Royal Melbourne, where he was a member of the International squad’s lone Presidents Cup victory over the United States in 1998.

“From the Presidents Cup back in ’98, it was a band of brothers, I enjoyed that form a golfing point of view,” said Nobilo. “Brandel, Rich, I’ve had the utmost pleasure to sit alongside, argue, but more importantly enjoy the game just as much as you.”

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CBS expands golf announce team with Frank Nobilo, Trevor Immelman

The moves signal CBS’ bullishness on strengthening coverage during a time when the PGA Tour contract is being negotiated.

Continuing an extensive announce team overhaul, CBS Sports announced the hiring of Frank Nobilo and Trevor Immelman to full-time roles Tuesday, while Michelle Wie joins as a Masters digital team member.

The news arrives on the heels of Davis Love’s hiring after contract options were not picked up on longtime broadcasters Gary McCord and Peter Kostis.

Nobilo leaves Golf Channel after 15 years where he was an integral member of the Live From broadcasts as well as tournament coverage. In recent years, he has split time between CBS and Golf Channel at select tournaments, including major championships where he has taken the Amen Corner booth slot.

Trevor Immelman is a rising star in golf broadcasting who has worked a variety of roles for Golf Channel since 2016 while still playing some respectable golf in recent years. He will join the CBS team as an analyst on PGA Tour events as well as the Masters and PGA Championship, both CBS properties. The network also announced an expanded role for Mark Immelman, who has worked partial schedules for the network in recent years on top of his duties at Sirius/XM radio and as Director of Golf at Columbus State University.

Wie’s hiring comes after a successful first broadcasting stint during Golf Channel’s Solheim Cup coverage. The five-time LPGA Tour winner will be a digital contributor for now, though her hiring suggests the network may be in line to pick up LPGA Tour coverage under the next PGA Tour-negotiated contract for both tours.

CBS also elevated Andrew Catalon to the role of lead announcer when Jim Nantz is not working events. A contributor to the network’s digital coverage since 2011, Catalon hosted several events in 2019 in between roles for CBS broadcasting NFL and college basketball.

The moves signal CBS’ bullishness not just on strengthening coverage, but also in signaling that the network has big plans beyond 2021 when the current PGA Tour contract expires.

 

Tiger Woods discusses Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major titles

Tiger Woods still believes Jack Nicklaus’ major record is in reach, as long as he does everything right just like at Augusta National.

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With planning to host the Hero World Challenge and getting ready for his role as a playing captain at the Presidents Cup, Tiger Woods says he hasn’t had any time to think about 2020.

Woods is in the Bahamas this week to host the Hero, which benefits his foundation. So win number 83 hasn’t exactly been top of mind, he said.

“I have been so busy trying to figure this stuff out. My mind hasn’t crept to 2020,” he said Monday morning during an interview with Lisa Cornwell on Golf Channel.

More: When and where will Tiger Woods play next?

The Hero marks Woods’ return to competition – albeit a limited field of 18 of the world’s top players – since he won the Zozo Championship in Japan. That win was No. 82, tying Sam Snead for the most in PGA Tour history, and it came just a few weeks after Woods had a surgical procedure on his left knee.

So is 18 majors still attainable?

“I think it is. Obviously I have to do everything right like I did at Augusta. I have to have all the pieces come together,” said Woods, who turns 44 on Dec. 30. “Who knows? I was 14-1 when either leading outright or tied for the lead going into Sunday. I finally broke that slide and came from behind.

“Who knows? I’ve done it different ways. I’ve won tournaments; I’ve done that different ways. And I have finally won a major in different ways. Who knows what the future holds.”

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