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The US Open – 9 Things We Learned at Chambers Bay

BY Tony Covey
Jun 22nd 2015
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Written By: Tony Covey

How would I describe the 2015 US Open? 3.5 days of monotony (and trains), followed by one of the most epic back 9s in recent Major memory. There was much to absorb, plenty to think about, and a near-infinite list of topics that warrant further discussion.

Here are 9 things we learned at Chambers Bay.

Fox Sucks at Golf

If the greens at Chambers Bay were really that bad, Fox’s coverage was worse. You guys watched. You know the list of missteps is a long one …

Pointless cutaways to Curt Menefee and Tom Weiskopf in studio. Guys, it’s not the NFL, we don’t need (or want) a halftime show. You can actually just keep showing golf and we’d all be fine with it.

Joe Buck Joe Bucking for four days. Fox gambled that we’d be more receptive to a name we know rather than a name we don’t. They lost. Buck wasn’t good, and while I expect he’ll get better with more reps, I’m not alone in thinking Fox would have been better off taking a chance with a relative unknown who happens to actually know more about the PGA Tour.

I won’t mention any names, but if you watched any of the featured group coverage, you know where Fox’s talent is.

The total inability of the cameramen to follow the flight of the ball, which led to a complete over-reliance on the Protracer. You had one job.

Holly Sonders and the ridiculously awful post round interviews. Hey Kevin Kisner, nice-enough round, but let’s talk about Jason Day. Jordan, you just won your second major of the season, did you pack enough pants for a Monday playoff?

Riveting stuff.

The absurd fascination with trains. Kids and fire trucks. Dogs and squirrels. Fox and trains. Every damn time.

The total focus on two groups to the near total exclusion of the rest of the field. From what I can tell, 8 guys played 18 holes each day, while a handful of others hit one or two shots each and went home.

That’s really just scratching the surface, and while I’d be inclined to give Fox a bit of a break considering that this is its first foray into championship golf – and that certainly can’t be easy, what irks me is that it was oblivious to its own failings.

Screw up Thursday. Screw up Friday too, but by the weekend, make adjustments and get your shit together. Fox didn’t.

Louis Oosthuizen is Australian

If you heard it on Fox, it must be true. In other news, Fosters is South African for beer.

Dustin Johnson May Not Have What it Takes

We love a good redemption story, and we damn near had one. 12.5 feet from his first Major, Dustin Johnson 3 putted. We’ve all done it (except for the Major part), but this is now the 3^rd time DJ has let a Major slip through is fingers. He’s only 31, but his window looks more like a keyhole.

The man in an incredible talent (with 13 of his 14 clubs anyway), and for now it looks like the off-course stuff is under control, so I’ll stop short of saying he’ll never win a Major, but he probably needs a four shot lead going into 18 to pull it off…and even then I’ll be on the edge of my seat.

Pro Golfers Are Soft, Whiny Creatures

Sergio Garcia, Chris Kirk, Ian Poulter, and Billy Horschel are just a few of the professionals who took to Twitter to cry about the conditions of the greens at Chambers Bay.

Look, I get it. I’ve played badly in tournaments I really wanted to win. I’ve blamed bad fairways, bad greens, overhanging branches, and the placement of white stakes. Hell, I even blamed a chipmunk for crossing the teebox during my downswing.

At the end of the day, I didn’t get it done, just like Garcia, Kirk, Poulter, and Horschel didn’t get it done.

I was petty, and those complaining about less than pristine conditions are petty too. What’s worse, it’s disrespectful not only to the staff at Chambers Bay and the USGA, but also their fellow competitors, especially those who sucked it up, played well, an in the case of Jordan Spieth, won the damn tournament while the whiners were watching on TV.

The guys at the top of the leaderboard Sunday played the same course as the guys who had the free time to take to Twitter to complain about it.

I get it, these guys are used to playing in pristine conditions, and so I’m sure it’s frustrating to have to play on a course manicured more similarly to what the other 90% of us play on a weekly basis.

I don’t begrudge anyone his right to share his opinion, but I’d certainly have more respect for these guys if they’d said something along the lines of:

“While Chambers Bay presents a unique challenge, and the conditions, particularly on the greens, differ from what we’re accustom to playing on the PGA Tour, it was nevertheless a privilege to compete in the US Open.”

You guys had the honor of competing in the US Open. Are you so pampered that it doesn’t mean anything anymore?

By contrast, when Joe Buck teed up an opportunity for Jordan Spieth to trash the conditions of the course, he passed, electing to simply thank the fans for coming out instead. #Class.

Cobra needs more guys

Majors sell golf gear. Unfortunately for Cobra the US Open was Rickie or bust, and well…you all saw what happened.

If you’ve only got one horse pulling your wagon, Fowler’s a pretty good one to have, but only a fool denies that tour exposure matters. Callaway, TaylorMade, Titleist, Nike, and Under Armour all got plenty of TV time on the weekend. By the close of business on Friday, Cobra PUMA was tapped out.

I love how Rickie handled it. You can never go wrong with charisma and class, but golf is a numbers game, and unless you’re Under Armour, one is seldom big enough.

Jason Day is going to make a lot of money

You all know what happened with Jason Day this week. Fox made sure of it. Despite literally collapsing on the 18^th hole Friday, Day somehow gutted-out a top 10 finish.

We like gritty, tough players who fight to win. We like them even more when they say all the right things.

With contracts coming up on all four of TaylorMade’s big money players (DJ, Sergio, Justin Rose, and Jason Day), TaylorMade may have some tough choices to make given its current financial situation.

The speculation within the industry is that TaylorMade won’t re-sign all four. Rose actually has a major. Sergio has been TaylorMade’s guy forever. From tee to the edge of the putting green Dustin Johnson is the most talented.

With all of that said, Jason Day is likely the most marketable, and that’s due in no small part to the fact that he’s also the most likeable and clearly cares as much about winning as he does his weekly paycheck.

If I’m Nike or anyone else with money to spend, he’s the guy I’m looking at. Even if he ultimately ends up back with TaylorMade, the cost just got a little bit higher.

We Might Finally Be Over Tiger Woods

Maybe it’s because his game was so completely out of sorts on Thursday. Maybe it’s because of the fresh perspective of Fox Sports, whatever the reason; the attention on Tiger has noticeably waned.

DJ, Rory, Oosthuizen, Grace, Day and of course Spieth all contributed their part to a tournament that proved – hopefully once and for all – that golf is exciting without Tiger Woods.

We can legitimately talk about a Jordan Spieth/Rory McIlroy Rivalry

Yeah, winning the Masters was impressive, but lots of guys win majors. Substantially fewer win two, and the number of guys who win them back to back start the season…well, it’s now 6. That’s elite level stuff.

You guys know the other numbers: 21 years old, 2 majors. The youngest ever to pull it off.

While it’s way too soon to start talking about a Jack’s record, a lasting rivalry between the games two biggest young talents seems like a legitimate possibility. Toss in a supporting cast that’s better than any over the bulk of the Tiger Era, and like I said, golf fans have something to be excited about again.

We can legitimately talk about a Nike/Under Armour Rivalry

I’ll see if I can track down some market share numbers for you, but Under Armour has made no secret about that fact that its golf sales have increased significantly since Spieth won the Masters. At the same time, retailers are reporting slower Nike sales coinciding with the decline in Tiger Woods’ game.

Go ahead…ask a Nike retailer how they feel about Tiger Woods opting to not wear Nike’s Tiger Woods shoe.

I’ll go out on a limb and suggest that those sales trends continue after this weekend.

If you followed any of the drama around Kevin Durant’s latest sponsorship deal, you already know the rivalry between the two biggest US sports shoe and apparel companies is real and it’s fierce. If that spills over into golf it has the potential to boost awareness of, and excitement around the sport.

Spieth is currently under contract with Titleist for his clubs, but if he continues to win Majors, Under Armour might find itself with an itch to explore the upside of the hardgoods market. While that’s purely speculative, it could make a changing equipment landscape even more interesting.

Under Armour was linked to basically every Cleveland Golf Is For Sale rumor. A Callaway acquisition would make more sense than re-resting the Nike DIY route, and while it’s unlikely that adidas would sell to a competitor, it’s been suggested by more than one insider that the company may look to unload the TaylorMade Golf division.

For now, keep an eye on Under Armour as it’s footprint within the golf industry is growing rapidly.

Have Your Say

These are but a few of our observations. What are your takeaways from the 2015 US Open at Chambers Bay?

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Tony Covey

Tony is the Editor of MyGolfSpy where his job is to bring fresh and innovative content to the site. In addition to his editorial responsibilities, he was instrumental in developing MyGolfSpy's data-driven testing methodologies and continues to sift through our data to find the insights that can help improve your game. Tony believes that golfers deserve to know what's real and what's not, and that means MyGolfSpy's equipment coverage must extend beyond the so-called facts as dictated by the same companies that created them. Most of all Tony believes in performance over hype and #PowerToThePlayer.

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Jordan

9 years ago

I was at the open for the Friday and Saturday rounds, and have also played Chambers a handful of times. Chambers is a very tough course to walk…. I think Fox was awful, and I’m sure the golf channel staff would have been 150% better…. But I’m not sure Fox, or the USGA were ready for a US Open at Chambers Bay. The spectator ropes were awfully setup, basically cutting you off from any view of most holes that were easy to see, in fear of a senior citizen falling on a hill. All in all, Fox and the USGA get a big fat F for this years open. I still love Chambers and agree with what the author said about players bitching on Twitter. Billy, Sergio, and all the other whiners can go fly a kite somewhere. #SpiethForPrez

dcorun

9 years ago

FOX stunk. That said, let’s give them some time to work out the kinks. It was really fun watching and listening to some of the Pro’s whining. It is always fun for me to watch these guys when they are out of their element which is the manicured, pristine golf courses they play every week. Except for the greens (which I expect to be MUCH better the next time a Major is played there) Chambers Bay was a quality course and you had to think your way around it instead of just point and shoot like the rest of the year except for the British Open. It gave you a lot of options around the greens and the whole course reminded me of a British Open course which some Americans have refused to play because the courses aren’t cookie cutter like they are here. It was good practice for the upcoming British Open since you can’t tell the fairway from the rough on some holes at St. Andrews which is the one if not the best links course in the world. Enuff said.

Fred

9 years ago

Perhaps, when you think of it, we, as viewers, have been spoiled these many years from watching golf on NBC and CBS, both of which have much more experience broadcasting golf tournaments than FOX. I have watched some of the Senior U.S. Open, which is also being broadcasted by FOX, and I can see the ball flight, as well as the ball as it travels onto the green. And, yes, you can tell where the fairway ends and the greens begin. The cameramen and women are doing a much better job of following the flight of the ball. According to a comment I read by someone who has been playing Chambers Bay since 2010, the greens were not in any better shape this year than they were five years ago. And he stated that it was mostly politics that got a major to CB so soon after it was built. Much of the enjoyment I get out of watching televised golf is seeing the beautiful fairways and greens, along with the countryside that surrounds the course. I got none of that watching the U.S. open this year. As for the (British) Open, I would be willing to bet that, for the most part, the American players that matter, seldom, if ever, refuse to play in the (British) Open.

leo

9 years ago

my observations… the ball tracer was a god send especially on a golf course like this. i hope to see it used extensively at the British, Holly Sonders was hired to be eye candy not for her journalistic skills,Greg Norman is as arrogant as an announcer as he was as a player, Billy Ho actually said what was on his mind instead of some politically correct canned response bravo, that course was a joke and as he said an embarrassment to the us open but the usga groomed this course to be its baby they will never admit they were wrong about this or any other issue.Fox coverage will be fine in a couple of years people will forget other networks even covered the us open just like when fox got nfl coverage.If Dustin Johnson was a good or even average putter he would dominate the PGA tour

JC

9 years ago

I came away with this thought. Golf is in trouble. Jordan Spieth is a great–possibly really great–player, a gentleman and a nice guy. Unfortunately, his awe shucks, whitewashed image, and his personality and lack of “it” factor and charisma is just boring in a world of the Kardashians, end zone dances, fist pumps etc. he is boring. For golf fans he is great, but to America and the world at large he won’t move the needle.

Fred

9 years ago

And just when you thought it was safe to watch golf on TV again: If you have nothing else better to do, and are curious to see if FOX learned anything from its U.S. Open broadcast mistakes, check out FOX’s coverage this week of the 2015 U.S. Senior Open. Should be interesting. it’s being played at the Del Paso Country Club in Sacramento, Calif. Saw some of the highlights from Thursday – nice to see Watson doing well – you can see the entire flight of the ball in the air, and you can see the ball land on the greens, which are green and look to be in pretty good shape. Camerawork is better. Time will tell.

Mike Williams

9 years ago

I’d give Fox 3 out of 10 this year! But having said that I wonder how NBC or any team would have done covering that particular Open. The challenges the on-site spectators had were magnified for the video coverage. In truth, I preferred listening to the XM Radio coverage! Next year will be a bit more traditional layout – so I’ll be anxious to see how Fox does there with a year to regroup, make some changes (technically and personnel wise) and then work in a more standard setting. Incidentally, I liked the trains and thought the frequency of the traffic was part of the story.

Fred

9 years ago

You make a very good point, Mike. After the four days were over, I’m wondering if some execs from the other two networks didn’t breathe a sight of relief that they weren’t involved this year. And regardless of whether or not the pros are spoiled, and regardless of how bumpy or not bumpy the greens were, or whether FOX knew what it was doing, I still prefer to see courses that look and play like Augusta.

ron e

9 years ago

I would greatly appreciate it if all the commentators were left out regardless of who broadcasts. All these ‘I can’t play anymore’ telling me what these guys are thinking ( how do they know !!??) I just want to see the leader board and watch the golf. I really don’t care what they think and I don’t believe most people do either.

Fred P

9 years ago

And I thought it was just me bored to tears with an ego maniacal Greg Norman and a totally lost Joe Buck! Norman is done and Buck is not close to his dad.

Too bad our pampered tour players can’t play what’s put in front of them without whimpering like the girlie men they are. That’s why I have a hell of a lot more respect for the European tour. They can and do go from cold, windy Scotland to steamy Dubai or Indonesia and just play with little or no childish grumbling. It’s no surprise they can’t win a Ryder Cup because, at least according to them, they don’t have continuity from match to match. babies one and all!

labillyboy

9 years ago

I concur… except for the parts about Under Armor getting into hard goods… they’d be nuts to do that. If they are smart they stay out of golf clubs, maybe do some bags, gloves… stick to their core competency. Nothing in their DNA qualifies them to design and build hot selling golf clubs, heck even the brands who do have that DNA struggle.

Darren T

9 years ago

I agree Fox was very bad at bringing the coverage to us fans, but I feel bad for Louis O. Had he not been paired with Tiger and Ricky, what do you think he might of shot. I would be curious to see how other partners who have played with Tiger over the course of his high handicap golf have faired.

B Marnocha

9 years ago

A viewer tweeted “the only things missing from Chambers Bay were windmills and paper mâché dinosaurs.
R. Trent Jones is a better politician than a golf architect.
Enough said.

bob

9 years ago

had to be the worst coverage of any major, all talk and they had nothing to say. and holly, why has she there at all?. terrible interviews, make you want to cringe at some of her questions. why not show all the players in the field instead of mindless babble from joe , greg and tom all the time!

Bluch

9 years ago

I agree with Kevin Cole – to many cry babies. As for Holly Sanders – who cares – look at some of the women reporters at NFL games. Don’t judge a person by their looks!!! Understand one thing folks; Nick Faldo was not the greatest when he first announced – look at him now. As for Johnny Miller; yes he is redundant, but he is one helluva great announcer and has the balls to accept criticism without caving in to those who disagree with him. Stick with FOX folks – fair and balanced!!!

Fred

9 years ago

If you were to take a pole, you would find that most viewers still don’t like either one of them.

leo

9 years ago

the main reason Holly Sonders is there is because of her looks.That is why she got the job

Kerry Cole

9 years ago

I found the whole weekend very exciting.. too bad that some of the competitors didn’t get their cushy greens as life is tough all over.. I thought for their first time out Fox did a good job covering the whole program.. I felt they needed way better color commentating. J Buck is lackluster in being the lead commentator.. I am not too excited about Norm the Shark either.. The flight of the ball was not the quality that it should be.. It sounds like some folk just don’t like Fox in general based on the earlier critiquing .. Albeit Louie is from Afreeka mistakes happen all the time.. There was too much talking when they talked… as was the other network that covered previous tournaments.. Just have a paragraph to discuss and get back to golf.. Fox did cover more golfers than I thought was possible which is great.. they went from one to the other rapid fire………….this made it even more exciting.. Great venue in spite of all the crybabies who made mucho dinero and still bitched..

Ed

9 years ago

I’m alittle disappointed that my golf spy bashed fox like that. I think they did a good job and what’s not to like about Joe Buck. Best part of the whole thing was no Johnny Miller for 4 days. He is the worst announcer of all times.

David Beneake

9 years ago

So far, one guy mentioned Sean McDonough, who was the bright spot. Tracer and shading of greens were good but needs work. And why so many talking heads? Do we need 22 diff people (my count) to call golf. Keep Sean, Corey, Flesch and actually use Inkster ( she had maybe 2 comments.) Gulbis was following groups also for some Fox thing, let’s give her a larger role. Buck, Norman, Weiskopf, Menefee, McCarron, Sonders, robocam can all go away.

Jerry Foley

9 years ago

Fox simply tried to put its typical thumbprint on its USOpen coverage like everything else it does. Pretty women scantily clad and football-like non golfers trying to get their usual audience. No guy dislikes looking at Holly but man, at the USOpen if you’re gonna use women announcers use one who has won one or has the golf cred. Maybe Judy Rankin or Dotty Pepper work at other networks but aren’t there other female golf greats available? frankly I think Fox was as sexist with their golf coverage as they are with their news. It’s an insult to us golfers that they think we prefer looking at more beautiful airheads than women who know the challenges of playing or winning a major.

Charlie

9 years ago

Jerry I agree 100%. You nailed it, Airhead is the right word.
Her replacement on Golf Channel is so much better, she’s NOT FAKE, has a Great smile and Knows the game of golf.

Regis

9 years ago

First of all re FOX: I read an article/opinion that if true should scare every golf fan. It opined that the USGA really wanted to go to Fox and not just for the money ($93 vs $80 million). It basically said the USGA was looking to make the coverage of golf more hip. (Think NASCAR/MMA).(Lets get ready to Rumble) Forget all the obvious missteps in its coverage, think about the content choices for their Sunday broadcast of the US Open.. They had that reporter on from Sports Illustrated in a guest spot twice -once to discuss the “real reason Dustin Johnson took a leave of absence” and also to dredge up the Patrick Reed college days BS. Then to cap off their TMZ approach to the excusive coverage of our National Championship that tool Joe Buck tried to trap Jordan during the awards ceremony by asking him for his take on the “greens controversy” This is during the awards presentation. Can you imagine that happening at Augusta? Thankfully, Jordan smoothly deflected the idiot and raved about the local fans. Great Move- a classic
As to Jordan-I’d love to see Under Armor acquire/merge/partner up with Cleveland and move forward with Jordan. Make him a part owner like Jack/Mac Gregor and move forward as a long term brand

JC

9 years ago

I agree with most everything said about FOX and Mr. Buck. Does he even play the game? Greg and Brad were good, did not miss Johnny and most of the time my favorite tool was the MUTE on the remote. REALLY, FOX has noooooooo business in golf.

Dave Hegge

9 years ago

Thanks for the article.
When did announcers on TV start pronouncing words that begin with st as sht. For example, Steve Flesch says the word straight as shtraight! Ask him if he pronounces his first name Shteve!

Bill

9 years ago

I agree with everyone that FOX Sucks and not just for Golf. HOWEVER there was 1 thing that made it all tolerable when I sat back and thought about it.
NO JOHNNY MILLER FOR 4 WHOLE DAYS!!!
First time in forever that I did not have to watch with the remote in my hand so that I could hit the mute button every time I saw his lips start to move. Thank god and FOX for small mercies.

Eric

9 years ago

i didn’t think buck was that bad, honestly, he’s obviously not nantz but who is? the biggest problem with fox was the sound. you could hear conversations happening in the gallery which was terrible. also i didn’t like the random nature of the commentators chiming in. to be honest, i thought more of buck transitioning hole to hole would’ve been better than the guys whose voices i couldn’t tell apart.

chris

9 years ago

Please, please bring back Johnny Miller or at least Sir Nick. This Joe Buck tried hard but failed. Greg Norman seemed nervous and out of sorts maybe he needs Chrissie Evert for advice? The Irishman Sean something was the most knowledgeable. The ball tracer was good as was the difference in greens with high and low points but compared to CBS, NBC or the golf channel it was a bummer.

fleeter

9 years ago

good day – The ONLY bright spot in the coverage of the tournament as far as I’m concerned was the shot tracker. Other than that FOX should stick to football. Also, what a waste to have Holly Sonders standing there at a blown-up score card. FOX blew it completely. As for the course, yes it was awful, but they all had to play it and nothing was going to change. Kudos to those that kept their mouths shut, sucked it up, and played golf. No bashing necessary and did it change anything? Not a smidgen!

Fred

9 years ago

The real problem with FOX’s coverage was the network’s lack of experience of covering a golf tournament. From the cameramen to the directors and producers, they had no one who had any experience broadcasting that sport. The NFL and MLB? No problem; they can do that with their eyes closed. Covering a baseball or football is much easier that a white golf ball that ‘s contrasted against brown fairways and greens. Yes, thank God for the shot trackers. As for Holly Sonders – she left The Golf Channel for THAT?! And, seriously, folks, what are they going to do with her during the NFL games? As for those who kept their mouths shut… I have a feeling that Jordan’s “bashing” of hole #18 got it changed from a par 4 to a par 5 on Sunday.

Ike

9 years ago

How I spent my summer vacation
Watched fantastic players have to hack their way around a miserable excuse for a golf course hosting the USGA US Open. Thought perhaps the sickness had over taken me and I had slept through until the British Open. No, the flags and signs all said US Open. Talking heads! Are we all so stupid that the folks at Fox think we need all the bovine residue spewing forth from their talking heads. Surely someone was attempting to play golf while this drivel was happening. Gave me time to hit the mute and go potty. Hated it. Hated the course. Joe needs a job. Tom need to go design something. Shot tracer, yes shot tracer. Needed it so we could see somewhat where the ball was headed against the burnt out looking background. Beautiful views? Yes of the ocean and mountains. Not the course. Let it revert back to a gravel and sand pit. Let Joe do football. Let Tom go to DesMoines. Hate that my USGA membership may have contributed to so much displeasure. Wish I owned Fox. I would sell.

toomuchfun

9 years ago

Yup most of it was REALLY bad …… the one saving grace was we didn’t have Johnny Miller saying “the grain got it” on every missed putt.

toomuchfun

9 years ago

the one saving grace was we didn’t have Johnny Miller saying “the grain got it” on every missed putt.

neville barber

9 years ago

Enjoyable article.
Here in Oosthuizen’s part of the world, we are less familiar than Americans may be with the commentators, but it became decidedly a hardship to listen to the commentary.
The TV caption showed the hole number, the player’s current score, and the score the out would achieve, but we have to endure:
Gravel voice commentator: ‘Here’s Dustin Johnson at 15 for birdy’.
Camera shows the putt miss.
Commentator: “And Dustin Johnson MISSES a birdy putt!. He make just a par! He remains at his current score of four under!”
Do blind golfers in the US watch television, I wonder.

Robert Fraioli

9 years ago

Fox doesn’t suck at golf…they didn’t have an opportunity to have a tune up event or two, their first event was the men’s open

Michael Thomas

9 years ago

They flat stunk at the coverage… poor at everything and at every angle

Matt Aamold

9 years ago

I first played it in 2010 with a couple of friends (one who knows his golf and is in the Touring Pro World). We managed to get a 3pm time at $80 per, otherwise I might not have played it. The biggest issue was the lack of grown in grass or rough and the fact that the ball rolled into strange spots because the ball on that ground had a mind of it’s own. Hit a great shot and find that the ball rolled sideways 30 yards into a bowl with a sprinkler head in it – or into the edge of a bunker. We all realized that the course was still growing up and most of the grass was fine sand and that yep the ball is near uncontrollable with that type of new short grass and ground.

Played again in 2012 and the grass was coming in better no more lame rolls into poor spots. Last Time I played was in 2013, the fairways were starting to come into it’s own but still the grass still hadn’t grown in like I thought it should. The greens were starting to look patchy, The Head Pro and Caddie Master both said that growing the grass in was much more difficult than first expected and the USGA was going to replace a most of greens to get them into shape before the US Open.

Come to 2015 and the greens look and roll awful (Except 7 and 13 which were the only ones replaced). Two players 3 feet from the hole and one of them has to put through the patchy poa and fescue, while the other gets a smoother fescue sand mixture…in a US Open!..atrocious. And the USGA barely watered anything in the weeks leading up to and during play – much of the grass where the rough should be was dead and matted down. Enter my comment when we played in 2010, most of the grass was dead or failed to grown in because

For me a resident of Washington to pay between $215-249 to play a course with crappy greens…No Thanks, I’ll head over to the Home course and play there 4-5 times for the same amount ($52 for 18). None of us were sure how they would manage to get a US Open style course out of the place, we were sure that some backoffice deals had been put in place for that course to have ‘Won’ an open so soon after opening and not have proven that it should hold a US Open, or any other tournament…shenanigans I say.

labillyboy

9 years ago

They didn’t do themselves any favors having every golfer in the U.S. watch their course on TV for four days… Nobody in their right mind would PAY to play Chambers Bay after this. $200+ to play these horrible conditions? No thanks. Saved me the trip.

Bluc

9 years ago

Sorry – Greg Norman

Bluc

9 years ago

It’s obvious that Golf Spy is not a FOX fan. I thought the coverage was good and although I’m not a Greg Gordon fan, I thought he did okay for his first broadcast. As for Fosters – it’s better than Bud Light!!!

Matt Aamold

9 years ago

The Pro’s have every reason to complain about the greens. I’ve played Chambers Bay a couple of times and the greens were in good condition. But now?…until they fix the greens I won’t pay money to play there again. Even the USGA has now admitted that the greens were not acceptable.

Fred

9 years ago

Matt: is it true that it’s a very expensive “public” course to play? Also, since you’ve played there, any speculation on why the course – only being seven years old – was able to get a major so soon? Thanks.

Dwayne

9 years ago

Great stories with Day, Spieth, Brandon Grace, Louis O who battled back to near victory after almost drowning in the Tiger morass, and of course Dustin’s putter. That monkey got a lot heavier.

Also, it was very impressive how well the leaders drove the ball, lots of bombs and straight, amazing. Those guys are good.

Gary Hass

9 years ago

I thought I was going blind trying to follow the ball even on the greens. Glad to hear I was not the only one having trouble. thank God they had the tracer for tee shots…….

jm

9 years ago

i think DJ is way more marketable than Jason Day. He is the longest guy on tour and probably has way more wins than Jason Day. Just saying. Day’s story in the US Open was great but that story will fade because he did not win, if he had won it would have been up there as one of the great stories but usually people remember the winners story unless there was a choke or close call (ie, doug sanders, van de velde, watson 09)

DBaren

9 years ago

Fox brought very little value in terms of the coverage from the announcing and camera work.

How about when they were giving the trophy to Jordon and they cut away to a shot of what Fox said was Jordans Dad………..and it was not. they finally figured it out at the end and figured out which one was his real Dad. Pathetic that nobody caught that

Doug Harnice

9 years ago

Amen!

Jeff Sobieraj

9 years ago

Great read!

John Neidhardt

9 years ago

Fox was HORRIBLE ! Their camera work GAVE ME Vertigo

Ben

9 years ago

The course is actually outstanding. What it is not though is a major venue. Fans had a nightmare experience and the usga made one of the worlds most beautiful courses like like a dog track. I have a close up picture of the greens when i played it and they were flawless. I have pictures of the 9th hole that make your jaw drop. Drying it out ruined the course for TV and the players. I have no problem with the bad reviews by players, as Sergio restated. You don’t play the nba finals on a poor surface. The super bowl isn’t played at a field that isn’t up to par. The US OPEN should be played on great playing surfaces. The putting skill was taken out of it and luck came into it once on the greens. And the ignorant morons that say sour grapes aren’t paying attention, the guys at the top of the leaderboard including the champion spoke out against the greens and course set up too. This looks borderline FIFA in the fact that this course had terrible green surfaces and terrible fan viewing yet still got an OPEN. There are dozens of courses around the US that are more deserving in all facets than Chambers Bay. And I loved the course by the way!!

Frank Knox

9 years ago

My beliefs completly!!!

Michele Fitzgerald

9 years ago

Horrible talk fest ,we want GOLF and Holly should just stand there in a bikini with duct tape over her mouth as she puts us thinking female golfers back 100 years .Curt belongs on Entertainment Tonight and Buck displayed the personality of an indoor house plant .

Bill

9 years ago

There are those who won’t say anything positive about anything Fox network does, so I always take comments with a grain of salt. That said, the coverage had many excellent improvements as well as a few gaffes. Missed David, didn’t miss Johnny. There’s room for improvement, but overall a good broadcast and the shot tracer was a bold, long overdue improvement. Glass half full here, folks.

Rick Brawner

9 years ago

The trains shots were best…

PMantle

9 years ago

Sorry, but Horschel nailed it. I get sick of guys getting labeled simply because they expressed an opinion on the greens. The greens sucked. They should be allowed to express that. The claim that only players who can’t play on them line exposes a weak mind. Horschel made the cut. The tourney winner had nothing good to say. The only entity deserving criticism here is the USGA who failed miserably, again.

Andy W

9 years ago

Not with the luck thing, and not with Billy whineybabying as legit. Pros will out-putt us by the same % on any surface, matters not.

DJ knows on rough putting surfaces, that you lag putts. If it happens to go in, then great. If not, then there is no stress holing the next putt. On 18 on Sunday, DJ ran it past the hole by 4-feet, a HUGE mental error..

Tony Covey

9 years ago

Absolute mental error on DJ’s part. I’ve never spent any time with him, but sufficed to say, mental acuity is not regarded as one of his strengths, so while it’s hard to know exactly what was going through his head, it could have just as easily been “TRAIN! TRAIN! DID YOU SEE THE TRAIN!”, or nothing at all.

It was basically match play at that point – and I guess he played to win rather than cozy it up and take his shot in a playoff.

To continue the match play analogy, DJ had a partner and didn’t have the good sense to use him. Jason Day did everything he could within the confines of the rules to effectively say, “Hey Dustin, why don’t you putt first. You might need a read off me coming back.”

In that moment, the rules were in DJ’s favor and he failed miserably to take advantage. The whole clearing the stage thing got in the way of good golf sense.

Fred

9 years ago

“sufficed to say, mental acuity is not regarded as one of his (DJ’s) strengths.” Careful, Tony.

leo

9 years ago

amen so refreshing to hear some guys not toe the company line. most tour players are sheep to worried about public opinion and endorsement money to actually say something insightful.tip of the cap to Billy Ho and the others that spoke up

Fred Bluhm

9 years ago

Money.

Matt Trinite

9 years ago

I thought they did pretty Good. Not everyone wants to hear those fake ass birds chirping on CBS all the time. Or Jim nantz. Holy hell

Jeremy Bear Necessities Doran

9 years ago

Gotta love how they called Dustin, Justin Johnson and Jason Day, Justin Day…and not just once,,many times.
Clearly FOX have no idea about golf or any of the members of the PGA.

James Richardson

9 years ago

I can’t believe NO ONE has said a word about the USGA! they take over a golf course for w2 weeks (literally take over from the superintendent) and make all decisions regarding water mowing rolling greens etc. The USGA kills the golf course for the open, like literally kill all the grass to hold the championship. Had a good friend who was the super for the amateur at cherry hills and the senior at broadmor. Just another gov’t org with a president who doesn’t know a thing about the game. Nothing like a 15 handicap setting up the US OPEN!

James Richardson

9 years ago

Jay Delsing… Jay. Delsing.

shane

9 years ago

When the greens are crappy, it is not the same for everyone. Not everyone puts from the same place, or over the same bit of crappy ground. Sometimes a ball darts left for one player and not another. It becomes random who gets the breaks and who doesn’t. The players are complaining because it increases the amount LUCK plays a role in the result, and that is something all “skilled” athletes want nothing to do with as they want an even playing field.

And of course there is always going to be an element of luck in the game, this is about reducing it as much as possible.

I mean seriously, if you created a putting competition with anybody on this forum, against any player in the open field this weekend, on pure greens, almost no-one would beat the pro. However if you cored the green, or covered it with small rocks, or even played over some upturned egg cartons, I would give everyone here 50/50 to beat the pro. Its a different game, and complete luck.

Tony Covey

9 years ago

What you’ve described is true of pristine greens. Some guys have straight putts, some guys have double breakers. Some guys get perfectly flat lies, some guys have to putt through spike marks. That’s golf.

Again, the mindset seems to be that golf has always been played on perfectly flat greens, and so that’s what these poor guys are entitled to. That’s not actually reality. Many majors were played before the verticutter was invented and when the stymie was still a thing. Not all that long ago, bumpy greens weren’t a crime against golf, they were golf.

shane

9 years ago

I don’t think they are comparing the quality of the greens to those in the 17th century, the mid 1900’s or before the invention of the verticutter. I would suggest the comparison is more recent, like against the pristine greens they play on every, single, week.

If anyone here plays their local course for year, and then comes the most important even of the year and they find out they’ve just cored the greens. You can expect people to be pissed. What make the pro’s immune from that same feeling?

Luck sullies the purity of any sporting event…and don’t even get me started on spike marks and divots.

Regis

9 years ago

Here’s a perspective that I consider no-confrontational but something to think about. I heard Zack Johnson being interviewed on a radio show promoting the Travelers Championship. I think he’s a class act. Anyway he tried to avoid the “greens” question, politely begging off and finally he said something like- Look all week guys were saying I hope these greens don’t decide the winner. Zack went on to emphasize that he in no way thought that the greens in any way affected DJ’s 3 putt on 18 but that it was something that shouldn’t even be in the conversation. He’s right. Saying that bumpy greens were intrinsic to the sport years ago before advances in the study of Turf Management is not a justification. That’s like saying kids got polio or the measles all the time in the 50’s. The USGA as late as Wednesday said they weren’t going to stress the greens and that the greens wouldn’t be an issue. They failed to deliver , plain and simple, and they never re-visited the issue post tournament

labillyboy

9 years ago

The greens were fine… the #1 putter on tour won. End of story.

Fred

9 years ago

As of June 21st, the number one putter on tour with the most one-putts is Matt Kucher. Jordan Spieth, whom I assume you were referring to, is ranked 5th. And let’s keep in mind that Spieth had a few choice words about the course, too.

Ross Gibby

9 years ago

No chris berman or johnny miller, that’s a positive. Fox also assembled a nice crew of past good players. On the whole, I was pleased. Yes, there were faults.

Harry B. Gasparett

9 years ago

Course, Fox, and all announcers are terrible..and that includes Holly, she is terrible along with Morgan!!

Fred Bluhm

9 years ago

I have to agree with some of the negative comments about FOX’s coverage of the U.S. Open. However, that said, as someone who has worked in sports television – Monday Night Football, U.S. Olympics, among others, and as a former cameraman, myself, let me share this with you. Regarding the camerawork: NBC and CBS both have very experienced cameramen and women who have extensive experience covering golf tournaments. FOX probably doesn’t. It’s a learning process. Unfortunately, viewers suffer as a result. Commentators: The ones with the most experience work for the other networks. Face it, Joe Buck isn’t qualified to shine Holly Sonder’s shoes when it comes to golf knowledge. And speaking of Holly, what I saw of her during the broadcast made me wonder why she ever left The Golf Channel. Yeah… we know why. Anyway… I don’t know who the directors and producers were for the telecast, but it could also have been a learning experience for them, as well. This isn’t the football or baseball telecast they can do with their eyes closed. To their credit, I know FOX is reading every comment – both negative and positive – from viewers on sites like this, and taking notes. You can bet there will be some big meetings this week in NY. You have to believe (at least I do) that next year’s FOX telecast (they have 12-year contract) of the U.S. Open will been vastly improved over this year’s. At least it should be. That’s it. Hope it sheds a little light on some of the conversations here.

Alex Coombes

9 years ago

Why did Holly Sonders leave Golf Channel?

Fred Bluhm

9 years ago

Money.

Charlie

9 years ago

I thought Fox did a terrific job….particularly for their first broadcast.

Blaine Cordle

9 years ago

Joe buck has no business talking about golf let alone football. Thank god they didn’t pair him up with Troy aikman

Jeremy

9 years ago

I liked much of what FOX did:

-protracer used more frequently rather than just the same hole as golfers pass through it
-shading the greens to show the break rather having an announcer say for the 1,000th time there is more break than the cameras show
-the audio between players and caddies, each other
-tons of good camera angles from behind putts or behind the hole

I could without the chase cam and announcing crew needs refinement, but overall I give them an 8 out of 10, It felt much fresher than normal broadcasts.

Al

9 years ago

I have to say I agree with most comments about the coverage (both good and bad). The biggest frustration I had was with their flight tracking with the cameras. I didn’t see a single green side camera that captured the ball landing clearly. The ball would be tracked by one camera in the air (well they would try), then cut to the green side camera, it would land but they(cameraman) would have no idea where. Finally they would zoom out in hopes that the ball would be somewhere in the shot (all I could do was laugh and hope the cameraman would redeem themselves on the next one). I also wanted some instant replays or did I miss that? All I remember was Rory dropping a bomb on 13 and hoping for the replay that never came. At the end of the day they just dont have the experience that the other networks have, but I’m sure they’ll get it. Hopefully they can also help open golf to a broader audience as well.

As far as the course conditions, I think it was great to have an imperfect course, and did they forget it was the US Open! I truly appreciated the difficulty of the shots we saw and especially the putts that were made. I for one enjoy seeing them struggle, it makes them relate able for at least one week out of the year. As far as player complaints, that was disappointing. Sure a complaint here and there would be natural for everyone given the difficulty, but I must say I lost some respect for those that complained the whole time on and off the course. These guys are the best in the world and if they cant overcome bumpy greens what hope do the rest of us have playing these conditions everyday. C’mon guys, you guys get paid to play golf. So just dig deep and give the fans all you got. We really saw a lot of character or lack there of from a lot of players this week.
.

Lori

9 years ago

Your article was spot on! Nuff said!

Matthew Strube

9 years ago

Bad

Bruce Couch

9 years ago

Who actually needs to watch golf when we can listen to the shark explain benign positional vertigo for the 8th friggin time???

Scott Farrell

9 years ago

Guy spent 5 minutes on Wiki and became a medical professional … Fox couldn’t get a real neurologist to explain the condition and its symptoms?

James Richardson

9 years ago

And he never really explained it correctly.

Dave

9 years ago

DJ is more marketable than Day. Under Armour caught lightning in a bottle with Spieth, because while I respect and appreciate the story of the brand and founder, the product is crap. FOX has a very large learning curve to overcome.

Monkeynaut

9 years ago

Implants, hair extensions, false eyelashes, spray tan…. Put Holly in a Hooters outfit and maybe Fox can recoup something on that failed acquisition from golf channel.

Charlie

9 years ago

You took the words out of my mouth. Can Holly find maybe some 6 inch fake lashes??
Thank GOD she’s gone from the Golf Channel. Could not stand her. She belongs on the worse Golf coverage ever FOX. I got dizzy trying to find the ball. And the really stupid questions Holly asked the players were almost as stupid as she really is. Classless.
Joe Buck sucks at everything as well Hated him before and even more now.Will never watch golf again when Fox covers it. Anyone who says the coverage was good needs to change their Drugs. God Awful. Where’s the Damn ball??????????

Mark Heath

9 years ago

Terrible camera work. Half the time they couldn’t follow ball. Hearing Greg Norman was slightly better than Johnny Miller, but that’s a really low bar to get over. Hopefully Fox is not going to cover golf regularly. Give me CBS and their team over any of the others.

dan

9 years ago

We also learned Jordan Speith could maybe putt on a waffle iron.

Bill McMillan

9 years ago

Even the European cameramen can track the ball 90% of the time. ……

Nick

9 years ago

The condition of the greens was not very good. The “they all play the same course” arguments are nonsense. If this was the Super Bowl and the field was purposely made to be a difficult as possible it would be outrage. Maybe a better example would be the NHL finals “let’s let ice get as soft and slushy as we can before it actually melts.” But hey they’re all playing on the same course/field/ice. So stop complaining and just play.

Tony Covey

9 years ago

In both of your examples, the rules call for a generally flat surface of specific dimensions. In golf, where the terrain varies from course to course, the greens make up but a small percentage. You’re comparing apples to doughnuts.

It’s funny…as the discussion grows the condition of the greens appears to get worse in worse. Let’s not lose sight of reality. The mixture of grass on the Chambers Bay greens grows at different rates. That’s basically the entirety of it. These guys had to play on bumpy greens. That’s it. No holes, not big rocks, no putting through creek beds, no clowns mouths or windmills. They played on conditions similar to what many of us play on every day, and some of them didn’t handle it with any particular grace.

My larger point, with the example I used is that it’s entirely possible to bitch, without being a bitch. It’s possible to express an opinion, make your point felt, without being disrespectful.

TJH

9 years ago

The broadcast was devoid of humor (Feherty, McCord), and had way too many in studio cut – ins. Greg Norman was totally underwhelming, and Weiskopf was way too dry for my tastes. Thank God the back nine was compelling. With a finish like that one, it almost didn’t matter who was hosting. Great golf finishes trumps everything!

Eron

9 years ago

“Pro Golfers Are Soft, Whiny Creatures”

Very true and the US OPEN champion himself was not above whining and flailing throughout. Only reason I wished Dustin Johnson could’ve closed so that all the players that Moaned and Groaned walked away with nothing.
Whoever said Dustin is a good putter (for tour players) wasn’t paying attention to the commentary- what little was of value- He ranked somewhere near the absolute bottom on putts from within 6″, so when that Birdie attempt was his- I looked away and closed my eyes.

Fred

9 years ago

If you go back and look at the final round, you’ll notice that it wasn’t just Johnson’s long drives that kept him in the hunt. His putting was pretty good, too.

Dale Berry

9 years ago

Fox is really bad at golf. That is the top 10

DuncanA

9 years ago

Oh.. And I did enjoy Mark Brooks and his comments but not crazy about his partner. And why did the announcers purposely state a ball was “flag high” and not the usual “pin high?”

DuncanA

9 years ago

Sorry… I am a blonde so not sure what to make of this article concerning “Louis Oosthuizen is Australian” because the USGA leaderboard states he is South African and his PGA profile states he is South African. So what am I missing with this article? It must be something simple but I cannot see it.

Don Higgerson

9 years ago

MyGolf Spy got it right!

Tom54

9 years ago

Two problems with FOX:

1) they spent an inordinate amount of time showing guys standing around doing nothing.

2) Holly Sonders is a brutal interviewer.

One thought about the players saying what was wrong with the greens, and fans telling them to shut up and play: this is their job and they’re complaining about their work environment. Have you ever gone to work in your computer was slow or not working? Did you say something about it? And did someone tell you to shut up and work?

Fred

9 years ago

Good point, Tom. I’m sure that’s where many of the pros were coming from when they were commenting on the greens.

Fred

9 years ago

If there’s going to be a ligament rivalry between Rory and Jordan, Rory better start playing better. Rory may currently be world #1, but that’s only statistically. Performance-wise, Jordan is playing better.

Michael Eleftheriou

9 years ago

Colby Evans

9 years ago

That was by far the worst coverage I’ve ever seen. Like Menefee saying after Woodland spent the night in the hospital or Day passed out “he’ll try to play some time tomorrow”… Yeah, they will… At their specified tee time

Lou

9 years ago

I’m a big fan of the pro tracer. I tend to lose the ball in the air and I enjoy watching the shot shaping of the guys. For sure, the terrain made it difficult to see the ball but with all due respect, the cameras were horribly out of place on a lot of shots.

As for the players who came out and whined about the course layout…..SERIOUSLY? I understand it was not up to the standards you guys play on but for God’s sake just shut up and play it! Everyone else did. I can understand frustrations and stuff like that but c’mon…

Fred

9 years ago

Shut up and play? You may not say that if your ball hits a lump on the way to the hole, jumps straight up in the air and immediately turns left when it hits the ground (which actually happened) and it ends up costing you thousands of dollars. These guys do this for a living – it’s how they feed their families. The general observation on the greens by many of the players was that you were lucky if you made a five-foot putt. Dustin Johnson is one of the best putters on the tour. He’s now been quoted as saying the condition of the green on 18 cost him the championship.

Tony Covey

9 years ago

“Dustin Johnson is one of the best putters on the tour”.

Uh, no.

In reality, Johnson is a notoriously bad putter. It’s the weakness, arguably the only physical weakness in his game.

What is the basis for that statement? Johnson currently ranks 121 in the World in Strokes Gained putting and 150th in the world in total putting.

I’m guessing you’re looking at the putts per round stat, which has been shown to not accurately represent actual putting performance. As much as anything else, that particular stat, where Johnson currently ranks in the top 10, reflects the fact that Johnson is a solid approach player, and pretty good around the green…which are things we already knew. Putts per round is largely dependent on the distance of the first putt.

DJ is a lousy putter. Not my opinion, it’s what the data says.

You can feed a lot of families with the money these guys make. Playing in the US Open is a privilege, it’s a shame some have forgotten that.

Fred

9 years ago

Tony: have to be honest and say I really dot know that much about Johnson – I got my info on his putting from one of the FOX commentators. I agree that playing in the U.S. Open is a privilege, but both sides have to hold up their side of the bargain; where would one be without the other? These guys earned their right to play at Chambers Bay. You can feed a lot of families off the money that NFL, NBA and MLB players make, too. Maybe more so. What separates PGA players from the rest is that their income is primarily based on their weekly performance – not 10-year contracts. Of course, you have money made from sponsors, but if they weren’t playing that well, Nike, Titleist, etc., would have nothing to do with them. Bottom line: players like Spieth, who are better putters than most, also much their share of short puts, too.

Regis

9 years ago

Not to split hairs but its not a “privilege” if one has to qualify to get in. If its an invitational then yes it can be construed as a “privilege” to be invited. But when one has to qualify (and that includes amateurs whom you apparently include in the category “the money these guys make”) whether it be by regional qualifying, tournament wins, maintaining world rankings etc. then one has earned the right to participate in the national championship and having EARNED that right to participate in our national open a participant has also earned the right to an even playing field. I usually agree with you but not here.

leo

9 years ago

true if he was a good putter ha would win 5 or more times a year

b Young

9 years ago

I think Menefee summed up Fox’s coverage beautifully when he said, “Spieth doesn’t do anything great.” Are you KIDDING??

Jim Trotchie

9 years ago

Yes they did suck

David Ching

9 years ago

We had fox coverage in New Zealand but obviously missed half the stuff you folks saw. We didn’t get this Holly?
I thought it was the best coverage of an American tournament I’ve seen and the few times I watched it with the volume up thought Greg Norman was pretty good.

James Pappas

9 years ago

As soon as the volume was turned off I enjoyed the U.S. open. Joe Buck is horrible as an announcer.

Jason Geraci

9 years ago

So the #1 play-by-play guy for MLB and NFL on Fox is horrible? SMH

James Pappas

9 years ago

He certainly is Sir

Fred Bluhm

9 years ago

Actually, golf can be enjoyed without any volume. The commentators are only telling you what you probably already know. Most of what the pros themselves have to say is politically correct, and not very informative. I used to watch NFL games with the volume turned off and play classical music.

Christopher Hamelink

9 years ago

I think cbs, nbc, ABC would have had some of the same issues the venue created that fox suffered. That doesn’t forgive the “sex sells” method of featuring holly with wide screen shots whenever possible. Or the bad camera work, or the talentless talking heads they used.

Dave Champigny

9 years ago

I’m hard on FOX because when watching a golf broadcast I’d actually like to see where the golf ball lands…

James Richardson

9 years ago

That wasn’t Fox’s fault, blame the usga for making the greens the same color as a balata golf ball: Dead.

Phillip Kushman

9 years ago

Holly looked good

Paul Muehlemeyer

9 years ago

I think the coverage and the course were both sub par. I liked the old coverage and classic courses much more. I’m also glad Holly is on Fox now. The new lady on MD is much better in my opinion.

txgolfjunkie

9 years ago

Pros are a bunch of whiners? Those guys publicly criticized the course but Speith was just as vocal in a non-public/non-verbal setting. Remember Speith bashing the 18th on the first (or second) day? If you listen to Speith’s trophy speech, not once did he mention the course when asked specifically about the course, environment, crowd, etc. Speith only mentioned the crowd and electric atmosphere. He wasn’t a fan of the course. He couldn’t even give a forced compliment of the course. There’s a lot to what he didn’t say in his response. If he was mic-ed up for the rounds, I guarantee you he wouldn’t have a single compliment about those greens. His body language during the final round was all you needed to know about his thoughts on the course conditions.

The pros that said something are just saying what the majority was thinking. The USGA is hellbent on tricking out a course so much that it bites them in the butt. Those greens were horrific. The course wasn’t spectator friendly. It’s a shame they tricked out a course like that so much that it makes the Chambers Bay grounds crew look like they don’t know what water is or how to maintain fairways and greens.

I commend the pros that spoke out. Mike Davis is the typical NTAC (no talent @$$ clown) commissioner of a sport that has no business being in power. He’s just as ineffective at course setup as Roger Goodell is at suspensions levied against women beaters (Ray Rice – 2 games) or Bud Selig was at curtailing steroid use in the MLB.

Justin Cousino

9 years ago

Alot of people are hard on Fox…you have to remember, they have no access to the elite golf commentators and announcers. Maybe, if they steady amounts of tournaments they can pull some talent and learn.

Everyone is forgetting that tracer and green shading was probably the coolest thing that has happened to golf on tv in a few years….lets give them some credit there, at least.

Lastly, FOX proved that golf can go commercial free for the last 5 (I think) holes…and that my friends is what we need more of.

Guy Crawford

9 years ago

Amen

Andrew Moore

9 years ago

We all have to start somewhere…

Randy Waddell

9 years ago

Fox has no idea what a golf telecast looks like. Buck needs to call baseball, Norman is no commentator and the rest of the group didn’t have a clue what they were doing. IT WAS A JOKE!!

Springbok

9 years ago

I am going to have to agree with the article and say that I would much rather SEE the actual ball in flight than the Tracer. Ask hockey fans how they feel about a glowing puck tracer on their TV screen.

Also… I guess I a Australian now so…. I have 3/4 of a brain less than I had yesterday :)

vegasgolfandsneakers

9 years ago

Disagree about Tracer. The effect of how far right Grace’s drive was yesterday wouldn’t have been there without the Tracer. That was incredible. Same with the Coetzee driver switch and the ball going 60-70 yards cutting right.

Steven

9 years ago

I am a fan of the tracer. It allows viewers to see how the pros are shaping their shots and where the ball goes. I think that people like it and I think that it is a plus for the non-hardcore golfers who might be watching. Without the tracer family wonders why I watch these guys standing in the tee box leaning this way or that with no indication of where the ball is going–too slow to be a dance or a form of exercise and too few moves to be Tai Chi.

Fred

9 years ago

I agree. Then tracer is has a definite place in broadcasting pro golfing events. There are times when it’s even hard to tell where the ball is going when you’re watching in person. This may be stretching it a bit too far, but considering how hard it was to tell where the ball was once it hit the green, they might find some use for it there, too. I’ve never heard of any course putting white dots around the green so a player can tell where the fairway ends and where the green begins. Amazing. Only in golf does the playing field change each week – never in basketball, football or baseball. And the players are always told to suck it up and adjust to it.

Steven Walsh Sr.

9 years ago

Couldn’t agree more Fox sucks at golf.

Max

9 years ago

The worst thing ever was that I was streaming it on my laptop through the US Open site and then for the final 3 holes they concluded their free coverage and to finish watching you would have to watch on Fox. Problem is, I don’t have cable so I could not stream it on Fox One and could not watch it on TV. Lame.

Nick Flack

9 years ago

I understand your point of view.
I came away from the fox golf experience with different conclusions.
I thought there were innovative ideas put into play. I appreciated the foot cam to show the terrain. I thought the green shading was eye opening. And i have long thought the average major viewer would appreciate more ball tracer.
Was it perfect? No.
It was a touch over bearing at times but I think there was a concerted effort to make it a viewing experience with distinction.

Mike Hawkins

9 years ago

Norman is terrible, the Tiger Era is over, chambers bay is adult putt putt, and Holly should just wear a bikini.

Fred

9 years ago

Mike: someone who said it all in one sentence. Well done ;-)

Caleb

9 years ago

Yeah Protracer was nice, but it was a necessity because of the golf course… CBS or NBC would’ve used it just as much. The only positive was no Johnny Miller

Fred

9 years ago

Nick Faldo isn’t much better.

Andy W

9 years ago

FOX’s grade was a “D” but I have high hopes they will get better. Buck over the top at the trophy presentation,–really loud and goes on & on. Other issues lowering the grade:

–There was no HUMOR. I miss David, Gary, Roger, and especially Johnny…
–Corey, Brad & Tom, rules guy; all put me to sleep. Greg is no Johnny, but at least he gave it try. Again, I miss my Johnny.
–Why not some graphics & closeups of the greens, or have Greg out there actually putting the ball and reporting– all to explain the issues with the offending greens? Imagine that, Visuals work on TV!

Caleb

9 years ago

Loved when Joe Buck confidently called Oosthuizen an Australian on Sunday afternoon, and when Holly Saunders asked Spieth if he brought a 5th shirt.. Really Holly?! Stupid question

Fred

9 years ago

Caleb: After watching Holly during the broadcast, I was left with the feeling: why did she ever leave The Golf Channel. I mean, for this? Maybe they should have put her in Joe Buck’s seat; she certainly knows a more about golf than he does.

vegasgolfandsneakers

9 years ago

You really couldn’t find anything positive to say about FOX? The last hour of a major with no commercials was fantastic, the on-course audio was great all week and they did wonderful work with the Tracer technology, more so than any broadcast we’ve ever seen. They had some down moments, which you touched on, but they improved the way we see golf. Their announcers did great work in letting us here what the players and their caddies were talking about.

Juan Ayala

9 years ago

I have to admit that I couldn’t say it better myself. In short, well said. I’m disappointed that MyGolfSpy spent most of article complaining about Fox. Plus, I’m NO Fox apologist as I think they made many mistakes but the last two hours of coverage was greatly entertaining and that’s what important.

Tony Covey

9 years ago

First ‘most of the article’ is a gross over statement, and let’s be honest, had not DJ, Oosty, Grace, and to an extent, McIlroy made their runs, the coverage would have been a debacle. Fox didn’t make the last 2 hours, Spieth and co. did. Another shot or 2 in Spieth’s favor on the back 9 and there’d have been no reason to watch…unless you really like trains.

Jay Gardner

9 years ago

FOX likely expected to be hammered, and, perhaps, the most valid part of the criticism was noting they made few, if any, adjustments over the weekend. That said, I’m probably a tad older than many of the readers here, so I distinctly recall NBC taking back the Open from ABC. NBC actually broadcast the Open from like ’54 to the mid-1960s. Still, ABC had it for years and made huge advances in coverage. But NBC came back in ’95 and, as much I like Dick Enberg doing Broncos football, he lacked a bit as their golf lead. Basically, NBC sucked, But not for long. FOX might be wise to pony up some dough and lure Dan Hicks into their 18th Hole booth. In any event, I’ll give them one year to figure it out. Oakmont won’t provide the complaining material FOX relied too much on this year, so they’ll be forced to focus on the players and the tournament. Let’s hope they improve, eh?

Fred

9 years ago

FOX would do well to study previous broadcasts by NBC and CBS. Meanwhile, with their 12-year contract to do the U.S. Opens, I’m wondering – do we only have to put up with them once a year – in which case, they aren’t going to get much added experience – or are they going to try other venues as well. Once a year is a lot of time to make needed changes, but not good for improving camerawork, commentator performance, etc.

Tony Covey

9 years ago

They certainly tried some different things but most of it fell flat. Crediting them for a final hour of commercial free is like giving them a pass for only showing highlights of the first 48 minutes of a football game, and going commercial free for the last two minutes. The commercials weren’t the problem, Fox couldn’t get out of its own way with the relentless studio stuff, and feature pieces.

You mention the on-course audio. I concur, it was excellent, bug again, Fox was often oblivious to the situation. DJ is standing over his ball in the middle of the fairway, presumably having exactly the type of conversation you discuss. We’re basically talking about the only shot that matters right now, and instead of focusing on that, building the drama, etc, Fox is doing another of their pointless post round interviews. Show the golf…save the interview for when nothing of consequence is happening.

I refuse to say they improved the way we see golf…they’d need to show more of it for that to be true. +/- 8 guys any given day is total nonsense.

Paul

9 years ago

I couldn’t agree more. I thought their coverage was awful. The noise in the background was annoying, not helpful. They talked WAY too much, as you noted. For the first two days they rarely told us who they were showing and how they stood, or how far they had on their shot to the hole, although they did start doing that more the last two days. Menefee was abysmal. The tracer I actually liked, but they weren’t the ones who introduced that. Robocam was worthless. They didn’t do ANYTHING to improve golf coverage, in my opinion.

Dave S

9 years ago

I’m literally shocked that you had ANYTHING bad to say about Fox’s usage of Shot Tracer. Thank the lord a network finally realized that shot tracer is the best thing that happened to golf since the sand wedge. If I had it my way, I’d use Tracer on EVERY full swing shot. You can actually see where the ball is going and it’s flight characteristics instead of zooming in on a ball flying through the air, with no reference whatsoever, and then only finding out if it was a good shot when it suddenly lands. Now that said, Fox does need to improve their transition from tracer to ball… there were a few times when the tracer line hit the ground and it took them a few seconds to cut to a shot of the ball rolling. If they could transition just 2 seconds before it lands that would be ideal. In time, Fox will improve. I actually enjoyed the coverage (aside from the commentary from the main guys – Buck, Norman, etc. – and i totally agree that the featured group commentators were better). Side note: David Duval is really good… he need to get a prime time job as an analyst instead of being Chamblee’s puppet.

Tony Covey

9 years ago

Dave – My issue with the Tracer isn’t that Fox used it, it’s that Fox used at as a crutch. Far too often it was clear that the cameramen simply couldn’t follow the ball, and so you’d get these wide panning, occasionally zooming shots of nothing as the camera struggled to find the ball before somebody finally said, “screw it, cut to Joe Buck”.

Shot Tracer is a fantastic thing, but at some point you need to find the ball.

Dave S

9 years ago

I agree – they used it as a crutch and their camera men were not great at finding the ball mid-air (which is why they took so long to transition from Tracer to ball when it was landing)… but in the end, I’m happy they did since it revealed how great Tracer is for the golf viewer and would hope that they plan to use it more going forward (and that all other networks start doing the same for the other Majors).

Another thing that Fox did great was to pick up way more caddie/player chatter. I really enjoy listening to players discussing strategy and how they want to attack a shot. Fox just needs to get out of their own way and leave Kurt Menefee to football.

leo

9 years ago

totally agree the shot tracer was the one shining star in fox coverage.I don’t care how good a cameraman is he can’t possibly pick up the ball coming off the clubface at speeds of 150+ mph and can never show the trajectory or shot shape.they should use it more not less. i agree with most of the article Holly S was bad she seemed much more at home in the golf channel studio and the focus on a couple of pairings was ridiculous not only on the final day but throughout the tourney.

TonyG

9 years ago

I think the article was understated. You left out the ridiculous drone out over the water showing nothing (oh yah, trains). The fake sound recording of a ball falling in a cup. And my favorite, the Shark who stated in numerous interviews that he was not going to hold back any punches, threw less than Manny Pacquiao in his last fight.

Dave S

9 years ago

That was an actual mic they put in the cup making that sound. Is that dumb? Yeah, probably. But at least it wasn’t fake.

MooLatté

9 years ago

This is golf. . . This is golf on television. . .

Fox’s coverage wasn’t perfect from a technical standpoint, but I have to hand it to the USGA for bringing a disruptor into the homogeneous world of network golf coverage.

I thought it was refreshing to hear evasive PGA approved generalities like “personal problems” spewed from the fearful mouths of the usual inner-circle jerks, replaced with specifics like “cocaine” and “marijuana”. (Am I the only one?)

In the future will “personal problems” in PGA-speak always be a euphemism for simply “cocaine” and “marijuana”? Or could it possibly also cover other far more serious dysfunctional conditions?

Does the PGA has a self inflicted image problem or is it simply the victim of the decades of schmaltzy, tedious, thirty minute long player profiles that the networks always seem to think will make someone other than an avid golfer want to watch golf on television?

I personally cringe when CBS covers The Masters in that sickening sweet syrup of theirs – although I have to admit, Jim Nantz does it so well that he has elevated it into a near perfect art form.

Large, high resolution televisions have greatly improved the golf-on-television experience and Fox’s expanded use of tracer technology is clearly the future of an even better viewer experience.

sambob

9 years ago

I concur. They did some stupid stuff and the ball flight situation was atrocious, but I thought some of the add-ons were great- no commercials, course audio. We’re they great but no way as bad as listed above and better than avg. for their 1st tourney though I think they did the 4 ball championship earlier in the yr and I heard the coverage had some flaws.

Goog thing about Fox is you know they aren’t going to skimp on production costs which usually ads value to the watcher.

labillyboy

9 years ago

Look, there’s only one thing you HAVE to do covering golf. Have cameramen who can follow a golf ball with their cameras so you can see the shot land and follow it, PERIOD. If Fox wants to do any more golf, they need to have a cameraman school at the local driving range… It also seemed they had a lot fewer cameras out there than previous broadcasts?

I can really do without the tracer lines and the enhanced greens shots… see my point above, if the cameraman does his job, you don’t need a tracer.

I can put up with bad announcers, my TV’s all have mute buttons. Awkward post round interviews (standing up holding a full size microphone? REALLY?) I have to get up for a beer sometime. The Trains… and the trains… and the trains… I guess they were there had to shoot them. Nearly exclusive coverage of the leaders? I really would like to see Phil whiffing on more L wedges from the deep stuff, but watching DJ 3 jack 18 was priceless.

OK so I saw the tournament, I know who won… but Fox definitely did a substandard job on the only important aspect of a telecast and the fluff they counted on to make up for it… well.. didn’t.

Eric

9 years ago

Thought the coverage was fine. The course as brown and dry with the greens concrete in color is what caused a problem following the ball. Loved the Pro trac and the slow motion and the green shading wished every tournament did as much.
Who watches golf for the announcers? In fact I didn’t realize it was Buck until the end of the tournament. Did Holly actually say something? , I was upset when they only had her on for 20 second intervals.. Feel like this hack has an agenda against Fox and so be it. Makes himself feel important that he can spew on a site where 99 people will actually read it. Knock yourself out big guy.

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