Five Guys: The Game Is Tiger And Tiger Is The Game!

My already low expectations were not exceeded by Golf Channel/NBC on Golf Channel's roundtable from Arizona featuring Johnny, Faldo, Brandel, Roger and Dan Hicks. The first 17 minutes were devoted to Tiger, followed by tour talk, and topped off by a tiny last segment glossing over the state of the game. Hardly shocking, but ultimately why the Golf Channel still doesn't have the full attention of avid golfers the way, say, Tennis Channel's lively commentary makes it must-see-TV for their hardcore fans.

Here you have a show titled "State of the Game" and it felt like nothing more than a launch to what will be a neverending deluge of synergy branding. Or is it branding synergy? Either way, it's coverage heavy on logos, name dropping and plugging whatever comes next (U.S. Open talk!?).

It'd be great to see a follow up show that rekindles the spirit of Golf Channel's 2003 "State of the game" show. That featured people grappling with the game's issues and in touch with the masses (Brandel displayed traces of that in his excellent comments about the everyday game).

But the night did produce one mystery: what was that on the center table? A collection of monkey brains dipped in Hershey's syrup? Recovered bocce balls from the Gulf of Mexico floor?

Update on Saturday, February 26, 2011 at 08:03 AM by Geoff

**Steve Elling found Johnny's latest Tiger analogy worthy of a blog post:

Miller said he feels like he is watching the second installment of an all-time American sporting tragedy.

"It's a little bit like a Mike Tyson story to be honest with you," Miller said. "Sort of invincible, scared everybody, performed quickly under pressure, and until the Buster Douglas came along, of life, Tiger started to hit that in his life."

Tyson was convicted or rape charges, took an upset beating at the hands of Douglas and was never the same in or outside the ring.

"His life crumbled and it's like Humpty Dumpty," Miller said. "He was on the high wall way above all the other players and had a great fall, and there's pieces all over the place and [he's] trying to put them together.

Comments

[digsouth]

I had to quit watching, when the show spent all that time on TW, rehashing the same tired crap they go over every day, and THEN they spent a tiny segment on the rules, and Chamblee's idea of ''the one rule he'd change' is the signing for a higher score DQ that De Vincinzo suffered, a real help for the daily administration of rules, as it happens so often, and gosh it will help the game move better.

What a joke.

I too was fascinated with the bocci ball/Easter egg weird things. I kept wanting Johnny to stand up and beat the s.h.i.t. out of that terrible moderator; i won't even give him a name. He could at least thrown on or two of those orbs at him.

All in all, a part of my life I WANT BACK. TGC owes me.

[jason reva]

These guys love talking Tiger Woods because they have never seen a better golfer in their lifetime. And he has done things on the golf course we wouldn't even think possible by god. They are as big a fans of his games as alot of America. Well who knows what Brandel is a fan of.

[digsouth]

My wife has confirmed it: they are decorative balls.

[court]

LIke you, I had very low expectations - at the beginning I thought there might be some hope when Faldo brought out the scissors and called Miller "sunshine", but that fell apart pretty fast. It turned into a string of well rehearsed answers we've heard from these same guys before. Chamblee thinks he is Johnny Miller junior - but he did have the line of the night with his talk of Euro Tour guys throwing up from eating too many international foods.

Did enjoy the conversation on favorite up and coming players - and Maltby was the voice of reason - scary.

If you find out what those things were on the table - please let us know

[court]

lol - digsouth - that was Dan Hicks - he's Miller's usual sidekick / anchor for NBC broadcasts - and you're right, he was pretty useless tonight

[Keith86]

I got stung by a box jellyfish on the thigh4 months ago and my real balls went the colour of that red and white one and they nearly swelled to that size too.

[Mulligan]

Glad I missed it. On purpose. I knew it would be just so much Woods rehash.

[digsouth]

court...yes I know his name. He just did not deserve to be addressed by it, so as to spare his parents further embarassment.


Again, my wife has proclaimed hem ''decorative balls', though I once had some grapefruit that ended up looking sort of like that.

[Average Golfer]

It appeared to me that Johnny ate his car.

[Del the Funk]

If you ever get the chance to see Gaffigan in person do not miss it. The dude is hilarious.

[Old Hornet]

It was expected folks but nevertheless, we all owe Peachtree a sleeve of balls - check out the 2/22 thread.

Note to GC: The Feng Shui arrangement didn't work.

[Jim D]

I like Chamblee,but the rule he wants to see changed does not exist.Di Vincenzo was not disqualified for signing for a higher score,he missed a playoff when he signed for a 4 instead of a 3. Golf channel should do more of this and invite Finchem,USGA rules people,equip.makers,and players to the table.

[rob]

Jim - I understand it to have occured like this - De Vicenzo would have continued for a Monday playoff if he had realized that he had a 3 instead of a 4 on the 17th, thus tieing Goalby. Thus he had to accept the incorrect signing of the card.
It had nothing to do with missing a playoff.
Please correct me if I am wrong.

[5.1]

Not very interesting, but what do you expect with Dan Hicks. I wonder if many of you have unrealistic expectations for golf broadcasting/commentary. First of all, golf is just not that interesting. Period.

Fifteen years ago, GOLF - PGA Tour, equpiment guys, course developers, magazines, TGC, CBSABCNBCESPN - hitched itself utterly to Tiger.

Without Tiger since 1996, there is no doubling of TV ratings; quadrupling tour purses; building marginal course projects; new equipment supported by massive advertising in magazines and on TGC and golf broadcasts. Lather rinse repeat.

You can have Johnny and Sir Nick solving every problem in the game and it won't matter if Tiger does not come back. You all may deplore Tiger and his behavior but if he is winning 5 events and one major each year, then the game of golf is all better from thr point of view of the industries that have financial stakes in the success of the game.

[Jim D]

Rob,he would have tied Goalby if he signed for a 3,he missed a chance for a playoff but he wasnt disqualified for signing for a higher score,as chamblee said,we can sign for as many extra strokes as we want just not less.

[Papa Bing]

agree with all. they need people who know what they're talking about. I like Chamblee but he was so far off on the rules. There was no DQ. DeVicenzo finished second because of the scorecard mistake.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Masters_Tournament

[Amen Coroner]

Comcast NBC and TGC deserve two stroke penalties for signing an incorrect card resulting in their being DQd after that roundtable pos!

[Arthur]

The only thing more predictable than the Golf Channel panel is the guys on here who jump in to agree with Shackelford. If Geoff had written that he loved it the same people would have stormed in with their support for such a great show. Brandel Chamblee could be on the evening news. He's that good.

[Geoff]

Arthur,
I like Brandel but that's laying it on a little thick. Check out the reactions on Twitter as it was happening. Most said the same thing: I can't believe a show billed as state of the game has just devoted the first third to Tiger's swing.

[OB]

They show was enjoyable to watch if you could get past the title. It was irresponsible to bill this as the state of the game. It was state of the tour, with one ridiculously brief segment talking about the "game."

Next time invite Dottie!

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

Next time invite Geoff. And chico, fatgoalie, Jay Townsend, Mike Clayton. Even pk(bftd)...just don't bring up his #1 pupil. Then they might get somewhere useful. Brandel is a breath of fresh air, most of the time.

[Jordan]

Roger Maltbie on growing the game: "We need to get elite junior players off the par 3s and onto real courses." My response, "Roger, what par 3s are you talking about?"

[Sari]

I like Brandel a lot, but his continued insistence that TIger revert back to swing 2000 is just plain utopian. Tiger and others have said on a number of occasions that it would be an impossibillity because of his knee and that is one of the reasons he changed it in the first place.

Please, please, let's get away from "he should go back to Butch."

[seak]

Totally agree with Sari on this one. If he'd stuck with the 2000 swing he'd have no left knee anymore, which is what the Dr's told him when he had the arthroscopic knee surgery in '02. Also he didn't repeat 2000 under Butch in 2001 or 2002. It as a one off year even for Tiger. Other then that Tiger's years with Butch were very similar in terms of majors won to his years with Hank. I like Brandel as well, but he's way off on the Tiger/Butch stuff and he really needs to just let it go.

[Ellert]

Seak,

Gotta disagree with you regarding Tiger and 2002. He won the masters and the US open in 2002. Was totally in the hunt that year in the British Open until he was blown out by the weather in the third round but closed with (I think) a 65 on Sunday. At the PGA he was neck and neck with Beem until Tiger flinched when Beem made an eagle on the back nine and Tiger promptly 3-putted the par 3 he was on. He still managed to close with a number of birdies to almost hunt Beem down. How close he was to a Grand Slam that year is in my opinion overlooked.