While Tim Finchem Was Distracting Us Sunday...

NBC used this new graphic to show where various driving distances finished on the 7th hole at Dove Mountain. I only saw it by watching the re-broadcast after reader Steve asked if I had seen it. Not coincidentally, this aired at the time Tim Finchem was live on Golf Channel talking about the tour's opposition to the anchoring ban.

It's not often we get good visual innovations in golf broadcasting that help put architectural features into context, but this one certainly does.

Also kind of amazing that Ian Poulter had the long drive.

Comments

[Liam84]

It's far from the first time that they have used that "feature".
It appeared at The Sony Open earlier this year and this past thursday at the WGC they also ran it, it was Tiger who had the longest drive when they showed it, not that it meant much.
It's certainly a cool addition, but not new by any means.

[greg c]

it's not the equipment, stupid

[Digger Dave *is* digsouth]

The Euro Tour has been doing this sort of thing for over a year, and they show 10 TEN in the leader board instead of 7: it seems the AMerican produces ar still watching 15 inch tube tvs with a VHS in the bottom in their kitchen, so to sow more than 7 names would deem them unreadable.

While I have been among the ''observers'' of John M's diminishing skills, he still brings it when the Furyk questionable 5 hour horse linament kicks in, and he was ALL OvER THE SLOW PLAY AND POOR PRESHOT DIDDLING OF THE SOON TO BE FORMER US OPEN CHIMP, SOME SIMPSON, AT ONE POINT TIMING SIMPS MINUTE AND A HALF FARTING AND PRAYER RITUAL, BEFORE ACTUALLY TAKING A CLUB AND KEEPING IT TO HIT A GOLF BALL.

GO JOHNNY GO!!!!

As to the caps, hurray for JM showing that form that we have all gRown to love, and expect.

As to Simpson; he can take his act to the APGA,, soon to be seen on the Ocho, ESPN8.

[DTF]

That graphic was used starting in round 1, the snow day.

Finchem's appearance on Sunday only added eyeballs to the telecast and I guarantee you Accenture considered it an added value proposition ;0)

[Michael]

Yeah Go Johnny Go,

But I have a question, if it's not an equipment then what is it?

[Bobby D]

"Finchem's appearance on Sunday only added eyeballs to the telecast "

Most definitely DTF... I don't get the "Finchem distracted from the Match Play" argument. It was a perfect "two-fer" for NBC because of all the dead air between shots, only two matches on the course..so they put Finchy on camera and let him yak...then cut to the golf shots/putts...then back to Finchy, back to the golf, etc. Made sense to me.

Now after the matches were over?...that's a different story. Finchy grabbed the headlines.

[M]

How about for the 5th? year in a row the matchplay had no Shotlink/Shottracker play by play data available for its fans.

The previous shotlink product, TourCast, did the matchplay event play by play just fine.

[rgw]

The graphic is a neat idea, but using a straight line across the fairway represents an inaccurate measurement. The superimposed line on the screen would need to be in a semi-circle, measured from the teeing ground. So, take that for what it's worth — a guess.

[Ben]

@RGW at the distance of 350 yds across the span of a 20 yard fairway the line is going to resemble a straight line a whole lot more than a semi circle. the shorter the shot, the more of a circle, the farther from the original shot, the larger the circle and less of an arch.

either way why does anyone think that this is even relevant or needed. i doubt these measurements are all that accurate anyways.

[HW]

rgw and ben,
there is a 2ft difference from the center of the fairway to either side on a 300yard drive on a 40yard wide fairway. i think the straight line gets the point across.

[Tim in New Zealand]

RGW is correct; however minor in visualization. It just grates against the known universe to see a straight line; "facts are simple and facts are straight. Facts don't come with points of view; facts don't do what you want them to." David Byrne - Talking Heads.

[Ian Andrew]

I think the image explains why it's no longer possible to design for the professionals and amatuers.
The disconnect is too large.

[Wind-Aided]

It was all me. Well, mostly ...