Australian Masters Opening Day Telecast Thoughts

What a delight watching Kingston Heath during round one of the JB Were Australian Masters.  Tiger Woods posted a 66 in front of huge crowds and we were treated to several hours on Golf Channel here in the U.S.  Not only is the golf course so lovely to look at, but the flow of the telecast was far different than what we're used to hear in the States.

A few things about the broadcast stood out:

- Camera angles. Perhaps they were forced to have some alternatives, but a few holes featured a nice side view look at a green instead of the standard rear tower. It added variety and gave us a better sense of the architecture.

- No promos. It's amazing how much better the telecast flowed without the relentless plugs for NCIS and reality shows and...

- Made the announcing so much more enjoyable. Particularly the Ian Baker-Finch/Brett Ogle portions. Not having to read so many plugs allowed them to engage in some informative discussions about how holes had changed thanks to technology, what a great job Mike Clayton did adding the 11th hole (and why), and overall the better flow lent a relaxed, welcoming tone that made the telecast feel like we were merely listening in on a conversation among knowledgeable fans. IBF also ably explained the strategy behind some of the holes as we were treated to graphic flyovers.

- Focusing on two groups. What a joy to really study one group primarily (Badds, Appleby, Coltart) with select shots from others like Adam Scott and Matthew Goggin. This allowed us to take a tour of the course (aided by those great hole graphics) and to see a nice variety of shots, not just an onslaught of putts. Baddelay was all over the place, but his swing looks sensational and you get the sense he's making progress. Getting to see so much of his round made for more interesting viewing, even though he wasn't playing that well.

Not surprisingly, the golf course also came off beautifully. The sparse and dry roughs, the lay of the land feel of the holes and those wondrous bunkers jutting into greens with so little rough between the two: perfection!

For those who watched, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

"I'm tired of Tiger Woods. Just totally fed up with him."

John Huggan is tired of Tiger Woods. Off the course.

For a man who has never been known to give up with a club in his hands -- one of his most admirable qualities -- the world's best golfer appears to do little more than go through the motions when it comes to his obligations elsewhere. And yes, obligations is the correct word; Tiger earns a lot of money from playing golf in public. One would think he'd try to give a bit more of himself to the people who ultimately fund his opulent jet-set lifestyle.

Take his pre-tournament press conference at this week's JBWere Masters in Melbourne. OK, so the whole thing was a bit of a farce, from the tedious and self-serving seven-and-a-half-minute monologue from John Brumby, the Premier of Victoria -- your typically vacuous and preening politician -- to the totally un-cool rounds of applause that both preceded and ended the proceedings. But, as per usual, Tiger (who more than once appeared to be on the point of nodding off during Brumby's bletherings) batted back questions, good, bad, tough and softball, with responses that at best could be described as predictable.

While I see Mr. Huggan's point, he forgets that America loves the non-answer, non-controversial, safe, middle of the road star. Frankly, I admire Tiger for detecting this and milking it to his financial advantage. It takes a lot of will power to pull it off!

In Praise Of Aged Bunkers

From Martin Blake's story, Tiger Woods talking about Kingston Heath:

''The bunkering is just phenomenal,'' he said. ''You never get a chance to see bunkering like this in any other place in the world.''

It's both funny and sad, but the characteristics making Kingston Heath's bunkering "phenomenal" to Tiger are precisely what most American courses try to avoid: the aged patina bordering on a look of deterioration; the irregularity of the shapes and sizes; the native plant material growing in and around the pits; the use of native sands even if they aren't bright white; the exposed dirt "lips" and finally, the lack of sand in the faces.

While the sandy soil, climate and natives lend certain characteristics to the Sandbelt look that would be tough to replicate in many places, there is still so much to learn from the look.(And thanks to the club website course tour, we have some photos to enjoy before play tees off at 7 p.m. Pacific Wednesday on The Golf Channel.)

Consider the functional side. While it's a less sexy topic, function is nonetheless a fascinating component to the Sandbelt bunker that needs to be exported ASAP!  Anyone who has played American golf wonders why the standard bunker contains inches of sand in the faces. (And usually a color not native to any region but Carmel's white sand beach).

The combination of the Sandbelt soil and a less vain golfing population unconcerned with Photoshopping every little bunker blemish, allows superintendents to keep the faces devoid of huge amounts of bunker sand. The floors are the only portion raked (with native sands) and the faces remain hardened sandy earth in a similar shade, though there are places of exposed dirt and bless them for not trying to cover those blemishes up!

While the elimination of buried lies in the face makes the bunkers seemingly less hazardous, note during the Australian Masters how the ball reacts when it lands in these firm bunkers. If the ball is coming in hot, a pinball effect is bound to send the ball anywhere, sometimes even into a nasty lie in the natives. The firmness effectively making the bunkers even more dangerous. Throw in the tight fairway mowing into the low side of most Sandbelt bunkers, and they effectively play much larger than the typical inland American bunker.

The eroded, weathered and rumpled "lips" are the other obvious stand out feature, adding deep shadowing and therefore a character-rich third dimension that only Mother Nature can shape. That naturalness makes what is an otherwise nasty hazard so lovable. Because even the best golfers in the world are not offended by what seems like a natural hazard. But clean 'em up, throw in full sand coverage, rake them meticulously, and the slightest misfortune becomes offensive.

That's the difference between a seemingly natural bunker versus the manmade and why no matter how broken down or dirty the Sandbelt bunkers may appear, they'll always be oh so lovable.