State Of The Game Podcast 55: Another Magnificent Masters

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Gil Capps, author of The Magnificent Masters and overseer of Golf Channel's Editorial Research Unit, joined us again to recap the Masters and talk about a few other matters with Rod Morri, Mike Clayton and myself.

Yes, we are a few weeks past the Masters but this is often the best time to reflect and I think you'll enjoy the discussion. Gil's book on the 1975 Masters is now available in paperback.

As usual, you can listen here, download the MP3 here, listen via iTunes or subscribe to the show there too. Or listen here:

EA Delays Rory Game To Open Championship Tuesday...

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Does this mean Rory McIlroy will be prepping for The Open on the typically exhaustive EA ad creation and promotional circuit? Following his pre-Masters workout regimen to get ready for his workout shoots?

Anyway, Nick Menta with the latest on the eagerly anticipated follow up to the dormant Tiger Woods/PGA Tour edition, including the addition of Jordan Spieth to the game.

Details about the game have been slow to emerge but EA did confirm Masters champion Jordan Spieth as the game's second playable character earlier this week. Confirmed courses thus far include TPC Sawgrass, Wolf Creek and Royal Troon.

For gamers, Luke Kerr-Dineen adds this:

But Thursday proved a significant development. EA officially finalized its July 14th release date, and released a new trailer showing graphics and some actual gameplay features. There will be three different playing options, the hardest being the “tour” mode. In that setting, users won’t be able to zoom into the green, and they’ll use the analog stick to control the power of their shots.

Noted!

The trailer, which I suppose highlights just how beautiful Rory's swing is. Or how all of those sensors just can't quite capture the grace and athleticism of his move.

“Tiger Woods Returns to Asia to Energize Young Athletes’ Love for Golf” (And Launch A New Design)

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Nike has announced (as expected) that Tiger will be making one of his goodwill tours of Asia replete with clinics (oh not the short game right now, please...) and no doubt to show the Swoosh to prospective customers.

And in the it's-a-mitzvah department, the April 24-25 trip will be preceded by Woods appearing in Beijing to confirm a lucrative course design gig in the land where golf is stalling, if not banned or illegal to build a course.

What a world!

Joe Buck On Fox's First Telecast: "It sounded like golf and it looked like golf.”

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Fox's Joe Buck talked about the first golf telecast last year from Fox Sports, which seems a bit more confident than the admirable "we're not worthy" homage paid to the other networks when kicking off last fall's Franklin Templeton Shootout.

Talking to Craig Hill of The New Tribune:

“Believe me, everybody was watching us — especially the networks that cover golf — and wondering what they were going to get from golf on Fox,” Buck said. “And I would submit to you that they came away really disappointed because it sounded like golf and it looked like golf.”

Buck said Shanks addressed the crew afterward and said, “That was the best launch of a sport we’ve had at this network.”

Fresh and innovative is the bar set for Fox by the USGA, which kicks off with the U.S. Four-Ball Championship in less than two weeks. Buck should probably leave the tech talk to Mark Loomis, the supervising producer whose team will inevitably deliver some fun stuff either this year or more likely, over the next few years.

Buck is excited to try new ways of covering golf, too. Fox Sports wants to use drones at Chambers Bay (it is awaiting Federal Aviation Administration approval), plans to have a leaderboard constantly displayed on the screen, is experimenting with cameras and angles in hopes of giving viewers a better idea of how the course plays and will use graphics to better show the contours of the greens.

Buck says Fox is also looking for ways to add more natural sound (including golfers’ conversations with caddies) to the telecast. It is sound he says he’ll be careful to not talk over.

And on some broadcast teams, that would be fresh and innovative!