With the kind of built-in synergy that has become part and parcel of sports in the 21st century, Fox Sports’ venture into golf began this afternoon with their final-round coverage of the Franklin Templeton Shootout which moved up a day so that Fox didn’t trample on their own NFL coverage, played at a course designed by Fox Sports’ new analyst Greg Norman.

Please god no glow balls

To be fair, I tried to break this down into the good and the bad.

The Good:

Innovation: If nothing else, Fox has brought numerous innovations to televised sports in the US.  They used a drone for their hole fly-overs and on  a few on-course shots (from the fairway), giving viewers an angle that they otherwise wouldn’t be seeing.  They aren’t all gems, to wit I’ll submit the Fox Glow Puck, which was famously lampooned by Greg Wyshynski.  The “ground cam” that they have used in NASCAR and baseball got used, and while I’m not sure about the value it gave viewers something that they don’t normally see.

Graphics: The leaderboard and other graphics that they used were clean and easily seen.  I still can’t stand Golf Channel’s “stroke box” thing that they used (hint- if it’s a par 5 and someone’s putting for birdie anyone with half a brain can see it’s their 4th shot on the hole).  To use it during a regular PGA Tour event is silly beyond words.  Fox got the graphics right with a good mix of colors.

Brad Faxon: For all the talk about Greg Norman, I found Faxon far more engaged.  Their side-by-side comparison over chip shots was interesting, but I don’t see how this makes a telecast during a US Open.  I can easily see Faxon being much better on a Sunday afternoon.

David B. Fay: Fay is their rules expert, and while he didn’t get a lot of work (other than when Ian Poulter and Billy Horschel were having a hissy-fit over a camera), his explanation of club lengths for drops was something I’ve never heard before (if it’s free take one club length, if it’s a penalty take two club lengths).  While I hope Fay has a quiet US Open, having him in the booth can help, since it’s clear that Joe Buck and Greg Norman are in need of help.

Steve Flesch: Generally speaking he wasn’t bad.  He didn’t make any mistakes, and he did a good job when called upon (there were several times when they should have gone to him and didn’t).  He’s not Feherty, he’s not Judy Rankin and he’s not Roger Maltbie.  But he wasn’t bad at all, and he did no harm.  I’d put him alongside Notah Begay in the “up and coming” on-course reporters.

The Bad:

Joe Buck: Buck is a good play-by-play man in a meat-and-potatoes kind of way (when called on he’s one of the best at baseball and football).  Being that does not, however, equate to being a good golf lead, and between now and June 2015 he won’t get any actual tournaments, and it’s not like he can go back and look at previous tournaments held at Chambers Bay.  Made several mistakes, notably referring to Fay as USGA President (he corrected himself shortly after), but went into “no stupid, dig up” mode when referencing Kim Kardashian and Twitter.  It’s not clever or funny (if you want to see Joe Buck trying to be funny go find the YouTube video of his ill-fated HBO show when he had Artie Lange on).  Not sure if this was the control booth but he didn’t seem at all comfortable with throwing things to either Faxon or Flesch.

Greg Norman: The good news is that he will have six months to improve.  The bad news is that he was terrible.  I’ve always felt that a good analyst (especially a former major winner) can tell me what I don’t know but what a touring professional would know.  None of that.  He fawned over fellow Aussie Jason Day, and generally provided zero analysis.  He fawned over the resort (okay all the networks do that) and the course (again- he designed it) as did Buck.   He fawned over the holes (as a designer he would do the viewers a huge aid by telling them where the trouble is on a particular hole rather than talk about how beautiful of a setting it is).

Fox Labs: I’m sure people will find this great.  I didn’t.  The swing guru guy made me want to stab my eyes out, and the green target around the hole was useless.  Golf Channel’s graphic showing the path the ball has to take is much more useful (and horribly underused).

Trackman and Green Layouts: File under “did you forget something?”  CBS and NBC/Golf Channel use Trackman…it’s great and shows the viewer the flight of the ball.  So, where was Fox’ version?  For a network that is all about innovation this seemed a no-brainer.  Also…while I liked the drone flyovers they didn’t have any of the topographical layouts of the greens (NBC, when they use it, is the best of the bunch).  I felt like the drone would give them a chance to take that to the next level…didn’t see any of this.

Music: Using the same music they do for their MLB and NFL coverage was like having to listen to fingernails on a chalkboard.  CBS has a different intro music for each of their properties…so does NBC and ABC/ESPN.  I half-expected that stupid robot to start  yelling baba booey or something.

Overall:

Maybe it’s unfair to expect a network to come in and get it right from the start, but this is exactly what the USGA is doing with their signature event when they went with Fox.   Norman was terrible, but if they had tournaments then him and Buck would have a few events to develop that give-and-take.  Remember that Dan Hicks was a tower announcer before getting the big chair, and Nantz was doing similar and had years of watching Pat Summerall (plus Hicks and Nantz had established main analysts who were there when they took over).  Buck has none of that.  Norman is equally new- how’s he going to handle the back nine on Sunday if you have five or six guys within a shot of the lead?  Is he going to be willing to be critical if circumstances warrant?

Dear Eldrick (since that’s your birth name)-

This was a bad week for you, and for that, we’re all very sorry.  That mean old man Dan Jenkins wrote a fake interview with you that clearly offended your tender mercies.  Since you attended Stanford University I’m going to assume that you know what the definition of fake is.

I’m also going to hope that while attending Stanford (you attend football games and wear Stanford stuff all the time so I’m going to assume this was fun for you) you learned what the word satire and parody mean.  At a minimum, you should probably understand the word fake.

I say this because your response (online- I’m not going to link to it; people can easily find it online) sounds like it was written by someone in high school, not someone who attended one of the greatest universities in America.  The best response would have been to use Twitter (something that Jenkins does far better than you), and put that Stanford education to good use…maybe something clever.  You have done this on occasion.  Or even better, spend a few minutes with Jenkins.  He’s a pretty good writer (his book “Dead Solid Perfect” was turned into the best golf movie that nobody has ever seen, and the book is just as good).  That not good enough?  Ignore it.  Seriously.  Pretend it doesn’t exist.  Go about your rehab and ignore the noise.

If you didn’t find his column funny (it was funny), then while you’re working on your swing with your new coach, might I suggest work on finding a sense of humour?  Jenkins has gone after numerous pros (you should follow him on Twitter- during the majors he’s at his best).  You’re on twitter…try throwing out an occasional joke.  Not saying you have to be Ian Poulter, but humour has that ability to soften things up a bit.

You’ve spent most of your career treating the press like a dog treats a tree.   When you do talk to the press you’re about as exciting and quotable as a piece of cardboard.  This is your right, and I’ll defend your right to be this way as long as you choose to.  There’s no rule saying you have to spend hours of your time with the press doing interviews that I’m aware of.  You can show up to tournaments, play in them, and go home and play video games or whatever it is that you do and not bother to thank all of the volunteers or give the local press an interview…in short, you can be a prick if that’s your choice.  However, when you make this choice, you have to be willing to accept the responsibilities that come with this choice.

You’re incredibly thin-skinned when it comes to people being critical of you.   You have a long history of these ginned-up feuds with people who you feel have slighted you.  This isn’t news to you, and my sense is that you don’t care.

You’re also widely known as being incredibly cheap when it comes to tipping.  What ever reason(s) you might have, it’s poor form and clearly, you don’t care (which is the larger issue at hand).  I’ve seen you (and others I know have seen you) blow people off for autographs.  Not just adults but kids.  Arnold Palmer’s policy on autographs is pretty simple (want one…just ask).  Phil Mickelson is equally happy to sign.

The 2014-15 PGA Tour season has already started.  In approximately six weeks the 2015 portion will start, marking the 20th year that you’ve been on tour.  By now, you would have hoped that the game would have grown and  you’d see more minorities on Tour.  This is not the case.  For all the talk about how  you were going to grow the game…it hasn’t happened.  Your legacy was a brief, real-estate driven boom and the inevitable bust.  As it turned out, the so-called “Tiger Effect” only benefited one person (you).  Well, you and the industry, if you look at the years of 1997-2008.

Let’s get one thing straight- your run from late 1999 to mid-2002 was, without a doubt, as dominant as anyone has ever been.  Did you have a touch of luck?  Of course you did, but you were also at the top of your game, and anyone with a brain could see this.

You’re getting close to 40.  I’m not a doctor but it’s no secret that your body is breaking down on you.  I won’t speculate as to why, but my guess is that you know more than you let on (again, your right).  If you were to retire tomorrow, you leave the game as one of the dominant players of any era, and would easily fall into line along with Hogan, Sarazen, Jones, Palmer, Player, Trevino and Nicklaus.

So what of the next 40 years of your life?  Do you continue to be this perpetual child, or do you decide to start acting like an adult…and more specifically, a sportsman.

The game will survive because young people are taking the game up; the exact numbers aren’t as good as some would like but the game will survive.  What’s unfortunate is that the death of caddie programs (others far more eloquent than I have written about this far better than I ever will) at courses have taken away that additional upward path.  Lee Trevino is but one example of this.  The game is the better by having Trevino in it.  Trevino was a sportsman, had a wonderful sense of humour (often self-deprecating) and taught himself the game.  Compare this with your run of coaches; you hired Chris Como as your new coach (if you’re wondering, compare your slew of coaches to what Hogan, Nicklaus, Palmer, Trevino, etc. did for coaches).

If you wanted to do some good for the game, require any courses you develop to have caddie programs (I got my start being a caddie at a private country club) and specifically, junior caddie programs.  Endow scholarships for both men and women (talk to Arnold Palmer…he’s done this to a successful degree at Wake Forest; there are scores of golfers who’ve gotten their education on an Arnold Palmer scholarship).  Start to volunteer your time and mentor the next generation of players.  Endow a Tiger Woods Scholarship at Stanford, and also one or two at your high school so that they can go on to college.  Become that mentor to your touring professionals.  Think about how Nicklaus, Palmer, Player and Trevino helped you.  Do the same.  Do it quietly.  If you’re going to make Florida your home, find a couple area high schools and invite their golf teams to your club.  In short, make a difference.  You know things about the game that few, if anyone else does.

Speak out about issues; speak to inclusion in the world of golf.  If you want to be a true legend of the game, start acting like one.  Look at how people like Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus are spending their years.  You have a voice that few in sports do- you have (for better or worse) the ability to raise consciousness on issues.  Do you use that voice to add another set of digits to your bank balance or do you actually do something for the greater good?

Also, learn to lighten up a bit.  Develop a self-deprecating sense of humour (meaning, learn to laugh at yourself a bit- trust me…when you do this you’ll come off far better than you can imagine, and I do think you have this in you).  Look at how Jack and Arnie (and Lee and Gary Player) got on and get on today.  They were competitive but when it was over they shook hands and lived their lives.

Yours in golf,

Your friends at singlegolferincart.com

P.S. Quit shitting on hockey.  Do you know how many NHLers play and usually to single digit handicaps and better?  Put it this way…if you were to have a Ryder Cup style event between the NBA’s best golfers and the NHL’s…I’d put my house on the NHL to win.