There were two complaints today. Will, a caller to the radio show found watching our national open a frustrating viewing experience. Later, a young head pro said he was not entertained by watching pros struggle mightily, pitching out of the rough back to the fairway. These sorts of claims would undoubtedly fall on deaf ears among the U.S.G.A.; oh, sure, there were a chorus of similar complaints, about the length of the holes and the difficulty, etc. etc. Whiners. You never hear the South Africans or the Aussies complain, wot?
I do recall Betsy Rawls, who only won four U.S. Opens observe that she and her contemporaries often hit three- and four-woods into par fours - routinely - and it was her opinion that golf was a better, more exciting test for it.
Tiger had 250 yards to the green - to a par four - after driving safely with one of his patented stingers. That's what this week is all about.
To the first point, I had to profess some sympathy. As anyone lucky enough to attend championship venues to see for themselves, particularly Augusta National, television – despite all its sophistication – has not yet come close to replicating the sophistication of the naked eye. Of course, golf is a full sensory experience and television comes up wanting there, too. (Perhaps Smell-o-vision will get around to releasing their golf version 3.0 soon.)
There is this, however, if we can take a moment to overstate the obvious. Golf is inherently harder to televise than sports that exist on a court or a diamond or a field. Oakmont, five thousand less trees or not, is no smaller in square miles. The play, especially with split starts, is happening on over 200 plus acres, at the start with 156 competitors. Imagine a baseball diamond filled with 156 or a tennis match. (Odd thought this, but, yes, true enough). Logistically, it must be a nightmare, and expensive to telecast. Certainly there is a story line to follow, several to start, hopefully one sufficiently compelling that it can be packaged and sold to those tuning in. There are the leaders that must be followed.
Perspective is necessarily sacrificed, and not just for technical reasons. No one can take it all in. It’s inconceivable that every important moment will be captured on film. There is too much putting. Yes, on a links course, there is nothing really to aid but a few occasional, tentative graphics and the skill of the commentators in describing what they see. Someone likened shooting to the Oakmont greens as akin to shooting three-point shots without a backboard. Links golf is like that, and it’s not for everyone whether playing, or I suppose, also, watching.
