US Open technical coverage via Geoff Shackelford

[15th Club]

> @buckeyefl said:

> > @golfandfishing said:

> > What makes Geoff Shackelford any kind of authority the last few years? He has a “blog”? Good for him, so do a lot of stay at home moms. I’ve wondered why TGC puts this guy in the air so often - he’s incorrect a lot. But that’s today’s media I guess, no accountability as long as someone likes you. He’s a blogger. Lol.

>

> Now you did. Aint no crush like a man crush and someone has one for GS. Your lecture will be coming shortly. Did you know he wrote books to? Just giving you a head start.

 

Yeah; who would expect a golf writer to do "books"? [What does anybody do with "books," anyway?](http://https://twitter.com/KFILE/status/1138813927754743808 "What does anybody do with "books," anyway?")

 

[Geoff's bio.](http://https://www.geoffshackelford.com/biography "Geoff's bio.")

 

[golfandfishing]

“Also, with a couple of exceptions, there are pretty good reader comments.”

 

So at least some of his value comes from others on the internet? Social media is an amazingly baffling world.

[QuigleyDU]

I am not a fan of shackleford or much of golf telecasts even though I watch a lot of golf. My biggest complaints is that all they ever seem to show are pros lining up putts. I would rather see more full swing tee shots and approach shots. Plus they always seem to want to do this mod round conversation thing. No one wants to see to old has beens talking about yesteryear. We want to see what is happening right now! Do the history stuff on tuesday.

But I am all for more pro tracer, and camera angles. I thought it was cool today seeing 2 or 3 camera men running around behind players laying down on the ground setting different camera angles to try and really get you in there with the player. Good progress in my boo k.

[golfortennis]

> @golfandfishing said:

> “Also, with a couple of exceptions, there are pretty good reader comments.”

>

> So at least some of his value comes from others on the internet? Social media is an amazingly baffling world.

 

Lol. I guess if you put it that way. He's obsessed with Woods, and the golf ball to an almost unhealthy degree. But give him credit, he also is up on things like the PGAoA and all the backroom shenanigans(huge salaries to execs, move to Frisco, etc.) that these governing bodies would rather not be made public, and far too many media outlets comply with.

I guess I meant it's the people who will post on there. Since he changed hosting services it has dropped quite a bit, but the people who commented were people for whom you would be interested in hearing what they had to say on a particular topic if you had an interest in it yourself.

[pendodave]

When the PGA tour is buying up media outlets, and everyone else seems hell bent on presenting a sanitised view of the game and offending no-one, is seems churlish to complain about an independent (ish) voice.

A vigorous 4th estate is an important thing in our crazy world.

[gvogel]

> @buckeyefl said:

> > @golfandfishing said:

> > What makes Geoff Shackelford any kind of authority the last few years? He has a “blog”? Good for him, so do a lot of stay at home moms. I’ve wondered why TGC puts this guy in the air so often - he’s incorrect a lot. But that’s today’s media I guess, no accountability as long as someone likes you. He’s a blogger. Lol.

>

> Now you did. Aint no crush like a man crush and someone has one for GS. Your lecture will be coming shortly. Did you know he wrote books to? Just giving you a head start.

 

Face it. Most of you don't like Geoff Shackleford because he is in favor of a ball roll back. As a golf course architect and golf course historian, he is in favor of keeping all the old courses around the world relevant. And you don't want the USGA/R&A to take your speed ball away, even though it would be the same game, but on a smaller scale. Big deal?

[golfandfishing]

I had no idea that he’s for a ball roll back, I just think he’s a douchebag.

[buckeyefl]

> @gvogel said:

> > @buckeyefl said:

> > > @golfandfishing said:

> > > What makes Geoff Shackelford any kind of authority the last few years? He has a “blog”? Good for him, so do a lot of stay at home moms. I’ve wondered why TGC puts this guy in the air so often - he’s incorrect a lot. But that’s today’s media I guess, no accountability as long as someone likes you. He’s a blogger. Lol.

> >

> > Now you did. Aint no crush like a man crush and someone has one for GS. Your lecture will be coming shortly. Did you know he wrote books to? Just giving you a head start.

>

> Face it. Most of you don't like Geoff Shackleford because he is in favor of a ball roll back. As a golf course architect and golf course historian, he is in favor of keeping all the old courses around the world relevant. And you don't want the USGA/R&A to take your speed ball away, even though it would be the same game, but on a smaller scale. Big deal?

 

I'm on the fence on him but on the topic of rolling back the game I have made my feelings quite clear.

 

The old courses are relevant as long as they choose to be and rolling back the game because if the smallest fraction of a percentage of golfers based on a cherry picked sliver of information ( thank USGA for showing your true colors) and purposely not taking into consideration agronomy, technology, and training methods of that fraction of percentage of players is nothing less than dishonest. In the spirit of your comment the USGA discounts those things because they would go against their dropping of the ball( no pun intended) when it comes to the ball all while ignoring growing the game. The golf world is not simply these players we are watching this week on a course where the average golfers couldn't break 120.

 

My dislike of GS on certain topics is if course based on his misguided selfish views. Is that not allowed?

 

Also for the 10000th time, you are free to use any equipment you like to make whatever course you choose "relevant", whatever that is supposed to mean. The horse is out of the barn and running and that is all their fault as the self appointed savior's of the game.

 

Also my comment had much more to do with Don Quixote and his occasional sidekick chiming in.

 

Now back on topic.

[North Butte]

There are people I think very highly of who are nut jobs as much as Shack when it comes to the golf ball rollback thing. Being a crank on certain topics does not IMO disqualify a person from being a stand-up guy. I'm a bit of a crank on some things myself, BTW.

 

Shack is a blowhard whose every printed or spoken word is like the Shakespeare quote, "A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury. Signifying nothing". He's like Bryson DeChambeau's nasty, humorless great-uncle.

 

[QuigleyDU]

not a fan of the Shack, but I am all for any technology or approach to making tour golf more interesting. it should be too hard though, show more shots from the current event, and less "lets go back in time" stuff.

[North Butte]

Am I imagining things or is Fox doing far better than the usual networks in often letting 30-45 seconds go by with us listening to the players and caddies without announcers babbling?

 

I mean, Fox's announcers do babble. And Joe Buck is awful, yes. But my goodness on CBS you rarely get 5 seconds of hearing the actual golfers and caddies through the incessant "commentary" and "analysis" or, worse yet, McCord's attempts at "humor".

[MountainGoat]

> @"North Butte" said:

> Am I imagining things or is Fox doing far better than the usual networks in often letting 30-45 seconds go by with us listening to the players and caddies without announcers babbling?

>

> I mean, Fox's announcers do babble. And Joe Buck is awful, yes. But my goodness on CBS you rarely get 5 seconds of hearing the actual golfers and caddies through the incessant "commentary" and "analysis" or, worse yet, McCord's attempts at "humor".

 

Faxon once mentioned a broadcaster guideline to not talk on top of the caddies.

 

[bill.ig]

I’m a fan of the “let’s go back in time” pieces. Also like GS’s golf architectural writings.

[puttfordoux]

> @King_Slender said:

> I love what Fox has pushed in regards from a technology standpoint. I wish every shot from tee to green had the "sidecar" top tracer - it's awesome. I'm sure there will be growing pains with this new "live view" top tracer, but if you never push the bounds, you never improve. I'm assuming this being the third year of having the US Open they will have camera guys that can follow the ball in the air.

>

> The next big innovation is going to be VR - they already do this with the NBA where you can sit "courtside" in a VR broadcast - can you imagine how awesome that would be a golf tournament, watching Tiger from "inside the ropes" for an entire round?

 

They've already tried it with the PGA tour with featured holes and scrapped it.

[15th Club]

> @"North Butte" said:

> Am I imagining things or is Fox doing far better than the usual networks in often letting 30-45 seconds go by with us listening to the players and caddies without announcers babbling?

>

> I mean, Fox's announcers do babble. And Joe Buck is awful, yes. But my goodness on CBS you rarely get 5 seconds of hearing the actual golfers and caddies through the incessant "commentary" and "analysis" or, worse yet, McCord's attempts at "humor".

 

Not your imagination. Among Fox's technical advances/experiments is mic'ing cups and using directional mics for players and caddies.

 

I started this thread saying that I thought that Fox's technical work is interesting and mostly excellent, and that the commentary is kind of pathetic. The week did not change my mind.