Who's your announcer that you can't stand

[jmvargas]

in my younger days i was a guest announcer in most of the televised international professional golf tournaments in my country including all our National Opens from 1975-1994, the 1977 World Cup of Golf in Wack Wack, the 1976-77 LPGA Colgate-the Palmolive Classic, the Johnnie Walker Skins Game in 1992, and a couple of Marcos Invitiationals in the 80s...

i was a hole announcer on most of these events and served as colour and co-anchor on a few of them and also did a few interviews..

as a hole announcer i had the following guidelines:

1) describe what the tv audience COULD NOT SEE as best as i could considering my knowledge of the game...

this would include wind and course conditions, what club they were using, yardage to the hole, breaks of putts and what they were thinking if i can..

i would also mention their standing in the tournament and their scores at the time...we had spotters/runners giving us most if not all of this data but if not readily available i would just make an educated guess based on my experience and earlier testing of the breaks on the greens of my hole..

2) the colour and co-anchor role was a bit more complicated as i had to talk about many other topics like the tournament history, who were playing,have some golf anecdotes ready ,reply to comments of my co-anchor,sponsor info and comply with other instructions from the director thru my earpiece..

i remember in one of my earlier stints when the director asked me to interview President Marcos and i panicked and had him assign somebody else by making myself unavailable all of a sudden..

in any case i guess i had a fairly good reputation as an announcer as i was always asked for my services whenever i was available..

i have based my comments on announcers i don't really like based on my experience as one..

PS... i enjoyed being a hole announcer the most..

i also remember seeing ken brown,bernhard langer and seve ballesteros for the first time during that World Cup and had a very nice conversation with gary player during the practice rounds..

[Jonesy]

Miller is an absolute shocker... Everything is about his accomplishments, also when he refers to a hole as a 5 par or a 4 par, that's when the mute button comes on. Faldo was also terrible, every poor shot was followed by an analysis of how he would have hit the shot back in the day, he's gotten better now though.

I enjoy Feherty, Baker-Finch, Koch and McCord all up to a point. I enjoy the European Tour commentators even if they do sound really boring, they at least have good content and know when to shut up most of the time. Denis Hutchinson can be a bit of a pain though and Dale Hayes falls into the same category as Miller.

[Your-away!]

i heard lanny wadkins and he was awful! didnt know who he was when i first heard him

and im sorry but jim nantz's voice just goes right through me!

[colin_ba]

Faldo.

[MacMan]

You mean besides Faldo.

[Banker]

For me, it's Koch. For me, everytime he talks, all I can picture is Eeyore up in the announcers booth. Somebody will say, "Gary, it looks like he might not have the best angle to shoot at this hole." & the response is always "wellllll, you know, that's exactly right Roger.... not sure he'll be able to pull this one off....."

Then the guy hits it to a foot.

[johnnypro]

Actually, I have three.

1) Nantz
2) Nantz
3) Nantz

[sappytop]

mike tirico. actually, i don't like ABC's coverage of the Open at all...glad NBC is picking it up in a couple years.

[RH82]

Jay Townsend on the Euro Tour is horrid.

[parforme]

Nantz. All he talks about is how "this" golfer's wife is expecting a baby, or his mother is sick or his sister is here to watch him. He is so apologetic as to be disgusting. Please stop. And Kelly Tilghman takes a close second for all the useless drivel. At least Johnny Miller calls a choke a choke.

[Sean2]

[quote name='johnnypro' timestamp='1433877321' post='11720264']
Actually, I have three.

1) Nantz
2) Nantz
3) Nantz
[/quote]

Hello friend.

[FairwaysToHeaven]

[quote name='parforme' timestamp='1434066180' post='11735056']
Nantz. All he talks about is how "this" golfer's wife is expecting a baby, or his mother is sick or his sister is here to watch him. He is so apologetic as to be disgusting. Please stop. And Kelly Tilghman takes a close second for all the useless drivel. At least Johnny Miller calls a choke a choke.
[/quote]

the problem with calling it a choke is that its not ALWAYS a choke. i actually like Miller for the most part. I don't think we'll ever get someone that we listen to every week and not find things they say that annoy us. its a hard job, McCord is awful, but Miller gets the job done. What I dislike is calling every bad shot on sunday a choke job and blaming pressure. Golf happens. sometimes bad shots are just that. not every missed 10 foot putt or poorly struck tee shot is result of the player wilting under pressure.

[golfinray]

Faldo is horrid.

Anything involving Kelly is horrid.

[johnnypro]

[quote name='Sean2' timestamp='1434066424' post='11735078']
[quote name='johnnypro' timestamp='1433877321' post='11720264']
Actually, I have three.

1) Nantz
2) Nantz
3) Nantz
[/quote]

Hello friend.
[/quote]

An announcer like no other.

But I'd be remiss if I didn't include Gary "Nicely Done" Koch, Gary McCord (too cute for his own good), Ian Baker-Finch (everybody gets a pass) and Frank, IQ of ~65, Nobilo.....he never makes any sense to me.

How can anybody not like Johnny Miller or Faldo? Afraid of calling them like they see them?

I miss Peter Alliss - best of all time!!!

[Neurotica]

Mike Ritz the "host" of the GC European Tour coverage. Has no clue what he is talking about and has the most annoying monotone voice...

And

Chris Berman when the mothership does the Open coverage. Stick to football!!!!!! So bad in golf (and the baseball too).

[VOX]

It may only be once a year but the worst golf announcer ever is Chris Berman. And it isn't even close.

[bscinstnct]

Cant think of anyone.

Well, mccord, of course, but everbody knows that.

https://youtu.be/EheLN-MDzrA

[Rhythm&TempoRenzo]

[quote name='wobgon' timestamp='1433561924' post='11698962']
Judy Rankin.......
[/quote]
[quote name='chip22' timestamp='1433566480' post='11699186']
Johnny effing Miller. We get it. You shot a 63.
[/quote]

I agree that these two make it difficult to watch and enjoy the programming when their involved, but I absolutely detest Chamblee...

[BC33]

After watching the golf today and yesterday, Rich Beem.

[Sean2]

A bit off topic, but I would have liked to see Howard Cosell and Don Meredith do golf. Now THAT would have been entertaining. :-)

[sailfishchris]

Opposite here, I like watching the Euro Tour just to hear Dougie Donnelly- something about a Scot calling golf.

[Dpavs]

Miller can really annoy me and despite the fact he probably is not technically an announcer.. Brandel Chamblee gets my vote.

[warfelg21]

Johnny Flipping Miller.

If I have to have one more member talk to me about grain taking away yards...

Ugh. He just talks too much about the grass. How about just calling a bad shot a bad shot sometimes? Or how about just saying its a bad choice of chip.

[warfelg21]

[quote name='Dpavs' timestamp='1434149704' post='11741566']
Miller can really annoy me and despite the fact he probably is not technically an announcer.. Brandel Chamblee gets my vote.
[/quote]

Ugh. Chemblee is actually smart and knows his stuff. He just picks some really odd battles and players to pick on and it's all he can talk about them. Kinda hard to stomach things he has a point on because of it.

[billh17]

I just hope that this time next week, Buck and Norman aren't leading this poll.........

[warfelg21]

[quote name='billh17' timestamp='1434151792' post='11741738']
I just hope that this time next week, Buck and Norman aren't leading this poll.........
[/quote]

I think by Saturday they are going to hit a great groove and prove to be worth it.

[billh17]

[quote name='warfelg21' timestamp='1434152061' post='11741758']
[quote name='billh17' timestamp='1434151792' post='11741738']
I just hope that this time next week, Buck and Norman aren't leading this poll.........
[/quote]

I think by Saturday they are going to hit a great groove and prove to be worth it.
[/quote]

I'm with you ! I hope they sweep us all away !

[bladehunter]

That English lady is getting pretty bad. Accent gets thicker every day. It's cool for a minute. But last week while interviewing jack he couldn't understand her either. Damon hack of all people had to interject and regurgitate the question for the 3rd time.


Edit. I don't have the problem with any other English accent. I love to watch euro tour coverage and like Faldo. It's just her. She chews her words or something.

[warfelg21]

[quote name='bladehunter' timestamp='1434201209' post='11744078']
That English lady is getting pretty bad. Accent gets thicker every day. It's cool for a minute. But last week while interviewing jack he couldn't understand her either. Damon hack of all people had to interject and regurgitate the question for the 3rd time.


Edit. I don't have the problem with any other English accent. I love to watch euro tour coverage and like Faldo. It's just her. She chews her words or something.
[/quote]

She's up and down with it. Like most with an English accent, when things are written in American English (yes there is a difference) they can struggle.

Personally I have no problem with her accent.

[bigdaddyj]

It's easier to pick the few I like than all of the ones I don't, but the worst for me is Jim Nantz. Second is the female version of Nantz, Kelly Tilghman.