Fed-ex Reliability Zone

[CooGAR]

Leave it to NBC Golf to add a big wad of purple to the middle of the fairways. Dumbest thing I've seen in a while......

 

Hope they don't do that during the Players Championship......

 

Bring on CBS golf coverage and Augusta National!!

[mumf91]

Yup it is so dumb of couse people are going to make a lot of birdies from the area its the middle of the fairways from 270-330 of the tee. I am with you what is the point? To prove that the people make birdies from the fairway.

[tarik]

I agree, its stupid. Every time they show it the camera man decides to move the camera and the big purple blob with it. It looks like a five year old tried to color in the faiway with a purple crayon. All the announcers have to do is tell us were the pros nees to hit it. I think its just another way for NBC to plug in one of there sponsors.

[HipCheck]

It's just a way to make more cash.

 

A couple years ago at NY Jets games, every time the Jets were inside their opponent's 20 yard line, a graphic and announcement would be displayed throughout the stadium, 'Ladies and gentlemen, the NY Jets have just entered the Heinz RED ZONE!'

 

The whole stadium would boo every single time.

[rednumbers69]

i personaly think it is stupid but every one needs money lol, even nbc needs and extra million haha

[Sakman]

This is still, by far, my favorite sports television "gimmick"...

 

Blue Ice

[bogeyk]

For Tiger this really doesn't apply....Unless you move it up forty yards and out of the fairway.

[tpariff]

I tuned in and saw that purple blob. First thing that came to mind was that my TV was screwed up or something, so I changed channels to make sure. That thing was hideous.

[rednumbers69]

blue ice kinda plesant on the eye, puprle "blob" rediculously ugly

[papichulosteve]

It's just a way to make more cash.

 

A couple years ago at NY Jets games, every time the Jets were inside their opponent's 20 yard line, a graphic and announcement would be displayed throughout the stadium, 'Ladies and gentlemen, the NY Jets have just entered the Heinz RED ZONE!'

 

The whole stadium would boo every single time.

you sure they weren't booing cuz they knew the best they'd be gettin was a field goal j/k :lol:

 

think the fed ex reliability zone was bad wait til next week when they introduce the UPS your in the sh** zone. nothing but brown blobs 10-15 yards left and right of the green.

[poppyhillsguy]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who hates it. Isn't it obvious where the players want their tee shots to be? (320 right down the middle.)

[cogi59]

not NBC's greatest idea..that's for sure

[Golfchicago]

Yeah, what idiot designed that? It is so distracting and dark and useless.

[cpa49707]

I don't like the purple blob at all. But I even hated the blue ice thing more. It was a insult to hockey fan and viewer. A true hockey fan could keep up with the puck. The blue streak was up in the stands and everywhere else

 

Thats just my opinion :lol:

[dorfblee]

It is pretty annoying.

 

I do like the computer generated graphic of the hole that has color coded dots for tee shots and eventual scores though. I also like how they sometimes need to zoom out to show where Tiger's ball landed!

[dannypharvey]

if you want good golf coverage for Augusta then watch the BBC's coverage! not a single bl**dy advert.

[augiep38]

I always feel like my tee shots land in the "Pabst Blue Ribbon - I need a Beer Zone"

 

Todd

[dpwrx]

The purple blob was a little cumbersome, but . . ..

 

Just to play devil's advocate, and think from a network exec's point of view . . .

 

True, NBC can get more fedex dollars for attaching a named sponsor to the Reliability Zone, but, there's something perhaps deeper at work here.

 

Every article about the PGA and network TV has mentioned that viewership is down, and that the networks and the PGA are trying to garner more viewers and increase ratings . . . both good for the PGA, financially.

 

The Reliability Zone is probably one of many furtive attempts to make golf telecasts a little more interesting and, more importantly, understandable to the casual viewer, who may or may not play golf. I love watching golf since I started playing, but before that, a tiny white dot on a sea of green was not all that exciting to watch for 3 hours.

 

TV angles often lose the subtle nuances of ground contours and overall hole flow that make each hole unique and play spectacular, and the Reliability Zone is an attempt to bring that out. Without understanding how a hole should be played from a design standpoint, the only thing casual viewers will understand are "wow, that little number on the screen says he hit 350 yards -- that's cool." By at least highlighting the best part of the fairway to play from, it at least gives casual viewers more of a chance to acknowledge and appreciate the skill involved in thinking about your shot, placing it and hitting accurately. Kind of like ESPN highlights of the slam dunk have created multiple generations that don't take to subtle basketball plays very readily, so a highlight reel of 350 yard drives has contributed to a long-bomb mentality among many golf viewers coming up.

 

The Reliability Zone needs to be re-thought, yes, but its implementation at least reflects that network execs are trying to advance telecast techniques and make golf much more accessible to a wider audience of TV viewers. That thought process is one to be encouraged . . . more viewers, more revenues, a healthier PGA, and more network coverage for all of us to watch on the weekend.

 

Hey, how good did NFL broadcasts become once they figured out how to put the first down line on the screen? The next breakthrough in golf telecasts is coming, and it will be good. It just takes a few tries to get it right.