Golf fans on the go who used to depend on tournament tweets to keep updated have a better option this year. They can catch PGA Tour events live on the radio. All they need to do is subscribe to SiriusXM satellite radio and tune to Channel 209, the PGA Tour Network.
Sirius and the PGA Tour recently announced an agreement not to start but to continue play-by-play coverage of tour events. So presumably live golf was available on the radio last year. One difference this year is that the PGA Tour will handle day-to-day production instead of SiriusXM.
I have been a SiriusXM subscriber for years. This week the company sent subscribers an email message describing our latest “exclusive benefit.” Quoting from it:
SiriusXM Radio will provide comprehensive coverage of the 2011 PGA Tour, giving subscribers nationwide complete access to the full schedule of events featuring the world’s best golfers.
SiriusXM will broadcast live play-by-play of the 2011 PGA TOUR season, featuring THE PLAYERS Championship, and all four major championship events — the Masters, the U.S. Open Championship, The Open Championship and the PGA Championship.
Since there is a lot of nontournament time to fill, the PGA Tour Network channel will offer regular programming too, ranging from news and analysis to tips for improving listeners’ games.
Last year in a post about Tiger Woods I admitted to occasionally watching PGA golf on TV. Based on the coverage I have seen, I applaud the camera work. I also recognize the inherent difficulty of trying to show the play of multiple players at the same time. The coverage continually bounces around, showing what is happening, what just happened, or what is about to happen. The viewer just has to keep up. TV producers do the best they can with a game with dozens of players that lacks the drama of a team sport. Posting the leaderboard on the screen every few minutes helps.
I enjoy listening to professional baseball and football on the radio especially when my home-town announcers are in the booth. The national pastime and radio have been together for so long that coverage is an art form. A Hall-of-Fame announcer like Dave Niehaus of the Seattle Mariners can make you “see” a leaping catch by Ichiro in right field or feel the excitement of a close play at the plate. Sadly Niehaus died of a heart attack in November. Although the 2011 season won’t be the same without him, the Mariners’ relationship with radio will endure.
Football isn’t quite as well suited for the radio as baseball, but I actually prefer to listen to my team’s games instead of watching them on TV. The Seattle Seahawks radio announcers are a big reason, two former players (Steve Raible and Warren Moon) who actually seem to be trying to help the team move the ball or play defense. When we lose, it isn’t quite as painful on the radio.
So does live golf translate well to radio coverage? I don’t know. I haven’t tried it. Right off there’s the problem of no team to root for (except during the Ryder Cup) and no home-team bias from the announcer to keep your hopes up. I would think radio golf would be up against many of the same issues as TV golf only more so. Even a gifted announcer will have difficulty overcoming the hurdle of not having a visual. Clearly live golf on the radio is a niche thing. But it has to be better than tweets.
Mud Bay Blog 