golf writing: easy street

Whenever I've covered golf and was out on the course, I always missed something big that I could have caught on TV. Particularly in the first two rounds, being out on the course - except to catch the leaders when they are done - does more harm than good.

The only time I was out on the course and it was useful was a playoff after the 72nd hole. Then I was sure I wasn't missing anything.

 

my complaint about golf writing in general is that it doesn't get inside the game enough. it's too general - a mile wide and an inch deep. for instance, why did monty blow the 7-iron on 18 at the open? as a golfer i wanted to know - but everybody blew it off with one or two sentences. and nobody really got inside michelson's blunder. each of those shots had options and they depended on the guy's game and history. in golf a guy's game reveals his personality. but golf writers tend not to make that connection. i just don't think they get the game at a very deep level.

 

Golf writers who "cover" a tournament and don't know where the first tee is after they've been there five days, they're a dime a dozen and absolutely worthless. Every time you go out on the course while they stay in the press room, munching on doughnuts, you get something no one else has. It's called initiative.

 

Any beat/job is easy if you want it to be. You might not last too long, though.

 

Like anything involving writing, the more you put into something the more your readers get out of it.

I used to think golf writers had a real racket until I covered a couple of good tournaments. The one thing is that, while it might not be physically demanding, it can be a long day.

2 things which make it somewhat easier than covering other sports, in my opinion:

1. The deadlines aren't as tight usually because golf is played during the day (except for one of those matches made for television).

2. The fact that a lot of it is often done best by watching television - that's not so much sloth as the fact that television is the best way you can keep an eye on everybody. Maybe on the final day you can follow somebody for a little time, but you might miss something else.

 

My thought is that, if you're there at the tournament, you might as well be on the course. But it'd sure be nice to be able to watch a TV screen while you're following Suzie Six Iron so that you know Suzie just lost the lead. That's one of the things that has always bothered me about golf. I don't know how many times I've seen someone walking up the fairway while the commentators debate whether the person knows what so-and-so just did with a 3-wood on No. 17.

 

Mike Mayo was the golf writer before Randy took over the beat. And I can vouch for all of the above opinions on Randy. He's a class, class act.

I'll add my .03 about covering golf later.

 

Covering golf isn't easy at all. I think some of the best journalism from golf tournaments should come on the first day of a tournament. Everyone's getting a feel for the course in a round that counts and, best of all, a relative unknown guy has the lead or at least a share of it and thus, you get to write about someone not named Tiger.

 

That was t-i-c.


Mayo as good of people I have known in the biz... though he hasn't been in sports for a loooong time.

Triviabit: Used to date Rachel Alexander.