For countless Americans (including me), the British Open is a non-starter. There are several reasons for this, a few that I'll mention here. To begin with, the course itself is far too wide open. For people used to the close confines of U.S. courses, this is like watching guys chase a ball around a prairie. We are pretty used to seeing a guy drive a ball between columns of trees on a 35 yard wide fairway, not out into the great wide open. (This can be traced to growing up on putt-putt courses with a clown's mouth at the end, which came to full fruition with the God-awful spectacle of "stadium courses" in the early 1980s.)
This also presents another problem, which is how the event is televised. Having to use binoculars while watching any sport is a turn-off for Americans, especially while watching it on tv. Every hole on the Open is filmed from about 3-4 miles away, so there is no form of intimacy involved. You can not see the joy or pain a player's face registers after a shot, which in itself adds a great deal to following the game. OK, I realize this puts the focus on the shot making itself, but people by and large want to empathize with what the individual golfer is going through, as it translates to our own game. And even for those that do not play, it is an integral part of watching the competition.
Then there is that whole time thing. Even for hardcore drinkers, it is difficult to sit back with a cooler full of beer at 7:00 AM. One of the finer parts of following golf on tv is falling asleep on the couch during a Sunday afternoon, waking up to find the coverage still taking place and realizing you haven't missed all that much. If an event ends around 11 o'clock in the morning, it pretty much scuttles your plans for a day of rest and relaxation. You end up watching sports you really don't care about, or even worse, Law & Order, Myth Busters and Pawn Stars reruns along with documentaries about UFOs. It really fucks up your weekend, ya know?
Besides all that, John Daly won the damned thing in 1995. I mean really, John fucking Daly?
This also presents another problem, which is how the event is televised. Having to use binoculars while watching any sport is a turn-off for Americans, especially while watching it on tv. Every hole on the Open is filmed from about 3-4 miles away, so there is no form of intimacy involved. You can not see the joy or pain a player's face registers after a shot, which in itself adds a great deal to following the game. OK, I realize this puts the focus on the shot making itself, but people by and large want to empathize with what the individual golfer is going through, as it translates to our own game. And even for those that do not play, it is an integral part of watching the competition.
Then there is that whole time thing. Even for hardcore drinkers, it is difficult to sit back with a cooler full of beer at 7:00 AM. One of the finer parts of following golf on tv is falling asleep on the couch during a Sunday afternoon, waking up to find the coverage still taking place and realizing you haven't missed all that much. If an event ends around 11 o'clock in the morning, it pretty much scuttles your plans for a day of rest and relaxation. You end up watching sports you really don't care about, or even worse, Law & Order, Myth Busters and Pawn Stars reruns along with documentaries about UFOs. It really fucks up your weekend, ya know?
Besides all that, John Daly won the damned thing in 1995. I mean really, John fucking Daly?
Comment