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 However, I am planning to be at the Nissan Open at Riviera Country Club and the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship at La Costa this month thanks to XM Satellite Radio and the PGA Tour Network. I’ve been a radio broadcaster and sportscaster for more years than I care to admit. To me, radio is the “medium of imagination” and some sports are perfect for radio, such as baseball. (I’d say that even if I didn’t spend more than a decade on the Dodgers beat for KABC TalkRadio.) Hockey on the radio gives me a headache, and basketball is just as frenetic. The rhythm of a baseball game, however, is well-suited for radio, and a good broadcast enables listeners to “see” plays on the field. Golf on the radio can be just as mentally pleasing if the commentators are glib and there are enough of them to cover the action. The PGA Tour Network on XM Satellite Radio meets that criteria, and, just like the launch of The Golf Channel 11 years ago, this is an exciting new venture in the world of sports programming and broadcasting. The power of cable television became more evident recently when the PGA Tour announced a new television deal that gives The Golf Channel more exposure in live broadcasting. In all, 49 events from the PGA and Champions tours in 2007 will be partially or completely televised on The Golf Channel, including the 90-hole Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in the Palm Springs area. Like cable and satellite television, XM Satellite Radio requires a monthly subscription. I got a three-month trial when I bought a new car, but it didn’t take me the entire 90 days to get hooked. Not only does the PGA Tour Network provide live coverage at most tournaments during the year, there’s also a three-hour golf talk show hosted by Peter Kessler each weekday. Kessler’s voice and style tend to be annoying, but his encyclopedic knowledge of golf is impressive enough to keep me listening. ALL EARS: The reason I’ll be getting off my recliner and out to the tournaments this month is because XM Satellite Radio also gives subscribers the chance to rent hand-held portable radios with headphones at each tour stop. Imagine being able to follow your favorite pro around the course while not missing other action because you can hear what’s going on in your headphones. So if you’re at Riviera or La Costa and see a guy with headphones scurrying from one hole to another, it could be me — or another person taking advantage of all that XM Satellite Radio has to offer. WYNN OR LOSE? I recently got a tour of Steve Wynn’s new hotel and golf course in Las Vegas. Hotel guests can play the course — for $500! That’s more than Pebble Beach, Spyglass and Donald Trump’s new course in Rancho Palos Verdes, which has two water features much more impressive than Wynn’s waterfall on the 18th hole. How can Wynn command five black chips for the former Desert Inn course? Because when it’s comes to Las Vegas, there are still a lot of people with more money than common sense. AWESOME AUSSIE: Former British Open champion Ian Baker-Finch put on a corporate clinic last month at North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village. It was part of a golf outing to highlight Qantas Airways’ G’Day L.A. in conjunction with Australia Day (their version of the Fourth of July). Baker-Finch, a golf commentator on ABC and ESPN, caught a red-eye from the Sony Open in Hawaii for the Monday event at North Ranch where he was greeted with brisk temperatures, gusting winds and an appreciative audience. “If I seem a little tired this morning, please understand,” said Baker-Finch, who nevertheless maintained his Aussie charm throughout the event. Whether Baker-Finch maintains his broadcasting job beyond this year remains to be seen, since ABC and ESPN weren’t included in the recent television package approved by the PGA Tour. Beginning in 2007, the two Disney-owned networks are out, and CBS, NBC and The Golf Channel will handle all golf telecasts. While Baker-Finch said that he has “officially been asked not to comment,” he couldn’t disguise his feelings about the decision. “Personally, I am disappointed,” he said. “I think we have the best broadcast team on the air.” Baker-Finch, however, sounded confident that he and booth partners Paul Azinger and Nick Faldo would find new broadcasting jobs. “Besides, that new contract doesn’t take effect until 2007,” he said, “and I’m looking forward to a terrific 2006.” Eric Tracy is also known as The Mulligan Man. He can be reached at eric@themulliganman.com. |
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