Josh Antmann: Golf is finally innovating the product
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland smiles during a Golf Channel interview following his victory during the third round of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club on March 29, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR).
Television, and the mediums by which we consume golf, are evolving all the time. It’s fascinating to see the different ways in which the sport is being showcased to the customer.
As a viewer I want to be able to hear the thoughts of a professional golfer, what they’re thinking, how they go about the game and just to see their personality too. All too often we just don’t know anything about them or how their mind ticks. Most of us mere mortals will never experience life as a professional and to get a glimpse into their world is fascinating to me.
The introduction of the ‘new’ mid-round interviews from CBS has impressed many fans and has given us that incredible insight I was on about. It all started with Max Homa at Torrey Pines. Saturday at the Farmers Insurance Open and he strolled down the 13th hole with an Airpod in his ear and answered strategy-based questions from Trevor Immelman. He also talked through a couple of live golf shots. The guinea pig to this new style of interviews wasn’t really affected by it as he went onto win the tournament the following day.
Homa wrote on Twitter later that day, “We tried something new today. Just looking to add something to the viewing experience going forward.”
I really enjoyed it, and the subsequent ones too with Keith Mitchell, Collin Morikawa etc. McIlroy giving a mid-round interview at The Masters was pretty cool and then continuing to talk through the shot he was about to play during practice shots felt very surreal. That connection between player and fan, which we’ve hardly had before, makes this new concept intriguing.
“We just never hear the thought process of a player mid-way through a hole! I would usually think it would put them off or make them think twice. But the players looked ok with it.”
I’ve got an added interest in this as I’ve been extremely fortunate to be able to interview players, in-round, on the DP World Tour. Doing the podcast has definitely helped me when talking to the players and thinking of questions, sometimes on the fly, to ask them. At the start of the week I have a list of players I’d like to talk to and give that to the Media Officer who will come back to me and let me know if a player will do it or not. It’s absolutely fine if a player refuses, it’s completely up to them and some golfers would prefer not to be interrupted during their round.
As a round progresses I have to keep an eye on their score because if they’re playing badly then I’ll usually decide against talking to them. I’ll even delay the interview if I’m waiting on a tee for them and they proceed to bogey the hole before. Just to give them a bit of breathing space and a chance to get a birdie.
What I found incredibly interesting was the line of questioning from CBS to the players. It was pretty direct and delved into the course management side of things and how the player was looking to attack the hole. We just never hear the thought process of a player mid-way through a hole! I would usually think it would put them off or make them think twice. But the players looked ok with it.
It’s not something I’ve tried before when chatting to a player but I might include that in the near future.
Golf is such a unique sport where you get the opportunity to listen to a player in the middle of the ‘game. Cricket have tried it with T20 games and with great success. But we’ll never hear from the likes of Harry Kane with 20 minutes to go at home to Manchester City or Patrick Mahomes on 3rd and 4 about how he’s trying to get a first down.
Golf has been accused of being behind the times in certain aspects. I completely agree with that and there is so much to do in appealing to a wider audience. But I like this outside of the box thinking with interviews. As a sport we need to try and keep innovating and making a product that fans want to see more of.