2018 USDGC

[air show]

Thought Paul was going to run away with it after round two... I guess he is human. Exciting final round though. Really liked the aerial drone shots during live coverage... you could say it really tied the room together.

Two more big tournaments this month... it's going to a great October.

 

[JC17393]

Been watching the coverage from yesterday this morning and something jumped out at me as worth bringing up in a constructive criticism way...they really should have been seated in the booth rather than standing. Or if they had to stand, they should have had some way to raise the shorter people up so that everyone's heads were lined up in the shot. It's jarring to see Jamie and Avery interviewing Joe Chargualaf where Joe's eyes are at their shoulders, or the same with Sara Nicholson when Jamie was talking to her and Des Reading.

 

[brutalbrutus]

Been watching the coverage from yesterday this morning and something jumped out at me as worth bringing up in a constructive criticism way...they really should have been seated in the booth rather than standing. Or if they had to stand, they should have had some way to raise the shorter people up so that everyone's heads were lined up in the shot. It's jarring to see Jamie and Avery interviewing Joe Chargualaf where Joe's eyes are at their shoulders, or the same with Sara Nicholson when Jamie was talking to her and Des Reading.

PaigeB was rather awkward looking standing next to them also...Not to mention they were talking about her hair as Conrad was making an Eagle putt to cut the lead to 1...

 

[brutalbrutus]

All in all, I think they did a pretty good job. Were there times when they needed to be showing the action instead of puff pieces? Yes but they were done with a reason in mind. There are several places on that course with bad signal that the roving live cameras were having trouble with. Were there times during interviews where they could have been showing the action on 17 with the interview over dubbed? Yes but oh well. Its free I am not going to complain about that too much. The camera guys had a bit of trouble tracking discs here and there but that's to be expected with a non DG crew filming.

The picture quality was top notch. KennyC was great on the mic. Moar please

 

[JC17393]

PaigeB was rather awkward looking standing next to them also...Not to mention they were talking about her hair as Conrad was making an Eagle putt to cut the lead to 1...

Yeah, just getting to the Paige(s) interviews and Jamie towering over all three ladies just doesn't look right on the screen.

As for the chatting during play, I'm not bothered by it. I can see what's going on on the screen. I don't need it dictated to me. I've been watching baseball on TV for 30+ years and they often have guests in the booth (especially local broadcasts) where they're talking about stuff that has nothing to do with the game while action happens on the field. As long as they're showing the game and not the people in the booth, I don't see the big deal.

 

[GoldeyeGolf]

Watched about 20 minutes of this. Made me appreciate how the DGPT does things even more.

 

[McCready]

I share some of the criticisms of the coverage, but keep in mind it's not the Masters on CBS with highly paid professionals and millions of dollars worth of gear. Hopefully things improve with experience and better technology. But I was grateful to be able to watch the final round live and I give props to everyone who made it happen.

 

[BrotherDave]

I have never seen a chicken that looked like that. Uli almost hit one yesterday, I believe, on 18. Had to be quite a distraction on his 2nd shot.

Yeah, they were really cockblocking the approach to 18's green. :|

 

[lyleoross]

Yeah, they were really cockblocking the approach to 18's green. :|

I just wanna point out that at this point there has been more discussion of fowls on the fairway than Paul's magnificent upshot to shut the whole thing down.

As an aside, haven't looked at the footage but isn't it more likely they were some kind of water "foul" than chicken?

 

[Flick Maniac]

What disc did he throw that with? Great control.

But all the while I am intrigued as to why the same 2 birds keep hanging around that same spot always. A spot that gets pretty much traffic as well as the occasional flying disc.

 

[McCready]

Those last two holes are epic. There's no better course anywhere for a major imo. Winthrop is our Augusta or Pebble Beach.

 

[toddnick]

USDGC

The last two holes are amazing (as was Paul's upshot on 18) as are holes 3 , 5 and 6....it is a great major, but I thought Worlds in Vermont was a better event (I attended both)..two courses (which test your whole game and are completely different), mountains, lodging, Falllfest events with bands all at the same location and is not on the edge of suburbia like USDGC is with strip malls and chain restaurants everywhere the minute that you leave Winthrop campus...I'd choose Vermont (Smuggs) for an every year major over Winthrop....

 

[DavidSauls]

I'm not one to judge the live coverage, as I rarely watch it for any event. I find continuous coverage of the lead card, or 2 cards, tedious.

But I was able to join the gallery for the first time in a number of years. Had a 10-year-old with me, so we didn't follow the lead card the entire time; we'd catch up and grab good viewing angles, then get ahead or watch something else. During the times we weren't watching the lead group, the live broadcast (and live scoring) was a cool way to keep up with what was going on.

Until the phone ran out of battery, and I discovered a problem with watching in person that has grown over the years, along with the crowds. Which is: due to the configuration of Hole 18, only a portion of the audience can possibly see the final shots. And that it's probably impossible to watch the dramatic #17, and then get one of the coveted places to see the finish of #18. I wish I'd still had some battery life, and been able to follow, at that point.

Which brings me to a wish for future events: a large screen under a tent, right behind the crowd on the #18 green, where the action can be viewed by the spectators who otherwise can't see it.

As for the broadcast itself? The bits and pieces I saw seemed to be done pretty well. I certainly salute them from trying something new, and suspect that, as with everything else USDGC-related, if they keep it they'll adjust for mistakes and improve it in the future.

And that, for what I paid for it, I had no complaints.

 

[JC17393]

Having now watched yesterday's coverage, my overall impression of it was that it was a lot of what we usually get from Smashboxx, only with a significantly bigger budget and staff. That bigger budget and staff allowed for more and better equipment overall (more cameras, better editing/graphics, drone) and a bunch of well produced pre-packaged stuff to fill in the gaps. There were clearly signal issues on some holes, but rather than try to struggle through it with inferior picture quality, they used their assets and their numerous guests to fill time.

Reading the discussion here before viewing, I got the impression that huge chunks of the lead card's round were played off screen. In reality, that really wasn't the case. We missed drives and fairway shots on 2, all of hole 4, all of hole 8, and all of hole 12. Everything else was there.

All in all, I thought it was a good effort and an example of where we can go with coverage IF we could find more consistent revenue to fund it properly.

 

[gammaxgoblin]

Having now watched yesterday's coverage, my overall impression of it was that it was a lot of what we usually get from Smashboxx, only with a significantly bigger budget and staff. That bigger budget and staff allowed for more and better equipment overall (more cameras, better editing/graphics, drone) and a bunch of well produced pre-packaged stuff to fill in the gaps. There were clearly signal issues on some holes, but rather than try to struggle through it with inferior picture quality, they used their assets and their numerous guests to fill time.

Reading the discussion here before viewing, I got the impression that huge chunks of the lead card's round were played off screen. In reality, that really wasn't the case. We missed drives and fairway shots on 2, all of hole 4, all of hole 8, and all of hole 12. Everything else was there.

All in all, I thought it was a good effort and an example of where we can go with coverage IF we could find more consistent revenue to fund it properly.

BUT...was this their plan or was this done as a result of the outcry?

 

[JC17393]

BUT...was this their plan or was this done as a result of the outcry?

Who the **** cares?

The show was what it was. I don't care what they may or may not have planned on or if they changed plans a month ago, a week ago or 10 seconds before they went on air. The end result is all that matters and I found it to be a fairly good show.

 

[F.Luke]

Who the **** cares?

The show was what it was. I don't care what they may or may not have planned on or if they changed plans a month ago, a week ago or 10 seconds before they went on air. The end result is all that matters and I found it to be a fairly good show.

B b b but I wanna feel like people think my opinion is important


Congratulations Paul and James! Way to represent the Old Dominion!

 

[Spectacledbear]

I didnt know cringe untill i heard Risling commentate.

 

[Harold Duvall]

Hi David,

As you know from personal experience, course design often involves choices among two competing valid priorities. Andrew's choice to play 18 in the long position prioritized the playing experience over the spectating experience. 18 long is a fantastic finishing hole to play, but the spectating is limited. We are already looking into ways, such as you describe, to create the Jumbotron experience for all of those who can not get to 18's green.

Thanks for coming up,

~ Harold

 

[DavidSauls]

Hi David,

As you know from personal experience, course design often involves choices among two competing valid priorities. Andrew's choice to play 18 in the long position prioritized the playing experience over the spectating experience. 18 long is a fantastic finishing hole to play, but the spectating is limited. We are already looking into ways, such as you describe, to create the Jumbotron experience for all of those who can not get to 18's green.

Thanks for coming up,

~ Harold

Yes. To be clear, I don't fault the design---it's a great finishing hole. It's just the reality of the situation. It's also the residue of your success in creating a spectacle to draw spectators---it didn't use to be quite so hard to get a glimpse.

Anybody ever do an estimate on the gallery size?