The Decider: Better to Watch: Celebrities or Regular People?
by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 12, 2010 1:24 PM EST
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PrintAs you can probably gather, I'm not a big fan of the pro-am format. I think it's archaic, stale, and boring to watch celebrities (or wealthy people who are "famous") duff their way around the links with a pro carrying them the whole way. No one every remembers who wins either of the PGA Tour's two pro-ams. The only things that people remember are that: (1) Kenny G is still alive, (2) Bill Murray was in Caddyshack, and (3) celebrities are really slow golfers.
Golf fans watch pro golf to see those guys and gals make a game that seems impossible to us look pretty pedestrian. Four times per year, fans watch to see those same players have their lunch money taken from 'em by the major bullies.
Does anyone do that for celebrities? Maybe the people who turn on the Lake Tahoe celebrity tournament do (it's their major), but I doubt a lot do.
On the other hand, the USGA seems to have done really well for itself with the Break 100 Challenge-thing at the site of the US Open each year. Tons of people enter and it does half-decently in the ratings.
So, here's my question: would you rather watch celebrities play golf in a competition or watch your pals on TV? Golf Stinks proposed their own idea of how such a show would take shape. Format aside, I would rather watch my friends play golf than spoiled celebs. How bout you?
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missed your chance, Ryan
the correct answer is None of the above.
Truth has a well-known liberal bias.
You wouldn’t be greatly entertained by Jeremy Clarkson or Michael McIntyre golfing?
Both would be a train wreck…and I think fun to watch. Clarkson for one reason (he hates golf) and McIntyre because he is probably one of the funniest people alive right now.
Come to think of it, let’s just get McIntyre in the booth for some color announcing.
by Charles Boyer on Feb 12, 2010 1:46 PM EST up reply actions
Yes, I would love to watch both of them on a golf course
(more fun than Hugh Grant, that’s for sure), and I would insist upon them being miked up, although the only sound one would hear would be “bleep”. Never miss Clarkson’s rants in "The Sunday Times; think he hates Health & Safety even more than golf, however. McIntyre has taken some stick lately for “off-colour” announcing. How come you follow them – bit of an acquired taste?
Being a guy, I rather enjoy watching Top Gear. Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are three of my favorite television presenters, mainly because they undertake adventures that make me rather envious. Driving to the North Pole or across Botswana sounds like a fine way to earn a living to me. That and they are brilliantly funny.
I read Clarkson’s columns regularly, and indeed, he hates H&S. Then again, H&S takes things too far many times…earning the moniker of Nanny State for their troubles. Clarkson has a point.
I came across McIntyre last time over there when I watched him on “Live at the Apollo.” That and “Mock The Week.” Since, I watch him whenever I can, the man has never failed to make me laugh.
Seeing them both golf, pi_ed, would be chaos and comedy gold. Imagine Clarkson in his sonorous voice: “Oh…My…God! I found the bunker beside the 17th green………………………………………and I did what ever golfer would do……………………….I picked up my ball and THREW IT at THE HOLE.”
by Charles Boyer on Feb 12, 2010 3:27 PM EST up reply actions
You're right, OMP
Top Gear is a guy thing. “Boys just wanna have fun”. As they are all married men,
think that says a lot for about tolerance of their partners.
You’ve got Clarkson off to a (t)ee.
Top gear is a guy thing...
But there are a lot of women on the show and the audience. And playing golf ! And I don’t mind one bit. , lol.I like the 3 presenters a lot too..humour is a bog part of it, watching 5th gear is a bit too much for me…even if Tiff is awesome on the track. Health and safety is nessessary up to a point, but it has gone way too far. Commen sense has been pushed aside. I think a lot of Clarkson’s anger (and mine) is that some fool behind a desk can tell him what to do safety wise who perhaps the most dangerous thing the pen pusher ever did was walk across the street. Pre 1974 however, risks in the workplace were staggering, so it was required.
Actually, unless he recently married, James May is a single bloke.
I actually like him a lot, because as a former research scientist (ultra high-speed fiber optic communications) he and I have the same habit of seeing things from a scientific or engineering angle and then watching the lights go out in our friends’ eyes when we try to explain it.
You should have seen my buddies when they asked me to explain when a golf ball’s dimples did for it while it was flying. The simple answer is that the dimples create the same effect as an airplane wing when the ball is spinning and also has forward momentum, but one of them wanted to argue with me about it and that’s when I decided “hmmm, okay, if you want the in-depth technical explanation with physics and math, here you go…” Five minutes later their eyes were glazed over. Never try to incorporate calculus and differential equations into a conversation at the 19th hole. I was right, knew exactly why I was right and was willing to prove it to this fellow, but he surrendered after a few minutes. It was pretty funny to me, and I bet James May would have thought it brilliant.
by Charles Boyer on Feb 13, 2010 11:25 AM EST up reply actions
Yup, my eyes glazed over too - sorry!
You’re right about James May, of course. I was just thinking about “The Hamster” & Jeremy at the time. tAll 3 are great although I confess anything about cars bores me rigid. I chose our last car (from the shortlist of 3 I was presented with) based on the trunk capacity for golf bags, electric buggies, etc.
Funnily enough, husband is watching “Top Gear” right now, whilst I am watching golf.
9 minutes too slow Wendy 8-)
You’ll probably get the good one in next time.
Truth has a well-known liberal bias.
I think it would be interesting to see some of the USGA’s section winners or at least some of the better amateurs out there coupled with the pros.
NOT CEO’s and well-to-dos that could not possibly be bothered to mix with the hoi polloi, mind you.
section winners …. that one’s called the PGA
but I do like the amateur idea !
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
Yep, I certainly mixed up those two groups. But agreed that the best of the best amateurs would be fun to watch.
I enjoy the Wal-Mart Champions Tour event at Pebble every year because it is fun to watch the young players out there.
by Charles Boyer on Feb 12, 2010 1:50 PM EST up reply actions
Archaic...stale...and boring ??
Need I remind you AGAIN ?? KENNY FREAKIN’ G !!!!!!!! :-D
ok – I’m not sure I can vote either way on this pole – you started by asking if we wanted to watch our buddies on TV – but the pole says “normal people” and I’m just not sure I could put my friends in that catagory.
you already know what I think the problem is with celebrity pro-ams…
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
would that be...
It’s a format whose day has past? Hanging onto tradition for the sake of tradition is a wasted weekend of golf on television. Anyone who wants sports on TV this weekend will be glued to the Olympics, but what about the three years after this? Dump the format. Find something less trivial.
The idea of having top amateurs is good but the celebs and CEOs pay to play with the proceeds to charity. Maybe they can find some penis product to put up enough money to get competent players.
Truth has a well-known liberal bias.
nope – I just think people don’t watch celebrity pro-am’s anymore because there aren’t enough universally popular celebrities that bring in big numbers anymore.
I’ll watch some of the Olympics – but I LOVE the AT&T because of the golf, the courses, and the views. And on top of that, it’s still college basketball season. I’ll watch the skiing, ski jumping, luge/bobsledding…oh, and the curling ! :-)
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
oh, the curling
the Finns are set to take the gold this time around, eh?
Truth has a well-known liberal bias.
they’re better racers than curlers.
Then again, if you want to win, get the Finn.
by Charles Boyer on Feb 12, 2010 3:28 PM EST up reply actions
that was my point
there aren’t enough universally popular celebrities
with celebrity b.s. in the media 24-7, there’s no such thing as a universally popular celeb any more because we’re exposed to all their faults during the never ending news cycle. there will never, ever be celebs worth watching play golf again. change happens, ya know?
I’m with you on watching for the course, so I’ll put in my usual hour or two over the course of four days just to see some folks play 18 at Pebble.
Truth has a well-known liberal bias.
I’m liking the views at the new course, too. Lots of big crashing waves
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
MPCC is awesome and in some ways a lot prettier than Pebble. It’s one of the top courses I have ever played, for sure.
by Charles Boyer on Feb 12, 2010 3:34 PM EST up reply actions
Also, big-name celebs of yesteryear, like Gleason,
Hope, Crosby, Dean Martin, Andy Williams, etc., were hosts of weekly variety/comedy shows, which made them that much more popular. Can’t think of many variety shows these days.
(Notice I didn’t mention Ed Sullivan, though no doubt he could’ve knocked it stiff.)
Cool. My goal is to make you and
Court laugh at the same time.
Golfstinks' idea...
…was more for a TV show that sends 4 average hacks out to hidden-gem courses around the country (not the Pebbles or Augusta’s of the world) – see: http://bit.ly/920ALk. Believe me, much like Ryan mentions with the celebs, you would not want to see us compete in any type of actual tourney with the pros!!!
that was SUPPOSED to be the plan for the US Open challenge where they were SUPPOSED to pull four 10 handicappers to the US Open course to see if they could break 100…but the producers screwed that one up in a big hurry.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
Yeah, they never show the regular guy. Just the stars yucking it up. Blech.
by Charles Boyer on Feb 12, 2010 3:34 PM EST up reply actions
Don't
we already have something on that order? It’s called Big Break something or other…just have 12 rather than 4….STUB
Ryan doesn't speak English
“The only things that people are remember?” what is that ? I read these postings every day and think that I have never seen a more sanctimonious group of back-slappers than those who post daily. You all quibble with each other about every nuance of the game of golf, but you don’t really have a clue about what the rest of us think about your trifiling comments. Stop pretending that you have this exclusive club that contains the real people who understand golf.
by chipin on Feb 12, 2010 6:58 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
So, what exactly is your point? Cause it seems like there is none.
Find me! Email: ryan@thegolfnewsnet.com, Twitter: http://twitter.com/waggleroomryan, or Facebook: http://facebook.com/waggleroom.
by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 14, 2010 3:00 AM EST up reply actions
missed opportunity
I’m not sure how you missed it, Ryan, but chipin’s point is that we’re a bunch of smug blowhards. Rather than embrace the feedback, which is actually valid on occasion (I’m guilty too), you proceeded to validate the criticism. You could have said, “We’re hardly exclusive, we let em66 in.” Or, you could have proffered justification with an invitation, “Nuance and trifle are what break up an otherwise meaningless day at work. Join us.”
We’ll probably never know if chipin is a humorless dolt or genuinely offended by the tone of a specific argument. Too bad.
Truth has a well-known liberal bias.
I rarely agree with Ryan but I do in this case. At least Ryan is intelligent enough for me to reply to him. I don’t see any point in replying to dianemarie.
Nibs.....diane is
an enlightened elitist, and the fact that she allows me to be a part of this non exclusive club is what drives me to crawl out of bed each morning and take another breath….lol
The Saints ARE the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS....WHO DAT!
nibs, em – your pastors must be so proud of the way you put your Christianity into action each and every day. I don’t recall the Gospel verse where Jesus commanded his followers to insult those who disagree with you on anything, but you must have it memorized.
Truth has a well-known liberal bias.
Ok,
I was replying to your post, which I thought was your attempt at humor, with similar humor….I guess that street only goes one way. I probably should now be offended by your “missed opportunity” post….. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! (that is my offended cry).
The Saints ARE the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS....WHO DAT!
you got me on that one
That “elitist” comment had me thinking you might be the humorless dolt. 8-)
Truth has a well-known liberal bias.
Which is still better
than being a humorless COLT…..WHO DAT!
The Saints ARE the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS....WHO DAT!
Hey guys, ladies,
I do believe someone bent CHIPINS putter…"when was the last time you had a straight putter? well, that’s too long….(insert Wolf Brand Chili for putter)….STUB
Hey Stub.....as the "thinker"
you should know what all the rest of “them” are thinking. Chipin…….That has to be one of the dumbest statements ever…..If you don’t post, how the crap is anyone supposed to know what you think….hello!!!
The Saints ARE the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS....WHO DAT!
AT&T and the Hope are so boring and have been for years. No one wants to see Chris Berman chop his way around the course or Kenny G look like a 10 handicap rather then that scratch he claims to play off.
by Golf Instruction Guy.com on Feb 13, 2010 8:55 PM EST reply actions
Hi Golf Instruction Guy,
You’re new here, aren’t you? At least you’re new to me here so welcome. Along with that welcome comes this advice…we try to speak the truth here. When you say things like…" No one wants to see"…you’re just setting yourself up to be corrected. For instance, I like to see Chris Berman and Kenny G. What I particularly enjoyed yesterday was watching Oliver Hudson, star of Rules of Engagement, son of Goldie Hawn, brother of Kate Hudson. He has a 2 handicap and shot a 72 on one of the pro-am courses there this week, but the 2 shots I remember most from yesterday were the horrendous slices on 16 and 17. Those 2 shots were not the graceful fade shots of a 2 handicapper, but looked like my awful slice, albeit from the opposite side. I have a hard time believing he’s a 2 handicap, but I’d much rather see someone cheating DOWN rather the usual cheating UP I see everyday at my course.
One more thing, I would love to see more celebrities…like “Burn Notice” star Jeff Donovan, (he also participated in the Chris Evert celebrity tennis tournament last year). But CBS has it arranged so they only show CBS stars….now I can’t blame them, it’s good business on their part, but I can complain and I am.
When I play it's Risky A-Go-Go. Not safe
for passersby either.
J/K. I was an 8 handi till the day I picked up a tennis racket.
I can understand.....It
must be very difficult to swing a club with a racket in your hand? Who Dat?
The Saints ARE the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS....WHO DAT!
Hah! Excellent, Em! You just graduated from a
dolt hood. (I don’t have to say Just Kidding, do I?)
Sorry.....You can cry on my shoulder......
and don’t expect any sympathy from TXQ…..he’s still getting over the Saints beat down of the Colts. As we always say…..“There’s always next year”…..
The Saints ARE the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS....WHO DAT!
She'll get it, but it'll be
of the insincere variety. I can only speak for myself … and others.
Good eye, Wendy! Em was the body double for the
Rodney Dangerfield character. They just used him for the golf swing scenes.
Wendy......lol
Good eye, Wendy! TXQ was the body double for the
Rodney Dangerfield character. They just used him for the golf swing scenes.
The Saints ARE the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS....WHO DAT!
Touche, Em. And turnabout is
fairway play, indeed.
Whoops. That would have involved too much
scrolling, Wendy. The damage is done (Damages, btw, a great show). Em won’t mind anyway. He’s unflappable. And still on a cloud in Saints heaven.
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