I am glad that the technological side of a golf tournament(
golf clubs) will improve, but I think Finchem should instead be putting the most creative TV minds they can muster in a room for a brain-storming session. Tell them they must think outside the box. When NFL football decided to try Dennis Miller in the booth, it was a bomb. But that's because of Dennis Miller, not because new ideas can't work.Here are some suggestions (they are sketchy and intended to get the juices flowing - in some cases with a touch of humor). Some suggestions in fact, have appeared and continue to appear on the Golf Channel(
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1. Think of a PGA Tour event as a call-in show. Call it "Tim Finchem Live" and put him in suspenders. (Maybe "John Daly Live" would bring a bigger audience.) Let viewers call in with questions. The Golf Channel(
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2. Think of the tournament itself as a golf-instruction experience(
Ping G10 Irons). For example: show three swings and let viewers call in and vote for the swing they like best. Allow the guys and gals in the booth to talk about the viewers' reactions. Maybe it's the "American Golf Idol," but that idea seems to have worked for one network. (And I haven't even considered how iPhone and Smart Phone apps could fit into the picture.)
3. Fund young golfers who cannot afford to play in the junior golf circuit(
Ping Rapture V2 Irons). I'm talking serious funding - the type that breeds Olympic stars. (Junior Korean golfers get sponsor funding at very young ages.)
I often get calls from parents of junior golfers who cannot afford to travel to the tournaments that allow them to advance through the ranks. They ask me where to go for financial assistance. Except for some money available via USGA grants, there are few options. The Tour needs to be a leader in driving funds to gifted young golfers who lack financial resources.
4. Personalize the golfers. They are now automatons - robots with swings that are digitized for easy viewing. But all golfers - like all people - have stories to tell. Whenever I interview golfers for an article I'm writing, I'm always amazed at what I hear and learn.
5.Finally, and to me most important, the case must be made that "golf(
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