By Ed Schmidt
Dedicated Golfaholics watch hours of tournament action on television every week. The announcers can be bland, annoying, funny and occasionally entertaining. Here a few comments about these on-air personalities and what they do, or don’t bring to the big screen.
Paul Azinger (NBC)
“The Zinger” is opinionated and he draws his opinions, analysis and assumptions from a career that included a major championship victory and as the winning Captain of a Ryder Cup team. I liked him better when he was teamed with Nick Faldo on ABC, but I still enjoy him alongside Dan Hicks. He might not be Johnny Miller, but he’s a pretty good replacement.
Amanda Balionis (CBS)
She has the perky gene, ala Katie Couric, but her post round interviews are predictable and snooze inducing. First question: How does it feel to win or lose? Second question: What went right and what went wrong out there? I don’t know the third question because I’m typically on my way to the fridge for another brewski.
Notah Begay (NBC)
He’s a buddy of Tiger’s going back to their days at Stanford, so Begay is, not surprisingly, a Woods apologist. That said, he offers up some interesting takes on playing between the ropes. Begay’s PGA Tour career was disappointing, but with some seasoning and enough T.V. reps he could turn out to be better analyst. Just, please, don’t ask this guy any Tiger questions because he’ll never bum kick his friend.
Brandel Chamblee (Golf Channel) 
He comes off as somewhat of a know-it-all frat boy with his dapper wardrobe and Prince Valiant haircut, but Chamblee knows golf. He can break down a swing as well as anyone on television, plus he’s not afraid to criticize golf’s biggest stars.
David Duval (ESPN)
Extremely knowledgeable about competing at the highest levels. Duval is superb at breaking down what it takes to deliver consistently in the big moments, especially majors. Unfortunately, his voice has very little inflection and excitement and I find myself rapidly traveling to sleepyville when he drones on too much.
Ian Baker-Finch (CBS)
“Finchy” as he’s often called on broadcasts, has one of the greatest accents ever. The Aussie is knowledgeable and can turn a phrase. Much like Henry Longhurst and Peter Aliss, I can’t get enough of Finchy’s accent.
Nick Faldo (CBS)
It’s hard to believe Faldo was so mum with the media when he played. Sir Nick can talk endlessly about golf. He seemingly has a well thought out opinion on just about every aspect of the professional game. Faldo is at the top of his broadcasting game because he’s superb at telling the viewer exactly what’s it’s like to play between the ropes. Nobody gets inside the minds of super star players like Faldo. I like to listen to Sir Nick, but I’m fully aware there are lots of viewers who simply can’t stand the sometimes smug and arrogant British attitude.
David Feherty (NBC)
He’s just not that funny. Feherty always seems more interested in desperately trying to come up with zany one-liners than effective analysis. I cringe every time the announcer says, “Let’s go to Feherty.” I realize more than a few people think Feherty is humorous, but I would absolutely hate to be sitting on a long flight with him and be forced to listen to his boorish act.
Terry Gannon (Golf Channel)
A smooth talker who typically works on LPGA telecasts, Gannon is one of the best set-up men in the business. No matter who he’s working with, Gannon asks pertinent questions to the analyst and moves the coverage along effortlessly.
Dan Hicks (NBC)
He’s a solid announcer that never seems to say anything too offensive or annoying. Hicks does a great job of setting up Paul Azinger and making the broadcast flow effortlessly. He makes the perfect mediator and gets everyone involved in the action.
Gary Koch (NBC)
The analyst who coined the phrase, “Better than Most” tends to agree with the booth guys too much rather than expressing his own opinion. That said, you can’t deny Koch’s knowledge of the game as he has was a star junior and college player. He was a middle-of-the-pack guy on the PGA Tour, as well as, on the Champions Tour.
Mark Immelman (CBS)
Mark Immelman spent 20 years carrying his brother’s (Trevor) golf bag and has a caddie’s knowledge and insight to his comments. As a published author, Director of Golf at Columbus State and experienced caddie, he is a breath of fresh air on television broadcasts
Trevor Immelman (CBS)
I’m not sure why, but commentators and analysts with great accents just seem to come off a lot smarter than their American counterparts. Trevor Immelman’s rhythmic South African accent is easy to listen to and as a Masters Champion, knows the game at its highest level.
Justin Leonard (Golf Channel)
Always looking like he just stepped out of a Ralph Lauren Polo advertisement, Justin Leonard is insightful, informative, professional and brings lots of credibility with his successful career on the PGA Tour. Don’t expect a lot of funny one-liners, Leonard’s on-air game is all about letting you know what the players think inside the ropes.
Rich Lerner (NBC)
A smooth talker, adept at reading a teleprompter and well versed in statistics, Lerner is a thorough professional who rarely makes a mistake. He’s very comfortable in front of the camera and never seems to get rattled. His special videos are always well written and delivered with impeccable timing.
Verne Lundquist
While the 80-year old Lundquist has lost a little off his fastball, I still enjoy his commentary and calls on the par 3 No. 16 at the Masters. His “Yes, sir” call at the 1986 Masters and “In your life have you seen anything like that?” in 2005 when Tiger made his miracle chip shot are part of Masters lore. He’ll be difficult to replace when he eventually steps down from the tower.
Jim “Bones” Mackay (NBC)
The former caddie to Phil Mickelson sounds exactly like, well, a caddie. I like his act and really enjoy his information about reading greens and how to approach certain putts. He seems to improve with each tournament. By the way, Bones’ old employer, Phil Mickelson, made a great appearance on the Saturday telecast of the PGA Championship (2020). Lefty has a great future in broadcasting, if he wants it.
Roger Maltbie (NBC)
A former PGA Tour player, Roger Maltbie is a reliable, venerable, on-the-course reporter, who has that comfortable, drinking buddy kind of demeanor that is never irritating. He is a guy one could easily imagine enjoying a single malt, or a pint and listening to his colorful golf stories.
Jim Nantz(CBS)
Nobody in the business does it like Jim Nantz. While you can criticize him for being too mushy, or overdramatic, when talking about the Masters and Augusta National, he is always well prepared and unruffled on the air. He makes few mistakes and doesn’t impose his personality on the viewer. It’s an art to be on the air for so long and not annoy the heck out of people.
Frank Nobilo (CBS)
With his great New Zealand accent and an ability to talk on every aspect of life on the PGA Tour, Nobilo is one of the best analysts on television. He’s not afraid to criticize, but always does it fairly with facts to back up his assertions.
Andy North (ESPN)
Knowledgeable, professional and comfortable in front of the camera, Andy North, a two-time U.S. Open Champion, seems like a nice guy you’d go to for golf advice. North doesn’t say anything even close to controversial so most television viewers probably couldn’t pick him out of a line-up of popular analysts. He probably gets more recognition from his spokesperson duties for the Square Strike Wedge infomercials, which ran incessantly on golf programming.
Dottie Pepper (CBS)
A two-time major winner, Pepper is excellent at describing the physical and mental intricacies of playing professional golf at the highest level. She is not afraid to ruffle a few feathers. If you want a strong opinion, she delivers. Although she’s mellowed since her recent return to televised golf last year, who can forget her legendary line calling the 2007 Solheim Cup American team “choking freaking dogs.”
Judy Rankin (Golf Channel)
She exudes class and knows both the men’s and women’s game. In fact, she was the first woman to work full-time on broadcasts of men’s events. Rankin knows the LPGA better than anybody, as she served as the LPGA Tour president 1976-77. Articulate and knowledgeable, Rankin never gets flustered and always puts the viewer in a good mood.
Tom Rinaldi (Fox)
I used to like Rinaldi’s soft approach and heart-warming human interest pieces and post-game interviews. I can’t take it anymore, though. Everything he does now has a certain sameness and predictability. He asks the same old and tired three questions: “How do you feel?”, “What were you thinking?” and “Why did you cry?”
Steve Sands (Golf Channel)
This gravelly voice broadcast veteran is always reliable with accurate information on the players and tournaments. He’s well connected and respected by the players and PGA Tour officials and presents interesting behind-the-scenes information that enhances the telecast.
Curtis Strange (ESPN)
Remember, this is the guy who sanctimoniously told a young, confident Tiger Woods in 1996 that “You’ll learn” when referring to Woods’ goal to win every tournament. Strange still appears a bit uncomfortable talking about Tiger after all these years. Curtis also seems like the grouchy old guy at the clubhouse grill who might offer up this kick in the balls to Joe Golfer: “Hey, I won two U.S. Opens and you can’t even break 90, get out of my face with your opinion.”
Mike Tirico (NBC)
Possessing some great pipes for broadcasting, Tirico has the type of voice I never get tired of hearing. He brings immense professionalism to the booth. You can tell he loves golf and seldom makes a mistake.
Scott Van Pelt (ESPN)
SVP is one of the best things going for ESPN. He’s got the smooth professionalism of Jim Nantz and spins some great stories along the way as well as solid analysis mixed in with some good humor. His relationship with Tiger Woods dates back to SVP’s days at The Golf Channel, where he got his start in the broadcasting biz. SVP has lots of credibility when it comes to covering El Tigre.
Michelle Wie West (Golf Channel)
With her teenage heroics and long-time play on the LPGA Tour, her credibility is unquestioned. Wie West’s pleasant personality is a strong asset, but in these early stages of her broadcasting career she speaks in way too many generalities. Hopefully that will change as she learns how to be a professional broadcaster and not just an ultra-successful athlete that happened to score a role in front of the camera.
