Category Archives: Golf Channel

Women of the Golf Channel (2023 Edition)

Posted on by
1

In 2012 I created a post titled Women of Golf Channel and it was my most popular post. The information became outdated so I did a Women of Golf Channel (2018 Edition). It’s time for another update.

In 2020, Golf Channel announced they were moving from Orlando, Florida to NBC Sports headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut which had a huge impact on their employees. A lot of familiar faces on the Golf Channel were gone including; Chantel McCabe (now with ESPN), Lisa Corwell (was very vocal about discrimination at Golf Channel and has a book coming out May 2023 called TroubleMaker), Bailey Mosier (TV personality and married to Brandel Chamblee so occasionally appears on Golf Channel), and Lauren Thompson (works for NBC sports NEXT – the technology division that includes GolfPass).

You would think that Golf Channel would list it’s TV personalities in the about section of their website but that would be to easy. If you want to find them go to NBC Sportsgroup Press Box for a list.

Here are the current women of the Golf Channel

Anna Jackson (formally Whiteley) – joined in 2019 as a co-host of Morning Drive (replacing Cara Banks-Robinson who was promoted to Golf Central. She came from England. Morning Drive was cancelled when Golf Channel moved to Connecticut but Anna remained and now co-hosts shows like Golf Central and Golf Today.

Cara Robinson – joined in 2015 as a co-host to Morning Drive (replacing Holly Saunders). In my opinion, she has become the “Kelly Tilghman” of Golf Channel and does the “Live from” broadcasts from all the important championships.

Paige Mackenzie – joined full-time in 2015 but has been doing on-air appearances since 2012. Her title on her bio page is “Analyst, LPGA Tour” but her role is much bigger with appearances on Golf Today as the analyst discussing PGA tour betting odds, analyst at PGA Tour Waste Management and LPGA tour events.

Morgan Pressel – joined in 2021 and officially took over Judy Rankin’s roll in the booth for LPGA tournaments when Rankin retired in 2022. Her first work was as an on-course analyst for LPGA events while she was still actively playing on the LPGA. Her first on-air TV work was at the 2015 USGA US Women’s Open.

Karen Stupples – joined in 2013 and is an on-air course reporter for the LPGA. She has occasionally been in the booth and I thought she may get to replace Judy Rankin but Pressel won the job. As a side note, she and her partner, Jerry Foltz (former LPGA on-course reporter) are a couple that became “social media” popular during the pandemic because of their amusing twitter feeds. Foltz has left the Golf Channel to join LIV as a golf analyst.

Kay Cockerill – joined in 1995 (since the start of Golf Channel). Her role now is mostly as an on-course reporter for LPGA events. She also does some women’s college events and NCAA golf championships that air on Golf Channel.

Kira Dixon – joined Golf Channel PGA tour coverage in 2021. Prior to her role interviewing players on-air, she was on the digital platform Golf Pass as a lifestyle reporter. She also did digital work for the USGA.

Amy Rogers – She fills-in for Anna Jackson on Golf Central and also is seen on LPGA coverage doing interviews. Amy is listed as a “contributor” on her Golf Channel profile. She is also listed as a contribution on the LPGA Network.

Henni Koyack – Not sure if she is an NBC employee but in 2023 she joined the Golf Channel Podcast “Beyond the Fairway.” Occasionally she appears on PGA Tour coverage on NBC/Golf Channel doing player interviews or special content segments. She also worked for the PGA Tour GolfTV and is most recognized for her exclusive interviews with Tiger Woods. She is from England and a former LET golfer.

Blair O’Neal – I don’t know if she is an employee of Golf Channel but she is the co-host of School of Golf so most people associate her with the Golf Channel. In 2010, she won the Big Break which was a wildly popular Golf Channel show.

As a side note, some people think that Dottie Pepper and Amanda Balionis-Renner work for the Golf Channel but they do not. Both women work for CBS Sports. They get to work The Masters and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-AM so if I had my choice of jobs of all the women highlighted in this post, I’d want Pepper or Renner’s job.

Advertisement

Watch College Golf

Posted on by
Reply

If you love to watch golf but don’t watch college golf, you are missing out. If you like watching stroke play – it’s got it. If you like watching match play – it’s got it. If you like team sports – yup, college golf is all about “the team.”

The other reasons I love college golf:

  1. Future Stars of Professional golf: It’s fun to see the up and coming golfers and then follow their careers in the top amateur events and then see who makes it on the professional tours.
  2. Relating to the College Golfers: Yes, their games are well beyond my skill set but they are still learning and I find I can relate to the ups and downs they have in their rounds. And they let you know how they are feeling because they are so expressive with their emotions.
  3. Big Moments: It never seems to fail that there is a big moment or a moment that you can tell changes a golfer’s life. One example, Haley Moore, playing for University of Arizona made the winning putt for the 2018 NCAA Women’s National Championship. That moment changed her life not only because of the winning putt but also because of the focused on her compelling “backstory” which was the focus of many articles, etc. She made it to the LPGA tour because of her talent but I doubt she would have PXG as a sponsor or be well known by LPGA fans if not for the moment created by that final putt at the NCAA championship and the focus on her personal story.

The college golf event that gets all the attention is NCAA Championship in the spring but thanks to Golf Channel’s commitment to college golf, you can watch the Maridoe Invitational (Men’s golf) today thru Wednesday (September 13 – September 15) on Golf Channel (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. EST). Maridoe is a course in Texas – side note: my favorite PGA Tour Player Jordan Speith is a member.

You can also read interesting articles at College Central on the Golf Channel Website. Also, Golf Week has a good college golf section. And I like to follow Julie Williams of GolfWeek on Twitter. I think one of the best college golf geeks is on Golf Channel, Steve Burkowski and he’s also on Twitter.

In 2021, Pepperdine won the NCAA for the men and Ole Miss won for the women. Both were a surprise. For me, especially Ole Miss because Stanford has an amazing women’s team. In fact, in 2022, I would be shocked if Stanford doesn’t win because they now have Rose Zhang as a freshman (#1 Amateur in the world rankings) and Rachel Heck is a sophmore (and as a freshman won the 2021 Individual NCAA women’s champion and is the #2 Amateur in the world rankings).

At a minimum you should watch the NCAA in the spring on Golf Channel. They televise both the men and women’s championships!

Golf Today No Substitute for Morning Drive

Posted on by
Reply

If you are an avid viewer of the Golf Channel you know that in 2021 big changes came with NBC moving the golf focused channel from Orlando, Florida to Stamford, Connecticut. One big change for avid viewers of Golf Channel was the end of Morning Drive. I loved the golf morning show. The question was, “Would NBC create a new morning show?” The Answer months later is clearly no.

Back when NBC announced the cancellation of Morning Drive they stated a new show “Golf Today” would be launching. My first reaction to the new show, Golf Today, was that it was flat because most of the show is two golf analysts discussing golf. Yes, the new golf show had similar topics as the morning show — recaps of golf tournaments, guest appearances discussing various industry topics, and periodically a golf playing tip. However, I would say that Golf Today is closer to Golf Central in style, format, and programming. This is not a bad thing but I find that I listen to Golf Today versus watching Morning Drive.

For me, NBC dropped the ball canceling Morning Drive. I would argue that Morning Drive was much more like “The Today Show” or “Good Morning America” with it’s lightness and entertainment. And that is what is missing with Golf Today. I enjoyed Morning Drive for the banter of four hosts such as Lauren Thompson, Paige Mackenzie, Robert Damron, and Gary Williams. I found the programming fun to watch – with the mix of serious golf topics, guests (often times, tour pros), tips on playing golf (whether it be showing a swing tip from last weeks’ tournament or Martin Hall from School of Golf or Nick Clearwater of GolfTech Coaches Series), reviews of places to play golf by Matt Ginella, and sometimes silly games. It had a lightness that was perfect for a morning show.

The current programming in the morning for the Golf Channel consists of reruns of Golf Central or a replay of a golf tournament; unless there is a European golf event that they can show live. It really is a shame that the leadership at NBC Sports lacks the skill to take the Golf Channel morning programming beyond basics. Instead of getting rid of Morning Drive they could have taken golf morning entertainment to the next level.

Bottom line, I rarely watch the Golf Channel in the morning now.

Women of the Golf Channel (2018 Edition)

Posted on by
2

CLICK TO SEE 2023 UPDATE

I find it interesting that my post Women of the Golf Channel is always a top visited page (even though it was written back in 2012). A lot has changed with the on-air talent so I thought I’d write an update.

From my post on March 8 2012:

Only two of the six women I highlighted in my previous post are still with Golf Channel. They are Kelly Tilghman and Lauren Thompson.

(1) Kelly Tilghman has a bio on the Golf Channel site but to be honest I watch a lot of Golf Channel and golf tournament coverage and I don’t see her that much except for “Life From” during major championships.

(2) Lauren Thompson is a co-host on Morning Drive. Back in 2012 she seemed to be a fill-in on-air talent for Holly Sonders (who left Morning Drive and went to FOX in 2014). Now Thompson is a key member of the morning team. You can read her full bio on the Golf Channel Website.

More Great Women on Golf Channel:

If you go to the bio page for TV personalities for Golf Channel you will see 11 women listed which is wonderful. I would break the list into two groups: On-air TV show personalities (e.g., Morning Drive, Golf Channel, etc.) and golf tournament coverage talent that do the on-air analysis for the tour coverage on Golf Channel.

As I did in my 2012 post, I am going to list just a few of the 11 women. At the end of the post is a list of links for the bios of all the women on Golf Channel’s website.

chantel-mccabe-golfchannel(1) Chantel McCabe is my new favorite on-air personality and seems to be the “go to person” for golf channel. By that I mean, McCabe is on Golf Central, Morning Driving, does interviews at PGA and LPGA tournaments, and does digital work for their website. It makes sense to me that the leadership at the golf channel would tap her for so many jobs because she is great on air. I like her style, her voice, she asks good questions, and she has a good sense of humor.

She is a seasoned reporter with experience working for FOX sports prior to joining the Golf Channel and was a reporter for a local television station in Springfield MA. She also scores points with me because she is a New England Patriots fan.

paigemackenzie_320x400(2) Paige Mackenzie is a co-host on Morning Drive. She joined Morning Drive while she was still on the LPGA Tour. The reasons I really like her is because she is very down to earth and relatable! For example, she chooses on-air outfits that any woman might wear. What I mean by that is sometimes (not always) other women, like Bailey Mosier, are so into fashion that their outfits seem over-the-top for a golf morning show.

I also enjoy Mackenzie’s tips when she does the “Watch and Learn” segments on Morning Drive. In these segments she reviews a player’s swing or a specific shot of a player from yesterday’s golf tournaments and explains what we can learn from it.

karenstupples_320x400(3) Karen Stupples is an on-course reporter and analyst for LPGA tour coverage. Stupples played on the LPGA and LET (Ladies European Tour) for 15 years and is the 2004 Women’s British Open Champion. She had an albatross (a 2 on a par 5) which you can watch in this Golf Channel video flashback.

I always find her insights interesting and her personality comes through even though you only hear her voice during coverage. She is funny and I often enjoy the banter with the other on-air analysts.

Golf Channel Bios

This would be a long blog post if I reviewed every women so below is a convenient chart with each woman’s name linked to their official bio on the Golf Channel website.

On-air Personalities Golf Tournament Coverage
Cara Banks Kay Cockerill
Lisa Cornwell Judy Rankin
Paige Mackenzie Karen Stupples
Chantel Mccabe Social Media Host for Tournaments
Bailey Mosier Alexandra O’Laughlin
Kelly Tilghman
Lauren Thompson

 

Golf Channel Coverage of The PGA Merchandise Show: Three Cool Products

Posted on by
Reply

The PGA Merchandise Show, tagged “The Major of Golf Business,” is not open to the general public. However, thanks to the favorite TV channel of all golfers, Golf Channel, viewers got to see a lot of products on Morning Drive broadcasting from the convention floor.

Watching the PGA Merchandise Show on Morning Drive, I saw three products that I thought were really cool.

Weatherman Umbrella

Even if you are not a golfer this is a great looking umbrella. It appears to be really well constructed and can withstand 55 mph winds. And the golf umbrella has a pocket in the top of the umbrella to keep your glove dry. The really cool factor is the technology – the umbrella has a tracker so if you leave it at the course (or somewhere else) you can find it!  The Morning Drive Segment is fun to watch or view the product video below.

 

Transrover

Transrover is not available yet and the owner/inventor is using Kickstarter to launch/fund the product and I hope he does well because the idea that you can have a golf bag that transforms into a pushcart is amazing. You can watch the Morning Drive segment or view the product video below.

 

Fat Tire Golf Scooter

According to the Fat Tire Golf Scooter website you can buy your own scooter for $2,399. That’s not an investment I am likely to make but I am hoping I play a golf course one day that has the scooter. It just looks fun!

 

So from the comfort of my own home I had fun watching the coverage of the PGA Merchandise show on Morning Drive. I may buy the Weatherman umbrella. I will watch with curiosity to see if the Transrover becomes available to all golfers for a reasonable price. And maybe one day I will see a Fat Tire Golf Scooter available to ride on a golf course near me.

Thanks Golf Channel!

2013 PGA Merchandise Show – Morning Drive and LPGA News

Posted on by
Reply

The ability to follow the PGA Merchandise show from the comfort of your own home is amazing!  I am here in the cold Northeast (seven degrees this morning) and seeing updates on Twitter, Facebook, Ustream and more.

The Golf Channel Morning Drive show and the LPGA both started tweeting early in the morning that big announcements were coming.  Given I am a fan of both, I was curious to see what was “big” to each organization.

Morning Drive Announcement

The Morning Drive show is expanding to seven days a week.  Great!  They are adding to the cast.  Most of co-anchor additions make sense because they have been on the show or are members of the golf channel.  The one odd addition is Ahmad Rashad. He is an NBC broadcast “star” so I get that but what does he know about golf?  I guess we will find out soon.

The other big reveal was the new set of the show.  Below is a photo of the old set.

Morning Drive Set

TV Screen Shot of Holly Sonders on Morning Drive Set. Click image to Enlarge.

Now one thing I always liked about the current set is that it seemed “cozy” and had lots of golf memorabilia and “chotskies” on the set.  I also think the intimate feel of the set added to the relaxed style of the co-anchors.  It never felt like a “formal” news show like the evening recap show, Golf Central.

The Golf Channel provided a photo gallery of the new set.  If you click on the photo below it will take you to a cool time-lapse video of the construction of the new set.

Click on Photo to see a time-lapse video of the construction of the new set.

Click on Photo to see a time-lapse video of the construction of the new set.

The new set and staff is a clear indication of the success of the show.  I will keep an open mind but I hope what I loved most about the show does not get lost in the new high-gloss set.

LPGA Announcement

In a previous post, The LPGA’s Marketing Challenge, I noted some concerns about the tour’s perception in the American market.  Basically, the LPGA is a global tour but the American market needs a new star which I felt was Stacy Lewis.  I am happy to see that the tour is now promoting Stacy Lewis.  Stacy certainly made it easier for them by winning Player of the Year.  I am happy to see the management at the LPGA finally embracing Stacy Lewis as a tour star.

The LPGA also deserves credit for figuring out a way to capitalize on the statement they have been emphasizing all year that they are a “global tour.”  I was thrilled with the announcement of the “International Crown” by the LPGA.  It is a new match play tournament that will debut in 2014.  The tournament will be 8 countries vying for the crown. I also like the promotional video.

And to my point earlier about promoting Stacy Lewis, there is a nice video of Stacy talking about the new tournament.

I like the International Crown for two reasons.  First, the LPGA did not just follow the PGA tour and create a “Presidents Cup” for the ladies.  The Presidents Cup is the USA against the rest of the world (minus Europe).  Second, it ties nicely to the fact that golf will be part of the Olympics in 2016 and what do we all love to do during the Olympics? Cheer for our country.  The fact fans love to cheer for their country should make the International Crown a big hit among golf fans; and hopefully, bring new fans to the LPGA.

2013 Golf fun includes the Golf Channel’s Fantasy Golf Challenge

Posted on by
2

Last year I participated in a fantasy golf league for the very first time.  I chose the Golf Channel Fantasy Golf Challenge because I am a huge fan of the golf channel (especially the Morning Drive show).  Each week, Winn McMurry, would join the morning show to give her picks.  In the early stages I wrote posts each week about my players but found that to be a bit repetitive and I had other topics I wanted to share with my readers.

In all honesty, I had set goals for 2012 for myself and failed miserably.  I was very optimistic and didn’t realize how hard it would be to win just one week (which I thought was an achievable “stretch” goal).  My best week was when I ranked 1,551  (I finished the year ranked in the mid-5,000 range).  On a bright note, I did beat my friend who was playing but not by much (and she missed a few weeks) so this year I really have to be on my toes.

The one thing that I did not like about the league was that the leader-board only showed the ranks for the top 100 and did not show the total number of players.  So you could compare yourself to the top 100, the people in your own league, and the Golf Channel experts but that was it.  Therefore, knowing my final rank was mid-5,000 really did not mean anything since I had no basis for it expect that I clearly was not in the top 100.  But I would have liked to know where I was against all players. I actually wrote the golf channel fantasy team an email at the end of the season and suggested they add the total number of players.  Now, they may have been planning it all along but the new player profile includes your overall rank against everyone.

Screen shot Fantasty Profile

Click to see a large image of the screen shot of the fantasy profile layout.

This makes it a bit more fun for those of us that may never be in the top 100.  If the number (48,638) in the screen shot is indicative of the number of players last year, then being in the 5,000 range was pretty good for a beginner.  Of course, lots of room for improvement.

The Golf Channel has also added the LPGA majors to the fantasy golf game and that makes me very happy.  I think it promotes the women’s game and hopefully will expand the fan base for the LPGA.

The other new twist is a Mulligan!  You get to drop your lowest score each segment (three segments this year and I’m guessing the segments will be Spring, Summer, Fall).  I’m not sure of the date breaks for the three segments because of the shortened PGA tour schedule.  In 2013 the PGA will play only 40 tournaments between January and September. Then the 2013/2014 season begins in October which is the tour’s new wrap-around season.

Also, in the spirit of social sharing, the Golf Channel has added Twitter, Facebook and other social sharing tools to the site.  I’m not sure it will be meaningful to tweet about my picks but I setup a Pinterest board to follow my fantasy picks.  A Pinterest board will allow me to add images and write recaps. I participated in the CME Titleholders LPGA Pinterest contest last year and I had the winning board.

I have set goals for the 2013 fantasy golf season.  Obviously I want to win because that is the reason we all play games.  I will also be very happy to better my 2012 end of season position and I have set two more goals. First, to win one week (same stretch goal as last year) and second, be in the top 1,000 at the end of the year.

Finally, I never understood the guys at work that did the fantasy football or baseball teams but now I get it.  Fantasy games draw you into the action. I have always loved watching golf but the fantasy game makes watching the tournaments even more fun.  The result of playing the fantasy game that I did not expect is that I discovered new golfers to watch.  Players that may or may not be the next “break out star” but I am now interested in watching them play.

Earl Woods gets my vote for founder of “the youth movement” in golf

Posted on by
Reply

The Golf Channel Morning Drive Show has a daily poll question and one question was on a topic I have written about often — young golfers.  The question was posed because a 14-year-old amateur golfer from China, Guan Tianlang, won the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and a spot in the 2013 Masters.

Here is the Morning Drive poll question tweeted by Lauren Thompson Twitter coversatin with Lauren Thompson on Morning Drive Poll QuestionI was pleased to get a direct message back from Lauren ThompsonImage of Twitter DM from Lauren Thompson

As you can see from my response to Lauren Thompson I did not select any of the four options.  Yes, I think all (coaching, equipment, global exposure and technology) are important factors but that does not speak to the underlying support system that allows kids to pursue a sport with such intensity at such young ages.

The only way a child can achieve such great success at such a young age is because the parents support it.  There will always be the debate as to whether or not the child truly “wanted” to “live and breathe” golf or if the parents really wanted it for the child.  But either way, the steps the parents must take to create the opportunity is the basis for it all.

Tiger Woods is the most famous child prodigy that ever played the game.  Yes, Tiger has proven his place in history as one of the best golfers ever.  However, I truly believe Earl Woods, Tiger’s father, was the mastermind behind the Tiger brand that exists today.  After all, Earl Woods not only taught his son golf at a young age but also was savvy enough to get his son “exposure” at a very young age.  If you have not seen it, below is the video of 2-year-old Tiger on the Mike Douglas show.

After Tiger, the next young phenom to come along was in women’s golf – Michelle Wie.  At the age of eleven Wei was the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship.  Wie’s career has not been as stellar as predicted; although she has reaped the financial benefit and fame sponsors like Nike deliver.  In recent years Wie’s poor play has been blamed on her focus on college but now that she is out of school she is still struggling to find her game.  Only time will tell if Wie will become a truly great golfer.  If she does not become a champion golfer then Wei’s rise and fall may become a cautionary tale of burnout or peaking too soon.

In 2012, we have seen a flurry of young golfers making news:

  1. Andy Zhang, a 14-year-old amateur golfer (also Chinese but living in Florida) made history as the youngest player in the US Open.
  2. Lydia Ko, a 15-year-old from New Zealand (originally from South Korea) made history winning the Canadian Open.  Ko is the youngest player to win a LPGA event.
  3. Beau Hossler, a 17-year-old Californian, became a sensation at the 2012 US Open when he took the lead (over Tiger) for a short period of time.
  4. Lexi Thompson won the Navistar LPGA Classic in 2011 at age 16 which triggered Mike Whan, LPGA Commissioner, to waive the 18-year-old age requirement for turning pro and gave Thompson (age 17) her PGA tour card for 2012.
  5. Guan Tianlang, 14-year-old amateur golfer from China, made history as the youngest winner of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and will make history in 2013 as the youngest golfer to ever play in the Masters.

So is this a good thing for the sport or not?  Some will say “yes” because it will bring a younger audience to the game and hopefully grow the game for the future.  Some will say “no” for reasons such as it is not good for the child (i.e. the pressure, the travel, the risk of injuries at a young age).  Whatever your opinion there is one thing that is hard to argue and that is “the cat — or should I say, Tiger — is out of the bag” and there is no turning back now.

 

Men of the Golf Channel

Posted on by
1

A few months ago I wrote about the women of the golf channel and it has been a very popular post.  I’m an equal opportunity writer so today I am focusing on the men of the Golf Channel.  I won’t be highlighting all of them (obviously there are a lot more male announcers, analysts, and TV personalities than women on the golf channel); so visit the golf channel website if you are looking for bios on Nike Faldo, Frank Nobilo, or other big name golfers now working for the Golf Channel.  Here are five of my favorite men of the Golf Channel.

Gary Williams, Morning Drive Host(1) Gary Williams – Anyone that has read my blog knows I am a fan of the Morning Drive show.  Williams has always been my favorite host for two reasons.  First, he has the perfect on-air style for an early morning show.  He has passion for what he does but he delivers it with a laid-back style.  In other words you would never call him a “morning shock jock.”

The second reason I like Williams is because he let’s his guest’s talk.  Yes, he has opinions and shares his views; but he also gives plenty of air time to other people joining him on the show.  As of May, Williams has been hosting without Erik Kuselias and frankly it is a better show.  I hope the Golf Channel executives keep Gary Williams and Holly Saunders as the mainstay personalities; while bringing on interesting co-hosts to “sit across” from Williams to discuss the days events in golf.

Photo of David Feherty (2) David Feherty — Given that I love Gary Williams because he is not a “shock jock,” it might surprise people that I like David Feherty.  His humor can sometimes be a bit overboard but I do love his on-course commentary and his show, Feherty.

I don’t really consider him a “shock jock” (although Ernie Els called him that in a Golf.com article).  He pokes fun at golfers and he gets away with it because he is “one of them” and he is also very self-deprecating.  It seems that most golfers take his humor in-stride and expect some good-natured teasing from Feherty.

On the other hand, Feherty does have a serious side.  On his show, he gave a heart-felt thank you to Tom Watson on the help Tom gave him at a difficult time in his life.  He also does wonderful interviews with other big personalities who love the game of golf (e.g. President Clinton, Donald Trump).

Photo of Tom Abbott

(3) Tom Abbott — Most folks that watch the golf channel these days will recognize Abbott as a co-host of the reality golf show, The Big Break.

Abbot does a great job on The Big Break but I really enjoy listening to Abbot’s commentary during LPGA tournament coverage.  I will admit that I do like his English accent but what I really enjoy is his enthusiasm for what he is witnessing on the course. It really adds to the viewing experience.

Photo of Jerry Foltz

(4) Jerry Foltz – Foltz is another on-course reporter that I enjoy when watching the LPGA on the golf channel.  He also does other golf tours (as does Tom Abbot).

I became an even bigger fan of Foltz when he co-hosted Morning Drive with Gary Williams.  If the golf channel executives feel they must put another permanent co-host on the show, I would encourage them to give the job to Jerry Foltz.

The reason I like Foltz is that he has a good sense of humor and the chemistry between him and the rest of the cast; especially Gary Williams, is great.  Foltz and Williams give each other a bit of a ribbing (e.g. like brothers) and it can be very funny.  Foltz has also hosted the show when Williams is on vacation; and like Williams, his personal style is great for a morning show.

Photo of Jason Sobel

(5) Jason Sobel – Sobel is technically not a “TV personality” on the Golf Channel. He is a Senior writer on GolfChannel.com but often appears on The Grey Goose 19th-hole as a panel expert and on Morning Drive as a guest analyst.

But the reason I really love Jason Sobel is because of his tweets. I’m not the only one that enjoys his 140-character commentary — Sobel has over 41,000 followers. Some might call him the “king of twitter for the golf channel,” but Feherty might want that crown given he has over 138,000 followers.  I would argue that folks are following Feherty for outrageous comic relief.  If you follow Sobel, you get clever, often funny, informative golf tweets.

It was tough to pick my top 5 because there are other men of the golf channel I really enjoy and provide excellent commentary; including Brandle Chamblee, Tripp Isenhour, and Charlie Rymer.  I have not listed any of the golf instructors on the Golf Channel (that’s a topic for another blog post) but if you want to check out the top shows you should watch School of Golf with Martin Hall and The Golf Fix with Michael Breed.

Don’t see your favorite Golf Channel guy listed?  Leave a comment on who you like and why.