If you're like me, you love to have as much information provided as possible while watching a broadcast of a sporting event.
I would love to know what the catcher and pitcher discuss during a visit to the mound, or what the quarterback says in the huddle to rally his team before an important play.
Well, the idea of providing this kind of inside information to viewers is being discussed on the PGA Tour, as some caddies will be miked up during the Shell Houston Open. This is just an experiment, mind you, the comments won't air.
A main concern from the caddies' standpoint is not that their conversations regarding key shots will be aired, but rather that everything they utter throughout the round will be recorded.
This idea definitely will need to be tweaked and perfected, but I personally love it. As a golfer myself, I watch golf in part to pick up new things I can add to my own game. Hearing the discussion between players and caddies would allow me to study how players handle certain situations even more acutely, and would provide another way for me to absorb something new about the game.
From a marketing standpoint, the PGA is nothing without dominant personalities, and if this is successful, it would create a closer connection between fans and players, and would make the PGA more appealing.
On another note, this week is the last chance players have to qualify for next month's Masters. The top 50 in the world rankings at the end of the week automatically earn invitations. Some big names sweating it this week will be world No. 47 Davis Love III and No. 52 Stuart Appleby.
Should be an interesting week as players scramble to earn the coveted Masters invitations. Playing at Augusta is one of the greatest honors in golf, and even veterans like Love and Appleby don't want to be excluded from it.
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