What Makes a Great TV Golf Commentator

We have all sat through a golf broadcast and thought: "Why on earth did he say that?" Stating the bleeding’ obvious seems to be a gift bestowed upon commentators, not just in golf but across the board.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not a job I would want for all the money in a LIV golfer's bank account. Being a TV or radio commentator or analyst requires special skills. Being a great commentator or analyst is something that I don’t believe you can teach.

Knowing what to say and when, knowing when to let the action speak for itself, knowing when it is the right time to say something funny, when it is time to be deadly serious - it is a unique talent.

I know several people who watch football on TV while listening to the radio commentary. I also know people who watch live sport with the sound turned off.

So what makes the best stand out from the crowd? And who are the best in the business?

We all remember that incredible shot played by Tiger Woods at the 16th hole in the final round of The Masters in 2005. And we also remember the incredible line delivered by legendary broadcaster Verne Lundquist. As Woods’ Nike golf ball hovered on the edge of the hole and then dropped in, he delivered the following line: "In your life have you ever seen anything like that?” 

It was the perfect line precisely because we had not witnessed such a shot at such a critical time. It was perfect.

Johnny Miller, a world-class golfer in his prime, turned his hand to punditry and was a huge success. And the reason for that was because a golf audience who had grown used to listening analysts delivering anodyne comments were suddenly being confronted by an individual who criticised players for the decisions they made. He was a revelation, and he opened the door for others who quickly realised that all of a sudden it was acceptable to call out the world’s best golfers.

When Doug Sanders bent down to remove an imaginary pebble from the 18th green before missing the tiddler that would have won him The Open at St Andrews in 1970, veteran commentator Henry Longhust said: "Oh dear." He knew what was coming. 

Why do most of us enjoy the ramblings of Wayne Reilly as he traipses round after the leaders? Because a) he knows what he is talking about, and b) he is a genuinely funny man who knows exactly when to deliver the lines that leave us all chuckling. On top of that, he quite clearly has a wonderful relationship with the guys in the studio.

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

For countless years Longhurst was regarded as the doyen of golf commentary. He always played it straight and was quite clearly in awe of the likes of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tony Jacklin. And then they paired him with Peter Alliss, a man who had played the game at the highest level until being afflicted with the yips, which ended his playing career. 

Alliss was the master of the one-liner. Here are just a few of his gems:

As Jean Van de Velde removed his shoes and socks and waded into Carnoustie's Barry Burn at The Open in 1999: "What on earth are you doing? He's gone ga-ga. To attempt to hit the ball out of there is pure madness."

On Tiger Woods shooting an 81 at the 2002 Open: "It's like turning up to hear Pavarotti sing and finding out he has laryngitis.” 

On Nick Faldo breaking Greg Norman’s heart at The Masters in 1996: "Look at that. Faldo looks a young man again, and poor old Greg, well he looks ready for his bus pass."

On the weather in Scotland: "One of the good things about rain in Scotland is that most of it ends up as scotch."

On the Ryder Cup: "It would be very easy to drool with sentimentality over the Ryder Cup. But, at the end of the day, it is simply two teams trying to knock seven bells out of each other, in the nicest possible way."

He didn’t always get it right. His most infamous gaffe came at The Masters in 2004. As Phil Mickelson holed the winning putt and leapt in the air, Alliss inexplicably informed us that we were now going to get a playoff. And I am sure most of us grew weary to his various references to assorted characters at various golf clubs around the country - people Alliss clearly knew, while the rest of us didn’t give a fig about them. 

But more often than not, Alliss was the master of his craft. Even the American networks loved him and he made many guests broadcasts for them.

It is surely no coincidence that former players make the best commentators.

David Feherty’s star shone all too briefly on the course. A self-confessed alcoholic, he turned to broadcasting early in his life and turned out to be a sensation, first as an on-course commentator and then as a broadcaster in his own right. Why? Because he is both hilarious and as mad as a box of frogs.

And who could ever have guessed that Nick Faldo, the most self-obsessed of professional golfers, would turn out to have a sense of humour when they put a microphone in front of him.

Ewen Murray, Sky Golf’s chief commentator, was a prodigy who, like Feherty, enjoyed a playing career that was too short because the yips took hold. He is both authoritative and knowledgeable - and respected by all the players. And he will not use 10 words when three will do.

We have seen the likes of Mark Roe, Richard Boxall and Robert Lee grow into their roles - and, to a man, they are funny. Listening to them working together is a bit like sitting in on a group of naughty school kids. But they know their stuff.

Laura Davies struggled initially but now more than holds her own alongside the likes of Murray, Boxall, Rose and Lee - and is perhaps the most mischievous of the lot.

And fronting it all is Nick Dougherty. 

There was a time when he was being hailed as the next Nick Faldo and he did enjoy some success on the DP World Tour before realising that he did not have the game to compete at the highest level. Sky saw something in him and it has turned out that he is an absolute natural.

What makes a good commentator? It is an intangible - it is about knowing what to say and when to say it.

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