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Timeout Tuesday: The All-Tiger Edition

March 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Time for some time-wasting videos since it is Tuesday. And who better to have as a subject than the most interesting man in golf right now, Tiger Woods? Here’s a few snippets including a good recap interview following Sunday’s win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, and an oldie but goodie showing Woods’ probably most historic shot at the Masters. Which, in case you didn’t know, starts in a little more than a week.

Here’s ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi, for once not having to wince while he interviews Tiger:

Want to play like Tiger? You can of course, via his new video game. And this video teaches you how to play better in the wind. In the virtual wind, that is:

And here are a couple Tiger Augusta classics… one destructive (though he still made par on the hole) and one majestic. Verne Lundquist with the classic call… “In your life have you seen anything like that?” What will happen next weekend? You’ll be watching, of course.

Filed Under: CBS Sports, ESPN, Golf, Golf Channel, PGA, The Masters, Tiger Woods Tagged With: ,

Sunday Sermon: Thanks to Tiger’s Win, We’ll All Watch the Masters

March 25, 2012 by 2 Comments

I only got to see highlights of his victory Sunday so the thing that stuck me the most was how Tiger Woods was staring down his approach shots. Holding a pose, like a hitter who was looking for a fastball and got one. With two weeks to go to the Masters, Tiger is dialed in — and that’s why we’ll all be watching, on TV, or online, when the Masters happens.

In the long run another win at the Arnold Palmer Bay Hill Invitational presented by MasterCard won’t mean much in Woods’ long string of victories. But No. 72 was more important than most given the long stretch of time between it and No. 71. November of 2009 was the last time Woods was victorious in a regular Tour event, and we all know what else happened in between. Nothing short of one of the more epic personal meltdowns and letdowns of all time. For some of that he will never be forgiven, and rightfully so. But when it comes to golf it appears Tiger is ready for some major redemption.

And whether he makes it all the way back or not — whether he resumes his chase of Jack Nicklaus and the Golden Bear’s 18 major titles — we will all be compelled to watch what is probably the best and most pure event broadcast in sports today, the Masters. If you’re watching on TV it’s nothing short of heaven, since there are so few commercials, maybe just a few an hour. It’s nonstop golf in one of the world’s premier settings.

And online, the Masters has long set the standard of what Internet coverage should be. The tournament was the first to really show different views online, including a steady diet of “Amen Corner,” which is a great way to watch — instead of the television bounce-around with a focus on the leaders the Amen Corner cams watch holes 11, 12 and 13 and you get to see every group go through there. There’s also separate “channels” for holes 15 and 16, which are interesting in their own right. There may be many things you can call the Masters “stodgy” for but online coverage isn’t one of them. Here’s Chairman Billy Payne from last year, talking about how the Masters thinks about online coverage:

We continue to work hard on our Internet presence. Our website offers the many options that its visitors have come to expect: Live, high-definition quality video, realtime scores and comprehensive coverage. But this year we have added groundbreaking enhancements with up to nine live video feeds and some truly amazing beauty sequences showcasing Augusta National at its best.

As I’ve said before over the last several years, to the extent that emerging technology is
allowed, the development of digital media will continue to be a part of our larger communications efforts and will hopefully present the Masters and the great game of golf in a unique and exciting manner.

Every year, the Masters is great viewing, either on TV or online. And now with Tiger in form, it will be even more compelling.

Filed Under: CBS Sports, ESPN, Golf, Golf Channel, The Masters, Tiger Woods Tagged With: , , , ,

Motorola takes a Swing at Golf with MotoActv Golf Edition

March 23, 2012 by 4 Comments

Motorola Mobility is taking its MotoActv onto the golf course with its latest release of its mobile sports technology that helps track activity and it has brought along PGA golf pro Bubba Watson to help design and promote the device.

The MotoActv Golf Edition does not track heartbeat or speed and distance a user has run but rather serves as a virtual caddie, recording your course and providing distance and hole placement advice.

Three-time PGA Tour winner Bubba Watson has assisted in the development of the technology and is serving Motorola as the products spokesman. He said that the program will help allow players to make better decisions on the course.

“From the weekend warriors trying to find the distance to the back of the green to great golfers who want to analyze their game and share their stats with friends, MotoActv helps improve scores and makes the game more enjoyable,” Watson said in a statement.

According to Motorola the platform enables golfers to track their performance on 20,000 courses and includes a GPS system that gives distances to the front, center and back of greens as well as hazards. For those telling their spouses that golf is a good workout the program tracks your steps and distance traveled and tells you the amount of calories you have burned (without taking into account any 19th hole entertainment).

It serves as a Virtual Caddie
The GPS and distance capabilities of MotoActv replicate the findings provided by laser finders and other reference equipment. It also not only tallies your score but also keeps track of a wide variety of additional statistics such as clubs used, greens hit in regulation and number of putts on each hole played. It also can be customized to match the clubs in your bag. So no Mashie Niblick — no problem.

The golf program does not just rely on the GPS data to provide users with information about their position and hole and course layout. There is also a satellite view available (not live) that can be manipulated using the mouse to set the arc of the ball and so provide you with details of your most recent shot. For selected courses you can see how Bubba Watson would play the course in advance of your actually playing it yourself.

This is a great extension of the MotoActv lineup, in my opinion. The platform itself is really designed for serious users, be they bikers, runners or now golfers. The advantages that it brings to table seem pretty obvious. It also helps to expand out from the very competitive biking and running field. The MotoActv Golf Edition is available now for preorder at $299.99 and is expected to ship on April 1.

Filed Under: Apps, Golf, Motorola Tagged With: ,

Watching Golf This Week: Arnie’s in the House

March 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Welcome to a new feature here at MSR, something we are calling “Watching Golf this week,” at least until we come up with a better title. Anyway, what we’re doing is compiling all the ways you can watch the PGA Tour this weekend — online, on TV, on Twitter, and anywhere else we can find. Please give us a shout in the comments if you know of other outlets or have favorite columnists or reporters who follow pro golf. It’s all about sharing here so don’t be shy.

With just two weeks to go before the season’s first major, all eyes this weekend will be on prodigal son Tiger Woods, and whether or not he is healthy or capable of contending at the Masters. This weekend’s tour stop is the Arnold Palmer Invitational at the Bay Hill Club in Orlando, Fla., and Tiger has started off well on Thursday, getting to 2-under early in his round. Here’s where to follow the action:

ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY MASTERCARD

(all times Eastern)
TV COVERAGE
Thursday, March 22 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Friday, March 23 — Golf Channel, 3 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 24 — NBC, 2:30 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Sunday, March 25 — NBC, 2:30 p.m. — 6 p.m.

RADIO
SIRIUS XM (Satellite)
12 p.m. — 6 p.m., Thursday-Sunday

ONLINE
LIVE @ PGATOUR (click this link) “Watch exclusive live online coverage of all four rounds from the par—3 14th and 17th holes at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando, Fla.”
Thursday, March 22 — 1 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Friday, March 23 — 1 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 24 — 12 p.m. — 6 p.m.
Sunday, March 25 — 12 p.m. — 6 p.m.

PGA SHOT TRACKER
This thing is addictive. Live updates of every shot, with length, where it landed, how far the player has to go to the hole. Like eating potato chips.

GOLF CHANNEL TIGER TRACKER (live blogging of Eldrick’s rounds)
Click here for the Tiger Tracker coverage.

TOP TWITTER FEEDS TO FOLLOW
@PGATOUR — official PGA Twitter feed
@StephanieWei — great golf writer who is a Twitter fiend

LOCAL FLAVOR
If Orlando is golf central, then the Orlando Sentinel is its oracle. Lots of tour coverage and more.

WHAT’S THE COURSE LIKE?
Check out the PGA’s Inside the Course feature for a look at Bay Hill.

WHERE ARE THE LEADERS?
Last week’s tour winner and now new No. 1 overall Luke Donald is NOT at Bay Hill this weekend, and neither is overall No. 2 Rory McIlroy. And those absences don’t sit well with the king.

WHO WON THIS THING LAST YEAR?
If you remember Martin Laird, you are a golf trivia expert. Here’s a list of past champions and tournament trivia.

FEDEX CUP LEADERS
1. Rory McIlroy, 1,015 points
2. Kyle Stanley, 954
3. Johnson Wagner, 920
4. Mark Wilson, 877
5. Phil Mickelson, 835
See the full standings for the FedEx Cup points list.

WORLD GOLF RANKINGS
1. Luke Donald; 2. Rory McIlroy; 3. Lee Westwood; 4. Martin Kaymer; 5. Steve Stricker.
See the official World Golf Ranking list.

UPDATE: Here’s Ryan Moore showing how to not have to use your putter. It’s in da hole! Watch:

Filed Under: Golf, Golf Channel, NBC Sports, PGA Tagged With: , , , , , ,

PGA Also Embraces the Instant Web Highlight: Watch Paul Casey’s Hole in One

March 11, 2012 by Leave a Comment

In the old days you used to have to wait until SportsCenter came on and wait longer through the program, not daring to go to the bathroom if there was an obscure highlight that you wanted to see. Now, every league and sport is getting the online religion. If something cool happens like a monster dunk, or a fantastic finish, put it on YouTube or on your own site — and let people share it. That’s how we are able to let you see Paul Casey’s hole in one today — minutes after it happened:

What this means in the long run, we’re not sure. Maybe the end of networks as we know them? I doubt that. But right now it’s good news for sports fans, to be able to get their highlights as soon as possible. Here’s hoping it continues and spreads.

Filed Under: Golf, PGA, YouTube Tagged With: , , ,

PGA’s ShotTracker: A Pretty Good Live TV Substitute

February 19, 2012 by 6 Comments

Once again, golf fans are faced with a half-hour gap in live TV coverage Sunday, this time from the Northern Trust Open at Riviera in Los Angeles. We tweeted the Northern Trust’s Twitter feed and got back the suggestion to check out the PGA Tour’s ShotTracker page, which we did. It’s pretty cool. It’s not live TV, but you can “follow” the action shot by shot.

@ We’ll be doing our best. But to get the most complete coverage #NTOpen2012 visit @ ShotTracker: http://t.co/Yp3hhBR1

February 19, 2012 11:25 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite
@NTrustOpen

Northern Trust Open

If you look at the screen grab it takes a few seconds to figure out — but then you realize how the thing works. It basically follows each player shot by shot on any given hole and reports the length of each shot. It also has color-codes to show where shots landed, rough, fairway, etc. It updates pretty quickly with a good Internet connection; not sure if there is a mobile option or not (didn’t see one on the page and couldn’t find one in the Android store) but without live TV it’s as good as say, ESPN’s GameCenter service.

We’d still like wall to wall live coverage online. But until that day happens, I guess ShotTracker is our only hope.

Filed Under: Apps, CBS Sports, Golf, Golf Channel, Live Sports Video Consumption, PGA Tagged With: ,
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