The Golf Channel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Golf Channel | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Launched | January 17, 1995 |
| Owned by | Comcast |
| Website | thegolfchannel.com |
| Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| Astro (Malaysia) | Channel 815 |
| DirecTV | Channel 605 |
| Dish Network | Channel 401 |
| SKY Brazil | Channel 84 |
| Cable | |
| Available on many cable systems | Check local listings for channels |
| IPTV over ADSL | |
| TELUS TV Canada | Channel 116 |
The Golf Channel, sometimes abbreviated as TGC, is an American cable television network with coverage focused on the game of golf. Founded in Birmingham, Alabama, the American headquarters and studio are currently located in Orlando, Florida. The Golf Channel is available in the United States, Canada and a few nations in Asia through Cable Television, satellite, and wireless transmissions. Worldwide, it is available in over 100 million households.
Contents |
[edit] History and programming
The network was launched on January 17, 1995. The idea of a 24-hour-a-day golf network came from media entrepreneur Joseph E. Gibbs of Birmingham, Alabama, who first got the idea for the channel in 1991. Gibbs felt there was enough interest in golf among the public to support such a network, and commissioned a Gallup Poll to see if his instincts were right. They were, and Gibbs and legendary golfer Arnold Palmer then secured $80 million, which helped them found The Golf Channel. The first live tournament the channel televised was the Dubai Desert Classic, held from January 19 to 22, 1995.
The Golf Channel features a range of golf programming, including PGA Tour, European Tour, LPGA Tour, Champions Tour, Nationwide Tour, Canadian Tour, and PGA Tour of Australasia events. It also covers USGA and PGA of America tournaments. The channel devotes considerable time to news coverage of golf, including a nightly program, Golf Central, a post-tournament program, the Sprint Post Game and College Central, devoted to college golf. There are highlight shows of past tournaments, and a reality television competition show, The Big Break, whose premise is to help aspiring professionals gain exemptions into PGA Tour and LPGA events. In 2005, The Golf Channel helped set up a special match play event called Big Stakes Golf, in which teams of two paid a $100,000 entry fee to play in a special tournament where the winning team split a $3,000,000 first-place prize, the largest in golf history. In the end, mini-tour professionals Garth Mulroy and David Ping won the grand prize.
In 2007, the Golf Channel embarked on its 15-year agreement as the exclusive cable television home for the PGA Tour. The network’s annual coverage will feature early-round coverage of the entire FedEx Cup season, including the World Golf Championships, The Tour Championship and The Players Championship, the PGA Tour’s crown jewel. In total, early-round coverage of 30 events will air on Golf Channel. Also included in the package will be 13 full, four-round events beginning with the season’s first three tournaments – Mercedes-Benz Championship, Sony Open in Hawaii, and the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic hosted by George Lopez – and the seven official money events following The Tour Championship. The network also will provide full coverage of three tournaments played opposite golf’s majors and World Golf Championships. Every PGA Tour event will be aired live and then rebroadcast in prime time, a first to the PGA Tour.
[edit] Golf Channel shows
- A Golf Channel Profile
- Champions Tour Learning Center
- Golf Central
- Golf Fitness Academy
- Golf With Style!
- IBM's Playing Lessons with the Pros
- Inside the PGA TOUR
- Live From...
- PGA TOUR Classics, also known as Golf Channel Classics
- Personal Lessons
- Quest for the Card
- Shell's Wonderful World of Golf
- Sprint Pre & Post Game
- The Big Break
- Golf Channel Academy
- The Grey Goose 19th Hole ("Top Shelf Wednesday",
- What's In The Bag?
[edit] Golf Channel on-air talent
Programs talent appear on are in parentheses.
- Tom Abbott (Golf Central UK)
- Matt Adams (Business Reporter)
- Adam Barr (What's in the Bag?, Golf Central Business Reporter)
- Laura Baugh (LPGA course reporter)
- Casey Bierer (Golf Central Business Reporter)
- Michael Breed (Nationwide Tour course reporter)
- Billy Ray Brown (PGA & Champions tour course reporter)
- Steve Burkowski (Golf Central reporter)
- Curt Byrum (Nationwide Tour analyst)
- Mark Cannizaro (Grey Goose 19th Hole analyst)
- Donna Caponi (Champions Tour course reporter)
- Vince Cellini (Golf Central, Grey Goose 19th Hole)
- Brandel Chamblee (Golf Central, Sprint Post Game analyst)
- Kay Cockerill (LPGA and Nationwide Tour course reporter)
- Beth Daniel (LPGA analyst}
- Dougie Donnelly (European Tour play-by-play)
- Nick Faldo (Lead Analyst, PGA Tour Coverage}
- Jerry Foltz (Nationwide Tour play-by-play, PGA Tour course reporter, Quest for the Card)
- Matt Gogel (PGA Tour on-course reporter)
- Inga Hammond (Golf Central, Golf Central updates)
- Brian Hammons (Golf Central, LPGA and Champions Tour play-by-play)
- John Hawkins (Grey Goose 19th Hole analyst)
- Brian Hewitt (Golf Channel insider)
- Warren Humphreys (European Tour analyst)
- Rosie Jones (LPGA Tour On-Course Reporter)
- Kraig Kann (Sprint Pre-Game, Sprint Post-Game, The Approach w/ Callaway Golf)
- Renton Laidlaw (European Tour play-by-play)
- Rich Lerner (Golf Central, Live From..., PGA Tour interviewer)
- Todd Lewis (Golf Central)
- Mark Lye (Golf Central, Champions Tour course reporter)
- Andrew Magee (The Approach w/ Callaway Golf, Sprint Post Game analyst)
- John Mahaffey (Champions Tour course reporter)
- David Marr III (Champions Tour Play-by-Play and interviewer, Champions Tour Learning Center)
- Alex Miceli (The Approach w/ Callaway Golf)
- Frank Nobilo (Sprint Post Game, Live From... and Champions Tour analyst)
- Peter Oosterhuis (Sprint Post Game)
- Iain Page (Golf Central)
- Dottie Pepper (Golf Central, Sprint Post Game, Live From..., LPGA analyst, PGA Tour On-Course Reporter)
- Mike Ritz (Golf Central)
- Katherine Roberts (The Turn health expert)
- Mark Rolfing (Golf Hawaii, Champions Tour Play-by-Play, PGA Tour On-Course Reporter)
- Tim Rosaforte (Sprint Pre-Game analyst)
- Steve Sands (Golf Central)
- Brandi Seymour (Nationwide Tour Interviewer)
- Val Skinner (LPGA course reporter)
- Stephanie Sparks (The Big Break III, IV, V & VI, VII, VIII)
- Stina Sternberg {Golf With Style!, The Turn equipment reporter}
- Kelly Tilghman (Golf Central, PGA Tour Play-By-Play Host)
- Jay Townsend (European Tour On-Course Reporter)
- Ted Tryba (Sprint Post-Game analyst)
- Julian Tutt (European Tour play-by-play and On-Course Reporter)
[edit] Former Golf Channel talent
- Brian Anderson
- Grant Boone
- Charles Davis
- Steve Duemig
- Jim Kelly
- Peter Kessler
- Jennifer Mills
- Tom Nettles
- Steve Schlanger
- Brian Tennyson
- Scott Van Pelt
- Megan West
[edit] Golf Channel HD
Golf Channel HD is a high definition simulcast of The Golf Channel. It launched in January 2007. In some areas Golf Channel HD programming airs together with Versus HD programming on the same channel. It is expected that in time both networks will each have a separate HD channel.
[edit] Golf Channel UK
There was a British version of the channel called Golf Channel UK for a time. It was operated by sporting goods retailer JJB Sports, and was available on BSkyB satellite television. It broadcast many of the shows from the U.S. channel, but was unable to attract a viable audience as it offered little live golf, and it ceased broadcasting on 31 December 2007. All the major tours have their main UK contract with either Sky Sports or Setanta Golf, and BBC Sport covers several major tournaments each year.
