The Open is boring this year

Mark_GT

Mark_GT

Well-known member
Usually one of my favourite sporting occasions of the summer but I reckon it's fallen as flat as a pancake this year. Losing the event on terrestrial TV was yet another big mistake by the R&A - what happened to opening golf up to the masses? Add to that the easy course conditions on a poor course, a weak effort from the UK and Ireland, a preponderence of the usual born again republican voting frat boys, the loss of Peter Alliss and his gentle piss taking, and it all adds up to a big turn off. On the plus side my local Muni should now be less full of scousers clad in full Under Armour and taking four and a half hours to go round.
 
The last 2 days of the Open are one of my favourite sporting events to watch. I made sure I was in front of the TV yesterday when the leaders came out even though it was lovely outside. 2 hours later I fell asleep. I don't get having the leaders teeing off so late at 4 pm on a Saturday but that's just a minor gripe. The golf has been pretty good but for it to be a really great Open you have to care about at least one of the leading pack. The truth is I don't care about any of them in the top 6 and that takes the drama away.
 
Mark_GT said:
Usually one of my favourite sporting occasions of the summer but I reckon it's fallen as flat as a pancake this year. Losing the event on terrestrial TV was yet another big mistake by the R&A - what happened to opening golf up to the masses? Add to that the easy course conditions on a poor course, a weak effort from the UK and Ireland, a preponderence of the usual born again republican voting frat boys, the loss of Peter Alliss and his gentle piss taking, and it all adds up to a big turn off. On the plus side my local Muni should now be less full of scousers clad in full Under Armour and taking four and a half hours to go round.
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It's got to be the most boring open golf course there is. It's not about skill like it used to be, it's about how fit these blokes are in the gym and how far they can hit it with clubs that are so well designed now, with such massive sweet spots that most of us can play a lot better than we used to.

At least we have the T20 this afternoon, I will be watching that. And for the numb of brain there is the F1 which is one of the most boring spectator sports in the world.
 
PNENIL said:
The last 2 days of the Open are one of my favourite sporting events to watch. I made sure I was in front of the TV yesterday when the leaders came out even though it was lovely outside. 2 hours later I fell asleep. I don't get having the leaders teeing off so late at 4 pm on a Saturday but that's just a minor gripe. The golf has been pretty good but for it to be a really great Open you have to care about at least one of the leading pack. The truth is I don't care about any of them in the top 6 and that takes the drama
Mark_GT said:
Usually one of my favourite sporting occasions of the summer but I reckon it's fallen as flat as a pancake this year. Losing the event on terrestrial TV was yet another big mistake by the R&A - what happened to opening golf up to the masses? Add to that the easy course conditions on a poor course, a weak effort from the UK and Ireland, a preponderence of the usual born again republican voting frat boys, the loss of Peter Alliss and his gentle piss taking, and it all adds up to a big turn off. On the plus side my local Muni should now be less full of scousers clad in full Under Armour and taking four and a half hours to go round.
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It’s been absolutely brilliant all week. It wasn’t a mistake by the R and A to switch to Sky, the BBC couldn’t be bothered putting in a serious bid to retain it. It may not be a favourite Open venue but it’s absolutely not a poor golf course at all.
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hertfordseasider said:
It's got to be the most boring open golf course there is. It's not about skill like it used to be, it's about how fit these blokes are in the gym and how far they can hit it with clubs that are so well designed now, with such massive sweet spots that most of us can play a lot better than we used to.

At least we have the T20 this afternoon, I will be watching that. And for the numb of brain there is the F1 which is one of the most boring spectator sports in the world.
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They made this exact same point on 5Live yesterday afternoon after an interview with Greg Norman, who used to ping it as far with much lesser equipment and although a unit, was far from a gym bunny.

It's time to bring in more regulation around equipment.
 
‘easy course conditions on a poor course’ sums it up for me. Obvs they can’t help the weather but when the player in last place is, on average, 2 over par per round it shows there is no challenge at St George’s for the elite players.

God know what the winning score will be at St Andrews next year with these players, in the right conditions you could be looking at 25 under par.
 
It's like watching football from the away end at St James' Newcastle half the time with some of the camera work.
Long shots of the course with no idea where the ball actually is. And even worse when they show players putting from a camera 25,000' in the air.
 
hertfordseasider said:
It's got to be the most boring open golf course there is. It's not about skill like it used to be, it's about how fit these blokes are in the gym and how far they can hit it with clubs that are so well designed now, with such massive sweet spots that most of us can play a lot better than we used to.

At least we have the T20 this afternoon, I will be watching that. And for the numb of brain there is the F1 which is one of the most boring spectator sports in the world.
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Where they use giant bats with giant sweetspots clearing the boundaries with a mere flick of the wrist and F1 where the fastest car wins 99 times out of 100 races

Even with a tenner on Colin on Friday night it was incredibly dull I agree.
 
Macseasider said:
Where they use giant bats with giant sweetspots clearing the boundaries with a mere flick of the wrist and F1 where the fastest car wins 99 times out of 100 races

Even with a tenner on Colin on Friday night it was incredibly dull I agree.
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Thankfully, golf isn't always like that, I mean the Ryder cup is ace. The Masters, English Open in atrocious weather.

I wonder what the Olympics will be like in the next couple of weeks? I love watching both the Summer and Winter Olympics, it's great to see so may different sports, but no crowd, Covid already getting into the Olympic village and rubbish viewing times for us over here probably mean it isn't going to be that great, It's really sad for all the competitors who work so hard to get to the peak fitness just for this.
 
Macseasider said:
Where they use giant bats with giant sweetspots clearing the boundaries with a mere flick of the wrist and F1 where the fastest car wins 99 times out of 100 races

Even with a tenner on Colin on Friday night it was incredibly dull I agree.
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Thinly veiled, " I had a cockle on the winner", post.

Only joking MAC, well done, enjoy and don't give it them back.
 
It maybe lacked something but I'm not sure all of the possible problems are as simple as described or as easy to solve.

You could run the tournament next week with an identical field, identical conditions and the same broadcaster and you might get six players level going into the last few holes and we'd be talking about a great tournament.

That is certainly not to say that many good points haven't been raised, golf was already suffering from a drop in popularity - many reasons, popularity of football, not moving with the times, etc, etc - and a move to Sky certainly won't help.

I'm not sure that easy conditions at St Andrews would ruin a tournament, it was a damp squib when Oosthuizen won round there by a country mile and folk were moaning but if it had been Tiger every fecker would have been raving about it, if you have six players all on 25 under after 68 holes I'm not sure too many would be disappointed.

I'm thinking there are problems and issues and have no doubt that they need to be addressed and are already being addressed but sometimes things just don't fall into line and one tournament is better than another just because of a few slightly different happenings and not as a result of any earth shattering differences.
 
I think many events have fallen flat this year. I usually enjoy Wimbledon but barely watched it this time. Was thinking maybe it was just the lack of personalities barring the usual suspects. Maybe it’s a bit to do with lockdown etc with fewer people at work, in pubs etc discussing events and just generally feeling flat. Can’t really put my finger on it but there seems to be a general apathy about.
 
I always loved the open but it's getting so hammy same old shite and all them commercial breaks, do me a favour get back it on bbc and the golf weren't that great at least speith gave it a go.
 
Macseasider said:
Ha ha. Nowt to brag about mate. £10 at 5/1 after he shot the 63 on Friday. Hardly resigning from my job!!
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MAC

I was just kidding, I know your bet won't change your life and that's how you should bet.

You put the bet on to win though, so enjoy the fifty, it's better in your Davy Crockett that anybody elses - enjoy.
 
I know the beeb has been seriously guilty of laziness in their efforts in the good old days when they dominated football, cricket and golf coverage. But Sky? What a load of absolute shite! The bits I saw on a feed were pretty much incomprehensible
 
Mark_GT said:
I know the beeb has been seriously guilty of laziness in their efforts in the good old days when they dominated football, cricket and golf coverage. But Sky? What a load of absolute shite! The bits I saw on a feed were pretty much incomprehensible
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They really weren’t at all. Their coverage won an award a couple of years ago and they stepped in in 2017 when the BBC couldn’t even be bothered fulfilling the last year of its contract.
Sky give the event the coverage it deserves, my only gripe is that they need to mix up the presenting a little.
 
P t Barnum said:
I always loved the open but it's getting so hammy same old shite and all them commercial breaks, do me a favour get back it on bbc and the golf weren't that great at least speith gave it a go.
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That’s fine if the BBC will cough up and pay for it but they won’t. Too busy overpaying Gary Lineker and pocketing your licence fee.
 
SEASIDE2020 said:
It maybe lacked something but I'm not sure all of the possible problems are as simple as described or as easy to solve.

You could run the tournament next week with an identical field, identical conditions and the same broadcaster and you might get six players level going into the last few holes and we'd be talking about a great tournament.

That is certainly not to say that many good points haven't been raised, golf was already suffering from a drop in popularity - many reasons, popularity of football, not moving with the times, etc, etc - and a move to Sky certainly won't help.

I'm not sure that easy conditions at St Andrews would ruin a tournament, it was a damp squib when Oosthuizen won round there by a country mile and folk were moaning but if it had been Tiger every fecker would have been raving about it, if you have six players all on 25 under after 68 holes I'm not sure too many would be disappointed.

I'm thinking there are problems and issues and have no doubt that they need to be addressed and are already being addressed but sometimes things just don't fall into line and one tournament is better than another just because of a few slightly different happenings and not as a result of any earth shattering differences.
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Golf currently more popular than it’s been for a few years thanks to lockdown. The Sky deal has seen the R&A realise the tournament’s worth rather than the pennies the BBC paid and the money is channelled back into the game.
It was fairly universally accepted that Royal St George’s was a good test, not a course for smashing it up the fairway. Even De Shambles realised that after 54 holes and starting using his 4 iron and shot 65!!!!!
Golf’s big problem is the regular tour events particularly in the US. It’s frankly too easy and courses are set up to play right into the players hands. The golf ball simply goes too far and they should have reined it in 25 years ago and then add in 460cc drivers with incredibly springy faces and you get a game which is much more enjoyable for amateurs but less of a craft for pros. Week in week out tour golf is nowhere near as skilful as it used to be unfortunately.
 
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