I’m not a huge fan of the Big Break.  Well, to be fair I really liked the one with all of the women in bikinis, but the other ones haven’t managed to really capture my interest.

That said, I have been watching the latest season after hearing some of my friends talk about it.  Early on it seemed clear to me that Kent was the best golfer on the show.  And on Monday night’s episode, he went heads up against Carl (the best worst golfer you’ll ever meet) for a spot in the final episode.  It was one of the most exciting matches I’ve ever seen on the Big Break.

Except that it didn’t actually happen how it was shown on TV.  It actually took not one, but four playoff holes for Kent to put away Carl.

Big Break producer Chris Graham shares what happened and why it was condensed for TV:

The Kent/Carl match didn’t actually happen the way we showed it. I know, I know…. how dare I deceive you, our loyal viewers, with such trickery and tomfoolery? Well, trust me, if it was a two- hour show and if I coulda, I woulda.

1st hole thru 3rd hole – AS SHOWN (you thought Kent was toast didn’t you?? Admit it. I know I did.)

All Playoff holes were played on the 17th hole.

1st Playoff Hole – Both guys hit the fairway; Kent hit it to 25 ft., Carl to 40 ft. Both guys made pretty routine pars.

2nd Playoff Hole – Kent down the middle, Carl goes wayyyy right in the trees close to where he was in regulation. Kent hits his approach to 30 ft. Carl now decides he has no choice but to go for it and pulls it off – - through the trees, over the water, over the bunkers to 40 ft. Both guys make par.

3rd Playoff Hole – Both guys in the fairway; Kent hits it to 8 ft. then Carl steps up and hits his approach to 18 inches!! Kent makes his birdie putt, Carl taps in his birdie putt and back to the tee they go.

4th Playoff Hole – AS SHOWN

Definitely interesting stuff and it’s a shame that they didn’t have the time to show the full match on TV.  I’m just happy that Kent made it to the finals and will be facing off against David.  Both of those guys appear to have some serious game.

Carl certainly has potential but the thought of a guy who posted a 102 in a US Open qualifier having a chance at getting a PGA Tour exemption just makes me cringe.

The Golf Channel has announced that they’ve removed obnoxious reporter extraordinaire Jim Gray from Northern Trust Open coverage this week.  Apparently Gray decided that it would be a good idea to ask Dustin Johnson about being late to his tee time yesterday morning in the middle of his round.

Johnson’s caddy, Bobby Brown, rightfully took issue with Gray’s actions and ultimately ended up “profanely” complaining to reporters about the interruption after the round.  Playing partners Steve Stricker and DA Points were also agitated by the interruption from Gray.

If there’s one thing you don’t do as a reporter at a golf tournament, it’s interrupt players during their round.  This isn’t Gray’s first problem with a player.  Last August he was involved in a heated exchange with Corey Pavin.  And of course he’s probably best known for his interrogation/argument interview with Pete Rose in 1999.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the end of Gray’s involvement with the Golf Channel.  I’m not sure if he was there previously, but Gray is not currently listed on the Golf Channel’s “On-air Talent” page.

Announcer Curt Byrum and producer Keith Hirshland, the mastermind behind Saturday's "announer-lite" coverage

If you’re not aware, the Golf Channel decided to broadcast the Nationwide Tour’s Albertson’s Boise Open today without traditional announcers.  Instead of continuous commentary, they focused more on capturing sound/conversations from the different groups on the course and conducting player interviews.  Announcers Jerry Foltz and Curt Byrum managed to stay busy however, as they were responding to tweets, Facebook and e-mails while also conducting phone interviews with notable golfers such as Stewart Cink, Zack Johnson, and Matt Kuchar.  So did the experiment in cost cutting work?  In a nutshell, Yes.

There were some rough edges.  At first, it was disconcerting to see guys lining up putts on the green without any sound.  However, once the initial shock wore off, it was actually pretty nice.  We were able to get some insight into the conversations between players and caddies.  Some of the conversations were quite serious while others were pretty funny, such as Jason Hahn’s exchange with his caddy over how to properly pronounce the term “false front”.

Given all of the microphones, I was expecting the tour to be handing out some hefty fines today, but the players seemed to keep their language in check.  I was waiting to hear an F-bomb after Michael Putnam blocked his drive out right on the 11th, but instead he just silently took a swing at his tee with the back of his driver.  I’m guessing that tour officials made it very clear to the players that they would be in front of mics all day long and that they had better behave.

Hunter Haas was actually wearing a microphone pack on the course today and consequently we were able to hear every comment, joke, and self admonition that came out of his mouth.  His sarcastic “Sweet!” after tapping in for a birdie was pretty funny.  This was the first time that any player on the PGA or Nationwide tours was mic’d during an event.

So what could be improved?  The main issue that I had were the on-screen graphics.  They tried to adapt their existing graphics  to the “announcer-less” model, but it didn’t quite work.  They just don’t show enough information.  They work fine when you have announcers chatting and providing all kinds of additional tidbits and insights, but they’re not enough when you’re left to your own devices.  I would suggest a graphics design much more like what you would see on Sportcenter.  Keep a constant set of information flowing to TV viewers.  Set the opacity relatively low so it isn’t too intrusive, but provide as much of the info that the announcers would typically have access to as possible.

A few more on-course interviews would have been nice as well.  However, it can be tricky to find the balance between tournament coverage and player interviews.  I did especially like the interview they conducted on the driving range with Justin Hicks and the putting green with Gavin Coles.  It was cool to get some insight into the kind of things that the pro’s work on at the range and on the putting green.

Will the Golf Channel try this again?  I sure hope so.  According to Foltz, the response was about 60% “love it” and 40% “hate it”.  If they can find a way to improve the on-screen graphics and possibly tie in the Twitter, Facebook and e-mail conversations, I think they would have a real winner.  For a first try though, it was a great effort.

Don’t forget, the Nationwide tour will be broadcasting without announcers tomorrow.  Tune in and find out if the Golf Channel’s cost cutting innovative broadcast approach is something that we’ll be seeing more of in the future.

posted by Jerry Foltz on twitter

Ever get tired of listening to golf announcers (ahem… Johnny Miller)? Want to know what a golf broadcast would sound like without the chatty guys in the booth?  Well, this Saturday, you’re going to get your wish.  On Sep 18, the Golf Channel will be broadcasting the Nationwide Tour’s Boise Open without announcers.  There will be extra microphones all over the course to pick up player/caddie conversations, crowd noises, etc.  They will also be conducting on-course interviews at holes that tend to get backed up.  I’m really looking forward to this.   I have no idea if it will be a success, but it’s nice to see the Golf Channel trying something different.