Golf on television is not an easy sport to cover.
Unlike many of its competitors, the game is not contested on a set field or court and as opposed to one ball being in play, there are typically upwards of 60 balls in motion at one time.
Despite the explanation of the fact, golf fans tend to be especially hard on the broadcast providers of their favorite sport, often leveraging “coverage takes” that would be more appropriately deemed “coverage complaints,” so when CBS trotted out some new technology on Saturday at the PGA Championship, it was no surprise that fans made their displeasure known.
Nice drive, Justin Rose.
For the first time ever on a golf broadcast, Aerial Tracing gives you an overhead look at the shot’s flight pattern. pic.twitter.com/V0vKckldSW
— GOLFonCBS (@GOLFonCBS) May 18, 2019
The Aerial Tracer offers fans a bird’s-eye view of the hole while mixing in a shot tracer element that sounds good in theory, but apparently didn’t hit home for many golf fans.
Nice drive, Justin Rose.
For the first time ever on a golf broadcast, Aerial Tracing gives you an overhead look at the shot’s flight pattern. pic.twitter.com/V0vKckldSW
— GOLFonCBS (@GOLFonCBS) May 18, 2019
Please, no more.
— Chad Jackley (@c_jackley) May 18, 2019
Taking us further away from the player during the shot is being broadcast is pretty much the opposite of what you should be doing, but I’m not surprised. Just watch FOX’s broadcast of the US Open and copy whatever they do because apparently you guys will never understand.
— Ted Flukes (@TedFlukes) May 18, 2019
Have you fired the producer who green lit this yet, or is that Monday?
— Banquo McPretendname (@OCCC18) May 18, 2019
Nobody wants this. Please do not utilize the technology in future telecasts. Thank you in advance.
— Tom Bombadil (@tom_bombadil12) May 18, 2019
Making matters worse, the rollout of new technology didn’t come without hiccups. The accuracy of the Aerial Tracer came into question on numerous occasions, including Brooks Koepka’s opening tee shot.
While the tracer took over much of the screen, it showed Koepka’s ball heading towards the rough on the dogleg right first hole. The announcers only had the tracer to go off of originally and bemoaned the errant shot only to have an alternate camera angle show the ball land safely in the fairway.
