In 1955, as televised golf was in its infancy, Henry Longhurst requested feedback from viewers:
“Again, do we talk too little or too much? For myself, I prefer to err on the side of what Sidney Smith described, in reference to the loquacious Macaulay, as ‘brilliant flashes of silence’.”
Longhurst is known as the standard in golf coverage. But few in this country really pay him heed as they pay him homage. Perhaps it is viewers in the US who are to blame. We hate dead air time, whether it be football, baseball, or golf. Perhaps televised tennis has less voice-over. One network tried the silent treatment years ago, with no commentary at all during an entire NFL game. Once.
British golf commentary has always had a bit of class not shared by the counterpart in the US. Part of it has to do with the educational system these men grew up in, where the Classics were still taught. Their commentary often resorts to references to folks like Macaulay. But there is also the poetic turn of phrase we seldom get from American announcers.
“Hitting each shot before the average American professional would have had time to test the direction of a non-existent wind.”
I like David Feherty for that reason. His humor is simply a plus. Much is made of Gary McCord’s humor, but it really could never compare. Phrasing is everything. McCord would never say, as Feherty did after first watching Tiger, “My flabber has been gasted.”
Jerry Tarde, in an article for Golf Digest, spoke of a relationship between Longhurst and Douglas Bader. It is worth reading. But a couple of points worth mentioning here explain why British announcers are often so much better:
Henry described himself as born to travel first-class but without the price of a ticket. He was a Cambridge man, elected to Parliament in the 1940s, the former German Amateur golf champion, and a very fine writer, but in the way television twists everything, he became best known for his eloquent reporting on golf for the BBC. He was the only golf commentator to work for two American networks at the same time, both ABC and CBS, which was just as inconceivable then as now. And he was one of the great gin drinkers, but I digress.
Eloquence lubricated with gin.