Golf Television Needs More of Sir Charles and Here’s Why

How the things I learned as a country club caddie to the NBA’s former round mound of rebounds can make watching the Tour more enjoyable

Embed from Getty Images

I’ve lived a pretty charmed life when it comes to spending time with celebrities. My full-time country radio days had a flow of former newbies visit my show: Brad Paisley, Jake Owen, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, and some lady named Taylor something all jumped on the air to be real for an hour while introducing the Froggy 101 listeners to their sound.

Yes, if you’re a fan of the NBC comedy ‘The Office,’ I was on the station that Dwight Schrute’s bumper sticker made famous, Froggy 101 in Scranton. I also endured 6+ years with the air name Skeeter, but that’s a story about marketing, branding, and embarrassment for a whole other article and/or barbecue.

In golf, a classmate got me in front of the caddie master at Commonwealth National CC in Horsham, PA. Designed by Arnold Palmer, this multiple architecture track is a real tester. As a high school golfer and lover of a good walk, they hired me right away.

Before I knew it, I went from a class C scrub to being a class A. Being a 16-year old carrying doubles twice a weekend would easily put $150 in my pocket (not bad for 1991). 

Being a class A also got me to the front of being a looper for celebrity members and invitees too. I remember being called at college during finals week asking when I could be back in town because Maury Povich needed a caddie for a two-day event. For the record, Maury was a great guy on the course, tipped incredibly well, and I was relieved to find out I was not the father. 

My favorite member to be asked to caddie for was and forever will be Charles Barkley. 

There are many on the course stories I could tell about the former power forward for the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, and Houston Rockets (some may not be out of the Pennsylvania statute of limitations). He was never better than an average player when we  walked together, but the magic of Charles Barkley has never been about his mastery of the 7-iron.

Compilation of Charles Barkley’s hilarious golf swings

Charles Barkley’s playing golf

The magic of Charles Barkley is the fact that his celebrity status is only because of his basketball career. In the four or five trips around the links  I took with the NBA legend I can truly say I never saw him present a pompous or better than anyone air on the course. He always just felt like the every man playing this game, smiling and real with everyone from the caddie to the club pro to the beverage cart driver.

Why could Charles excel as a broadcaster in this game? To me, first and foremost, he keeps things light because he appreciates his own level of play. Let’s face it: some of those swing videos we saw were flat out atrocious, but he never stopped trying, and he didn’t look all that bad playing the 18th at Medalist on national TV.

Charles Barkley’s ‘Bogey or Better’ Hole Challenge at Capital One’s The Match

Charles Barkley came up just short in an effort to win up $500K for charity if he was able to get a bogey or better at Capital One’s The Match. Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/user/BleacherReport?sub_confirmation=1 Follow on IG: http://www.instagram.com/f/bleacherreport Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bleacherreport Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bleacherreport

Chuck also keeps things interesting because his sharp wit quickly can paint someone into a corner. So often golf on TV just has that total country club feeling of forced laughter. Forget his money or his status, Barkley doesn’t come off like that at all as a broadcast analyst, and his gift of gab and quick wit makes him dangerously entertaining as a golf host.

Charles also brings a very strong golf knowledge no matter his skills or current limitations. He also carries a desire to learn which makes him an outstanding conversationalist with both the broadcast teams and the pros.

The Match II was a prime example of this for Mr. Barkley. He presented great uber fan insight. He presented exceptional comedic timing to lighten up a broadcast. He was solid in talking about what was happening on the course. And to give both Justin Thomas and Chuck credit, they both demonstrated they could do what too many broadcasters fail to understand, and that’s when to shut up.

Golf returns to TV soon. Fans won’t be on the course and the landscape will look far more different. OK, let’s be real: it’s probably going to come off like a total yawn with church silence. To me, this was proven by the TaylorMade charity match which just constantly lagged in both personality and flavor from the players and the booth. 

The immediate future of golf on TV is going to be pretty damn boring. OK, golf on TV is going to be even more boring than it already is given this alternate reality of COVID-19 pandemic life. They can mic the players up all they want, but they need an interactive catalyst for both the main booth announcers as well as the on-course reporters and the players.

That catalyst, that every man, that average golfer who is a big fan and a celebrity to spark more interest in watching on TV is Charles Barkley. Hopefully, the folks who broadcast PGA Tour events are already aware of this. If they aren’t, I’m happy to collect a finder’s fee.

And Mr. Barkley, if you need a looper for another big event, just let me know. I’ll need to stretch a lot more and choke down some Advil before and after, but I’m ready.

Cover Image via YouTube