A GOLF CHANNEL – Would this really work?

A GOLF CHANNEL – Would this really work?

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The first people who heard that Arnold Palmer was going to start a golf-only channel, even Arnold’s biggest fans thought he had backed a loser. 

How could a channel like this survive?  Were there enough people who would watch it?  Well, anyone who knows Arnold well knew that this would work.  This was not going to be a flash-in-the-pan idea.  With the influence of Arnold to propel this idea, it was a winner right from the get-go!   Doug Ferguson of the Golf Channel tells the story.

Twenty years ago on Saturday, Arnold Palmer flipped a ceremonial switch to launch a risky venture that cynics saw as an easy punch line.

The Golf Channel?

Tennis magazine mocked the idea as ”24 hours of chubby guys in bad clothes speaking in jargon that only they understand.” Rick Reilly, in his column for Sports Illustrated, suggested programming that included ”Body by Jack,” a workout session with Jack Nicklaus in which he ”takes you through a 30-minute routine you can do without getting out of the cart.”

Even the players had their doubts.

”I’m always stunned that there’s enough golf stuff for 24 hours a day,” Paul Goydos said. ”I would have thought, ‘Do we really need a Golf Channel? Is there enough viewership? Enough material?’ I thought it would be a tough row to hoe, in my opinion. They’ve proven me wrong.”

Players today can’t imagine life without Golf Channel, as it is now called.

Source: Doug Ferguson     Golf Channel

Pictures: Cliff

Thanks for reading – A GOLF CHANNEL – Would this really work?

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