How dumb is the golf media? (Wizbang)

Pretty darn dumb I say. Here are two great examples.

*- Don Wade and an unknown publisher come out with a book titled ' The first Sunday in April '. It is about The Masters. There is only one problem, The Masters ends on THE SECOND SUNDAY in April. A check of the tournament's history would have told Wade this. I went and doublechecked myself. No Masters since 1997 has ended on anything but the second Sunday in April. I didn't go any further back. 12 years in a row on the 2nd Sunday is a pretty strong indicator your book title is wrong.

*- Bill Huffman of The East Valley Tribune writes this week in regards to the Phoenix LPGA Tour stop losing its sponsor - What sponsor would walk away from a tournament that has produced champions like Annika Sorenstam, Cristie Kerr and (Lorena)Ochoa in the past four years, all the while attracting record crowds?

Sorry Bill, but Cristie never won the Safeway International. Hall of Famer Juli Inkster won the tournament in 2006.(Annika won the tournament in 04 and 05, Ochoa in 07)

Huffman is the golf writer for the newspaper too. How many dumb mistakes do I have to make in my reporting of the Stanford International next month before some publication hires me to write about pro golf?

Comments (7)

Masters Week is ALWAYS the ... (Below threshold)

1. Posted by KobeClan | March 28, 2008 11:56 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

KobeClan:

Masters Week is ALWAYS the first full week in April. Most reporters are idjits, not just sportswriters. They are lazy and/or incompetent.
The Peter Principle in action.
Title should have been "The first week in April".
D'Oh!

Posted on March 28, 2008 11:56

All I can say is "multiple ... (Below threshold)

2. Posted by GarandFan | March 28, 2008 1:53 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

GarandFan:

All I can say is "multiple layers of fact checking".

Posted on March 28, 2008 13:53

How many dumb mistakes d... (Below threshold)

3. Posted by Peter F. | March 28, 2008 3:20 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Peter F.:

How many dumb mistakes do I have to make in my reporting of the Stanford International next month before some publication hires me to write about pro golf?

I'll go with 3. 1 major gaff, 2 minor ones. Then you should be hearing from Golf Digest or Golf shortly thereafter.

Posted on March 28, 2008 15:20

Angle to be a TV reporter i... (Below threshold)

4. Posted by Jim Addison | March 28, 2008 3:37 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Jim Addison:

Angle to be a TV reporter instead. All you have to do is speak very softly - even though you are in a soundproof studio a couple miles away from the hole you're describing, it fits the audience's expectation to believe you are being quiet and respectful to the players who can't hear you. Oh, and if you can develop a British accent too, so much the better.

Posted on March 28, 2008 15:37

Jim:Gary McCord is... (Below threshold)

5. Posted by Tom Blogical | March 28, 2008 8:14 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Tom Blogical:

Jim:

Gary McCord is a refreshing exception to your rule. ;-)

Posted on March 28, 2008 20:14

Jim:Gary Mc... (Below threshold)

6. Posted by Peter F. | March 28, 2008 9:25 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)

And David Feherty. :-) Who's Irish and funnier than any Brit. So there's that...

Posted on March 28, 2008 21:25

Bill, what is even more int... (Below threshold)

7. Posted by John F Not Kerry | March 28, 2008 11:11 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

John F Not Kerry:

Bill, what is even more interesting is that Wade has been writing (and I think very well) about golf for a long time. He has a very good series of books on great quotes from famous golfers ("Then Arnie said to Jack..."), as well as others. If the mistake was his fault, I would chalk it up to laziness rather than stupidity.

Posted on March 28, 2008 23:11