Golf Channel From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Golf Channel Launched January 17, 1995 Owned by Comcast Headquarters Orlando, Florida, USA Sister channel(s) Versus Website thegolfchannel.com Availability Satellite Astro (Malaysia) Channel 815 DirecTV Channel 218 (SD/HD) Channel 1218 (VOD) Dish Network Channel 401 SKY Latin America Channel 26 (Brazil) Channel 528 (Mexico) Cable Available on many cable systems Check local listings for channels StarHub TV Singapore Channel 26 IPTV over ADSL TELUS TV Canada Channel 116 Verizon FiOs Channel 304 (SD) Channel 593 (HD) Golf Channel, formerly known as The Golf Channel before the July 2008 dropping of The, is an American cable television network with coverage focused on the game of golf. Founded in Birmingham, Alabama, the American headquarters and studio are currently located in Orlando, Florida. Golf Channel is available in the United States, Canada a few nations in Asia and Latin America through Cable Television, satellite, and wireless transmissions. Worldwide, it is available in over 100 million households. Contents [hide] 1 History and programming 2 Golf Channel shows 3 Golf Channel on-air talent 4 Former Golf Channel talent 5 Golf Channel HD 6 Golf Channel UK 7 See also 8 External links 9 References [edit] History and programming The network was launched on January 17, 1995. The idea of a 24-hour-a-day golf network came from media entrepreneur Joseph E. Gibbs of Birmingham, Alabama, who first got the idea for the channel in 1991. Gibbs felt there was enough interest in golf among the public to support such a network, and commissioned a Gallup Poll to see if his instincts were correct. With the support of the polling behind him, Gibbs and legendary golfer Arnold Palmer then secured $80 million in financing to launch the network, which was among the first cable networks developed to cover one singular sport. The first live tournament the channel televised was the Dubai Desert Classic, held from January 19 to 22, 1995. Golf Channel features a range of golf programming, including PGA Tour, European Tour, LPGA Tour, Champions Tour, Nationwide Tour, Canadian Tour, and PGA Tour of Australasia events. It also covers USGA and PGA of America tournaments. The channel devotes considerable time to news coverage of golf, including a nightly program, Golf Central, a post-tournament program, the Sprint Post Game and College Central, devoted to college golf. There are highlight shows of past tournaments, and a reality television competition show, The Big Break, whose premise is to help aspiring professionals gain exemptions into PGA Tour and LPGA events. In 2005, Golf Channel helped set up a special match play event called Big Stakes Golf, in which teams of two paid a $100,000 entry fee to play in a special tournament where the winning team split a $3,000,000 first-place prize, the largest in golf history. In the end, mini-tour professionals Garth Mulroy and David Ping won the grand prize. In 2007, Golf Channel embarked on its 15-year agreement as the exclusive cable television home for the PGA Tour. The network’s annual coverage will feature early-round coverage of the entire FedEx Cup season, including the World Golf Championships, The Tour Championship and The Players Championship, the PGA Tour’s crown jewel. In total, early-round coverage of 30 events will air on Golf Channel. Also included in the package will be 13 full, four-round events beginning with the season’s first three tournaments – Mercedes-Benz Championship, Sony Open in Hawaii, and the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic hosted by George Lopez – and the seven official money events following The Tour Championship. The network also will provide full coverage of three tournaments played opposite golf’s majors and World Golf Championships. Every PGA Tour event will be aired live and then rebroadcast in prime time, a first for the PGA Tour. [edit] Golf Channel shows Golf Central Shell's Wonderful World of Golf The Big Break Highway 18 Live From... (The Golf Channel edition) A Golf Channel Profile Champions Tour Learning Center Golf Fitness Academy Golf With Style! IBM's Playing Lessons with the Pros Inside the PGA TOUR PGA TOUR Classics, also known as Golf Channel Classics Personal Lessons Quest for the Card Sprint Pre Game Sprint Post Game Golf Channel Academy The Grey Goose 19th Hole ("Top Shelf Wednesday") What's In The Bag? School of Golf Road Trip: Myrtle Beach [edit] Golf Channel on-air talent Programs talent appear on are in parentheses. Tom Abbott (Golf Central) Adam Barr (Golf Central Business Reporter) Casey Bierer (Golf Central Business Reporter) Michael Breed (Nationwide Tour course reporter & Golf Fix host) Billy Ray Brown (PGA & Champions Tour course reporter & Big Break X host) Ken Brown (European Tour On-Course Reporter) Steve Burkowski (Golf Central reporter) Curt Byrum (Nationwide Tour analyst) Donna Caponi-Byrnes (Champions Tour course reporter) Vince Cellini (Golf Central, Grey Goose 19th Hole) Brandel Chamblee (Golf Central analyst) Kay Cockerill (LPGA tour course reporter) Beth Daniel (LPGA analyst) Dougie Donnelly (European Tour play-by-play) Nick Faldo (Lead Analyst, PGA Tour Coverage} Jerry Foltz (Nationwide Tour play-by-play, PGA Tour course reporter, Quest for the Card) Inga Hammond (Golf Central, Golf Central updates) Brian Hammons (Golf Central, LPGA and Champions Tour play-by-play) John Hawkins (Grey Goose 19th Hole analyst) Brian Hewitt (Golf Channel insider) Rex Hoggard (Golf Channel insider) Warren Humphreys (European Tour analyst) Kraig Kann (Golf Central, The Approach w/ Callaway Golf) Renton Laidlaw (European Tour play-by-play) Rich Lerner (Golf Central, Live From..., PGA Tour interviewer) Todd Lewis (Golf Central) Kate Longworth (Top 10) Mark Lye (Golf Central, Champions Tour course reporter) Andrew Magee (The Approach w/ Callaway Golf, Golf Central analyst) John Mahaffey (Champions Tour course reporter) David Marr (Champions Tour Play-by-Play and interviewer, Champions Tour Learning Center) Alex Miceli (The Approach w/ Callaway Golf) Frank Nobilo (Golf Central analyst and Champions Tour analyst) Peter Oosterhuis (PGA Tour Hole Announcer) Iain Page (Golf Central) Dottie Pepper (Golf Central, LPGA analyst, PGA Tour On-Course Reporter) Mark Rolfing (Golf Hawaii, Champions Tour Play-by-Play, PGA Tour On-Course Reporter) Tim Rosaforte (Golf Central analyst) Charlie Rymer (Golf Central analyst) Steve Sands (Golf Central) Brandi Seymour (Nationwide Tour Interviewer) Val Skinner (LPGA course reporter) Stephanie Sparks (The Big Break III-VIII) Stina Sternberg {Golf With Style!, The Turn equipment reporter} Lauren Thompson {Top 10} Kelly Tilghman (Golf Central, PGA Tour Play-By-Play Host) Julian Tutt (European Tour play-by-play and On-Course Reporter) Scott Walker (Golf central) [edit] Former Golf Channel talent Brian Anderson Grant Boone Charles Davis Steve Duemig Jim Kelly Peter Kessler Jennifer Mills Tom Nettles Mike Ritz Steve Schlanger Brian Tennyson Ted Tryba Scott Van Pelt Megan West [edit] Golf Channel HD Golf Channel HD logo.Golf Channel HD is a 1080i high definition simulcast of The Golf Channel. It launched in January 2007. Formerly in some markets Golf Channel shared an HD channel slot with sister network Versus which programmed based on the priority of each network's event; this channel was known as VS/Golf HD. As of December 8, 2008, both channels are now distributed individually in high definition. Comcast plans to have Golf Channel HD available to 12.5 million viewers by January, with a promise of 750 hours of HD content in 2009. [1] [edit] Golf Channel UK There was a British version of the channel called Golf Channel UK for a time. It was operated by sporting goods retailer JJB Sports, and was available on BSkyB satellite television. It broadcast many of the shows from the U.S. channel, but was unable to attract a viable audience as it offered little live golf, and it ceased broadcasting on 31 December 2007. All the major tours have their main UK contract with either Sky Sports or Setanta Golf, and BBC Sport covers several major tournaments each year. [edit] See also List of DirecTV channels List of Dish Network channels [edit] External links Golf Channel US [edit] References ^ Tee Time for Golf Channel HD [hide]v • d • eSports television in the United States Broadcast divisions CBS Sports • ESPN on ABC • Fox Sports • NBC Sports National networks ESPN • ESPN2 • ESPN Classic • ESPNEWS • Fox Sports Net • Versus Specialty networks Big Ten Network • CBS College Sports Network • ESPNU • Fox College Sports • Fox Soccer Channel • Fuel TV • GOL TV • Horse Racing TV • MLB Network • MountainWest Sports Network • NBA TV • NFL Network • NHL Network • Setanta Sports North America • The Ski Channel • Speed • Outdoor Channel • Golf Channel • Tennis Channel • TVG Network Occasional broadcasts HBO • ION Television • MyNetworkTV • PBS • Sci Fi Channel • Showtime • Spike • TBS • TNT • USA Network • WGN America Regional sports networks 4SD • Altitude Sports and Entertainment • Bright House Sports Network • Buckeye Cable Sports Network • • Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast • Comcast SportsNet • Comcast Television (Michigan) • Cox Sports (New England) • Cox Sports TV (New Orleans) • Fighting Sioux Sports Network • Fox Sports Net • Metro Sports • Mid-Atlantic Sports Network • MSG Network • MSG Plus • New England Sports Network • Oregon Sports Network • SportsNet New York • SportSouth • SportsTime Ohio • Sun Sports • Time Warner Cable SportsNet (Upstate New York) • Time Warner Cable Sports 32 • YES Network Syndicators America One • ESPN Plus • Raycom Sports Spanish language ESPN Deportes • Fox Sports en Español Broadband services ESPN360 • Universal Sports • Horizon League Network Defunct networks American Sports Classics • Carolinas Sports Entertainment Television • CNN Sports Illustrated • Empire Sports Network • Football Network • Mizlou Television Network • NewSport • ON-TV • PRISM • SCORE • SportsChannel America • SportsChannel Los Angeles • Sports Time • TVS Television Network • Prime Network • PASS Sports • Royals Sports Television Network • Victory Sports One • World Championship Sports Network Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golf_Channel" Categories: Comcast Corporation | Golf in the United States | Golf on television | TV channels with British versions | American television networks | Television channels and stations established in 1995