Whistling Straits is a beautiful venue for this year's Ryder Cup, there's no doubt about it.
You have the links style course and inescapable bunkers set along the banks of Lake Michigan. Unfortunately, we're getting more shots of the banks of Lake Michigan than we need.
That's where the gripes start with Sky's coverage of the 2020 Ryder Cup. There's no alternative, and we have to accept that. But we all have an opinion.
Taking to Twitter - a platform where opinion might be overvalued - many have been venting their frustrations at watching from their living rooms.
Where's the golf?
@SkySports I've never minded paying for sky sports but watching more adverts than golf for the @RyderCupEurope is not right for a subscription channel.
— Cllr Irene Winters (@IreneWinters) September 25, 2021
When people tune into the Ryder Cup, they want to see the Ryder Cup. It's as simple as that.
"So many commercials," one Twitter user says. "On a subscription channel." Many others haven't been happy with the advert to golf ratio.
"Just tuned into Sky Sports and have not actually seen any golf coverage yet," says another person. "Instead, graphic after graphic and permutation after permutation. Show highlights of someone f*cking hitting the ball."
Another makes a valid point: "Does anybody know how many hours of adverts Sky have squeezed in to their 'live' coverage of the Ryder Cup? Painful viewing and not because of the score."
Four Matches, Not Forty
With four matches going on at once during the days, surely it can't be difficult to cover them all with close to an even stead?
After all, the breakup is covered quite well at The Open, at The Masters etc. There are sixteen players playing at the end of the day.
In particular, Irish viewers have been disappointed at the lack of coverage of Shane Lowry throughout, in particular when he was paired up with Rory McIlroy.
Dear @SkySportsGolf,
Please install a Shane Lowry option on the Red Button.
Sincerely,
Ireland— Jack Dunphy (@JackDunphy18) September 25, 2021
Installing a Shane Lowry red button would double or triple Sky subscriptions for the weekend here. You'd have to think.
Others have been in unison around some golfers and matches disappearing of sorts. "4 groups playing and barely seen them all", one person said on Twitter.
"With only 4 matches on course it should be possible to see all," another says. "Any chance we can see more shots instead of guessing what is going on please?" is the opinion of one user.
The Bad Audio
Sky have had a mare with the audio in general, especially with syncing things up with the footage on our screens.
"Audio is terrible, footage of the matches always seems behind what is actually live," says one Twitter user. "Commentating on a putt and crowd cheering but showing a tee shot, every 2 mins," another said.
Others have made comments saying "loads of background hum and commentary peaks and troughs" with "shots out of sequence".
The Nicklaus-Jacklin Award
On #RyderCup coverage.
For past 60 minutes on Sky Sports:
~2 minutes on Nicklaus-Jacklin Award promo
~7 minutes ads
~51 minutes golf (including 1 live splitscreen).— The Wedge (Golf / Money / Mystique) (@TheWedgeGolf) September 24, 2021
Who would have thought that pushing an arbitrary award instead of showing actual golf would get beneath viewers skin?
It's backfired in ways for the broadcast, especially with the carry on of Brooks Keopka throughout Saturday.
"People have really played themselves out of the AON Nicklaus-Jacklin award today," one person remarked on Twitter.
"Perhaps not the year to introduce the Nicklaus/Jacklin award," one said. Another saying simply "the Nicklaus-Jacklin Award is pointless."
In conclusion.. we know Sky are taking NBC's coverage, but for a pay-to-watch service, it hasn't recently justified the price tag. They need to do better.
SEE ALSO: Sky Sports Had To Apologise For Shane Lowry's Ryder Cup Celebration
