Morning Drive, Morning Miss

Last December, when I heard the Golf Channel was set to air its first live morning show, I was ecstatic.  Out here in L.A., one can handle only so much NPR and Colin Cowherd in the morning, so this was a true blessing in my life. Even during my time in Chicago, I was thirsty for some commuter-friendly golf content to complement the morning shuffle.

Did GC drop the ball on this one?

I was familiar with Erik Kuselias from ESPN and had heard good things about Gary Williams from the PGATour Network. And while the content would focus primarily on golf, it promised to feature news and commentary about stories from a wide range of subjects. Right up my alley, for sure. Well, not entirely so.

While they set up the studio to look like a radio show, it’s strangely only distributed on television. In taking something out of the world-wide leader’s playbook (they clearly copied the production of ESPN’s Mike & Mike in the Morning),  did they forget it was a radio show before it was simulcast on television?   In addition to no radio stream, Morning Drive has no podcast or smart phone app. I’ve reached out to show personnel to see if there was something in the works and…..Bubkis.

The show does air at 6 AM out west, so I am able to get about 15 minutes of content from the other room while I’m performing my morning routine. I’m sure the advertisers love that.

Perhaps there’s not a big enough market to justify a national syndication for the show, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be distributed through some sort of smart phone technology (app, podcast, etc). How have they missed this? Granted, I haven’t looked at their ratings so maybe the numbers look good and the show’s doing enough for their loyal advertisers to justify their ad spends.

So if the Golf Channel’s target markets for Morning Drive are golf bloggers (and others that work from home) and retirees sitting on their couch at 7AM, well done, fellas. You’ve nailed it. But if the Golf Channel wants to reach anyone else – you know, the majority of golf fans that are on-the-go – they might want to rethink how they’re distributing a show like Morning Drive.

The Golfer's Ultimate 6-Pack

     Golfers love beer and beer loves golfers. It's continues to be a long-lasting, meaningful relationship. Can someone package that up for us, please? Absolutely. Bridgestone, the #1 ball-fitter in golf, is partnering with Michelob ULTRA this summer in a way golf and beer lovers have not yet seen.


The Golfer's Ultimate 6-Pack will be hitting retailers on May 23rd, just in time for those Father's Day rounds. Believe it or not, it should be the first retail package to combine beer and golf balls (Bridgestone e6's) at a single point of purchase. No word yet on exactly where these points of purchase will be.


The promotion serves as a great complement to Bridgestone's more conservative commercials where staff members gloat about their high-performing balls while sipping on iced tea in a dark clubhouse.


And this is hardly the first venture into the golf world for Michelob, the official beer sponsor of both the PGA Tour and the LPGA. With only 95 calories, Michelob ULTRA serves drinkers who like to think they have 'active lifestyles.' It now aims to be the on and off-course six pack for those golfers who want to maintain their six packs..... all while getting 3 sheets to the wind on the course with their buddies. 


My question is why limit this to Father's Day? I'm sure there's some Moms that would be down with this, right? Plus, this would be a great stocking stuffer, hand out at charity scrambles and bachelor parties.