I've done some radio, and a couple television, interviews. For me, it is a difficult thing. Perahaps I'm unable to express myself well in sound bites. When asked a question, I immediately feel a 5 to 10 second response is expected. I feel myself rushing through the answer.
Many years ago, I saw an TV interview of Pete Dye, when the Tour was debuting PGA West. On national television, the interviewer gave a glowing overview of this unusual and fantastic new course. He then turned to Pete and asked, "What was your thinking, your philosophy for this design?" At the time, I thought; this is it, a watershed moment for a golf architect to make an absolute defining statement to the golfing world. We were about to recieve true pearls of design wisdom from the master. Petes answer was truly forgettable and uninspiring.
I laughed out loud and thought; 'he just layed an egg on national television'. It took me a long time to understand, on that day Pete Dye provided the answer the network was seeking - not the meaningful, meaty, substantive answer I was interested in hearing. He provided the "sound bite" - the 'sensational' little tidbit suitable for the television audience.
It was a lesson which took a long time for me to comprehend and appreciate. Thanks Pete! Now, if I could only put it into practice....
Interview excerpt from the final round of the 2012 ECCO TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP at Stensballegaard Golf Club
The full video can be found here: 2012 ECCO TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP
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