The First Call Inbox

Who will NBC choose as its new voices of golf?

While a segment of The First Call readers did not believe Roger Maltbie and Gary Koch needed to be replaced for 2023, others suggested some new and familiar names

David Feherty
David Feherty, who was a golf analyst for CBS and NBC before joining LIV Golf's broadcasts earlier this year, remains a popular on-course voice.

Question of the week [Nov. 14-20]:  NBC Sports has announced that it will be replacing Roger Maltbie and Gary Koch as golf analysts in 2023. Who would you like to see replace them?

RELATED: The First Call Inbox archive

Get the two best at their current positions before LIV does …
Booth: Shane Bacon
On-course: John Maginnes

Bill Conwell 
Orlando, Florida
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I want Roger Maltbie to replace Gary Koch and Gary Koch to replace Roger Maltbie.   

Mark Kessler
Billings, Montana
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David Feherty and Gary McCord

Mike Wells
Aiken, South Carolina
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Billy Andrade, Tommy Armour III, Woody Austin, Paul Goydos, Jay Haas, Paul McGinley, Corey Pavin.

Michael Schurman
Durham, Ontario
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One of most articulate, intelligent — as well as humorous — players out there, Paul Goydos.

Terry Fraser 
Huntsville, Alabama 
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Paul Azinger to replace Maltbie on the course to see if Azinger can actually add to the broadcast, which he doesn’t now.

And then replace Azinger in the booth with Jim Pomeranz who can do as good as or better than Azinger in the booth.

Do away with Koch’s position. Not needed.

Jim Pomeranz
Cary, North Carolina
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I would like to see Curt Bynum get more top-level tournaments in the booth and Colt Knost get more exposure on the ground. 

Barry Duckworth
Knoxville, Tennessee
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Brandel Chamblee and John Daly

Tom Trump
Key Largo, Florida
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If they were smart, they would try and sign David Feherty and Gary McCord. Let them do what they do best. 

Paul Vicary
The Villages, Florida
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Some of the new commentators such as Colt Knost and Smylie Kaufman are fine. Having said that, they are no better than Maltbie or Koch, nor can I see them substantially driving growth of a new, younger audience as NBC hopes. Those exiting are 71 and 69 years old, so they have had their opportunity. Colt Knost is already committed to CBS, so my two choices are Smylie Kaufman and Ricky Barnes.

Reid Farrill
Toronto, Ontario
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No need to replace them. There is a need for fewer TV conversations on the golf telecasts.  I want to hear the game, which is the conversations between the caddies and players. Much less talk from the booth especially. 

Jeff Breitner
Albuquerque, New Mexico
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I loved Gary and Roger.  I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have than them. I know a lot of others feel the same. Why is it that the old people have to be put out to pasture?

Betsy Larey
St Paul, Minnesota
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Since NBC acquired Golf Channel it has managed to do what every large corporation takeover has done. You see it every day in the corporate world in these take overs. The purchaser raids the smaller company. In a short period after the acquisition it removes — usually people — what made the company a success in the first place and replaces them with less costly programs / individuals of their choice.

Roger Maltbie and Gary Koch hopefully are happy with corporate's decision at this stage in their respective careers and have a good package, retirement or settlement coming. They are part of ruthless corporate America. Young corporate visionaries, cell phone-toting management executives are attempting to please the "new" public.

Major networks are losing, if not lost, the viewership of the under-50s they’re trying to appease. Hopefully there are younger knowledgable replacements on the sidelines or this may be another ridiculous plunder on corporate's behalf.

If the parent company drives Golf Channel far enough into the ground perhaps a well-to-do American golf-knowledgeable consortium will step forward to purchase Golf Channel and return it to its former vision.

Harold Macdonald 
Calgary, Alberta
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