What it’s like for broadcasters preparing for the Masters

No other golf broadcast is watched as much as the one for the Masters.

That means members of the CBS Sports broadcast team like Frank Nobilo need to be at the top of their games.

As Nobilo explained to GOLF Subpar co-hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz on this week’s episode of the podcast, it’s also kind of unique since the team hasn’t done a broadcast since the Genesis Invitational nearly two months ago.

But he also said they’re starting with a leg up already since their support staff is so great, including outgoing CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus.

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“So we have all the tools to have it started. And we get to broadcast the tournament that the viewer at home is— They just know if you say 12, they know it’s the top par-3,” Nobilo said of one of the holes he calls during the week. “It’s a little bit different for us when we’re announcing, because you don’t want to tell people information because they’ve watched for so many years, they already know. So somehow you have to try and add a little bit of new flavor into it, but also just maybe take a step back because they know the golf course so well.”

Because the Masters is the only major played at the same venue each year, there’s a familiarity among the viewers, even some of the more casual ones.

Instead of beating the view to death with the stats of a hole, Nobilo says he will try to explain how it’s changed over the years.

“So you would think people get stale, but you know, we have a great plan,” he said. “we get together and if somebody’s down, we get picked up. And it’s the same in the broadcast.”

For more from Nobilo, including the ’embarrassing’ moment of his first Masters, check out the full episode of GOLF Subpar below or on YouTube.

Jack Hirsh

Golf.com Editor

Jack Hirsh is an assistant editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also still *tries* to remain competitive in local amateurs. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.