Opinion & Analysis
Can Back9Network Compete with The Golf Channel?
Instead of focusing on birdies and bogeys like The Golf Channel does, Back9Network celebrates golf’s characters, cars, clothes and charisma. Until Back9Network — the significantly capitalized Hartford-based television network — launched on Direct TV this September, the golf community didn’t know what to make of what was essentially a digital golf content site for the past three years. Certain folks scoffed at the thought of competing with the Golf Channel, while others — including the non-institutional celebrity investors backing the company — literally bought into the concept.
The Back9Network is a new breed of golf TV and entertainment, but can it work?
How Back9Network Got Started
The original founder and CEO, Jamie Bosworth — formerly National Sales Manager for Odyssey Golf — got the company off the ground in 2010 by raising $30M in capital from celebrities such as Ray Allen and Clint Eastwood among others.
For its first three years, Back9Network produced digital content for the company’s website as it pulled together investors, negotiated TV contracts and recruited talent for shows. Approximately 60 percent of the dollars funding Back9Network hail from Connecticut-based investors including $5M from the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development. The company faced negative headlines when former Connecticut Fox News anchor Jennifer Bosworth posted scandalous photos on the company’s website, which raised eyebrows among state officials. In May of 2014, Back9Network acquired Swing by Swing — a Golf GPS App with the company tagline Golf Is Fun — along with their more than two million email subscribers.
While one can fairly question some of Back9Network’s prior mishaps, the company has jumped from 50 to 90 employees (job growth being the prime motive for the state’s investment) in the past few months and recently added key members to the Advisory Board such as Jim Remy, former PGA of America President, and Seth Waugh, former Deutsche Bank America CEO.
“Back9Network represents a real opportunity to fill a gap by entertaining and engaging those of us who love the game and the lifestyle surrounding it,” Waugh said. “I look forward to being actively involved on the Advisory Board towards realizing that goal.”
With some company history under our belts, let’s take a look at what the golf lifestyle network has live on Direct TV channel 262.
Ahmad Rashad Interviews Michael Jordan
Landing the Emmy-Award Winning former NBA TV celebrity Ahmad Rashad is a big win for Back9Network, as was Rashad’s interview with Michael Jordan that aired on October 28th.
I loved hearing Jordan talk about his dream foursome then call out Obama for being a sh*** golfer! I view Ahmad Rashad as the counter to the Golf Channel’s Feherty Show, which has landed countless premier interviews. If Ahmad can keep finding guys like Jordan to tee it up with, I think that this show will be a hit.
The Turn
Headlined by Shane Bacon — former Yahoo golf writer and Saint Andrews caddie — alongside co-hosts Erica Bachelor and Lou Holder, Back9Network describes The Turn as their “flagship hour of golf, pop culture, debate and entertainment.” Bacon brings both comedy, genuine golf knowledge and culture to the conversation. Bacon, Bachelor and Holder’s ability to extend the show beyond purely just golf will factor into The Turn’s success.
The Clubhouse
Headlined by John Maginnes — former PGA Tour Player and current host of the nightly radio show “Katrek & Maginnes on Tap”– and 19-year Golfweek veteran Jeff Rude, give us “real golf talk” on a show called The Clubhouse, which airs at 10 p.m. on Monday-Friday. Add in the lovely extreme sports woman Will Christein as a co-host and The Clubhouse has a chance to be a nightly staple to the golf community.
Direct TV to Cable?
Until the September Direct TV launch, Back9Network was just a website. Now, 20 million American Direct TV subscribers can turn on channel 262 and check out Back9Network any time. While making it to Direct TV is no small feat (less so having raised $30 million), Back9Network’s most obvious next hurdle is to get on cable where The Golf Channel is available to approximately 82 million pay television households. How the NBC Universal’s (owned by Comcast) ownership of the Golf Channel plays into this dynamic, however, remains to be seen.
On one hand, The Golf Channel might worry about a new player entering a space where it’s had zero competition. On the other, the Golf Channel has a lot to learn understanding why or why not Back9Network succeeds. If Back9Network brings new folks into the game through entertaining golf content, perhaps Golf Channel may offer more golf lifestyle oriented shows. Regardless of what happens, what remains clear is that Back9Network will struggle to formidably compete with the Golf Channel until they make it to cable.
Will Back9Network Succeed?
This remains to be seen. The ethos of the Back9Network’s content concerns the golf lifestyle and fun of the game. With respect to growing the game, celebrating quality golf content will be a crucial factor in retaining and attracting new golfers over the next decade, particularly within the millennial cohort. Millennials spend 18 hours a day consuming and interacting with digital content. Back9Network’s ability to leverage multiple platforms (television, web, mobile) in producing and crowd-sourcing authentic content such as golf trick shots will determine its success.
This past Monday, I played in the U.S. Amateur local qualifier at Rock Creek Country Club in Portland, Oregon. A full tee sheet from 7:30 a.m. to 1:55 p.m., the top 11 scores would make it to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying.
I teed off at 10:48 a.m.. With the 7:30 am tee time, you can get a feel for the leaders’ pace, and they were off and running on the challenging setup at Rock Creek.
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Getting to the highlight of the round on the par five 17th, a drive up the left side and 212 yards left to the front hole location. I took out a 5-iron with plans of middle of the green. The ball ended up 8 feet left of the hole, pin high. A slight downhill putt dropped in for an eagle 3 on the 17th. With the cut line looking to be anywhere from -2 to even par. This was the boost I had been waiting for all day.
With making par from the trees on 18, it was time to wait for a potential playoff with a posted score of one under par 71.
Three hours later, it was playoff time. 8 players for 6 spots. I made par on the playoff hole, which was good enough to advance to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying in July. USGA qualifiers sure deliver on all of the emotions in golf!
Club Junkie
Building my 2026 gamer WITB: Ranking the contenders and new putter projects – Club Junkie Podcast
The annual What’s In The Bag build is underway, and on this episode of Club Junkie, Brian breaks down the clubs currently leading the race for a spot in his 2026 gamer setup. From drivers and fairway woods to irons, wedges, and shafts, he ranks the equipment that’s performing best and explains what’s separating the front runners from the rest of the field.
Brian also heads into the workshop to discuss several putter projects currently on the bench. From head options and shaft choices to build ideas and testing plans, he shares what he’s working on and which putters could become serious contenders for the bag this season.
If you’re a gear junkie who loves equipment testing, club building, and the never-ending pursuit of the perfect setup, this episode is for you.
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Club Junkie
Tour Edge Exotics mini driver review + TaylorMade Spider ZT Max first look – Club Junkie
On this episode of Club Junkie, I put the new Tour Edge Exotics Mini Driver to the test and break down the performance, forgiveness, distance, and where it fits compared to a traditional driver or strong fairway wood. If you have been curious about adding a mini driver to the bag, this one is worth a look.
I also dive into the new TaylorMade Spider ZT Max putter that was recently spotted and discuss the growing zero torque putter trend. Plus, there is a closer look at the new Project X Titan Yellow shaft showing up on the PGA Tour and what makes it different from other profiles currently out there.
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John
Nov 17, 2014 at 7:26 pm
I frankly don’t think there is enough interest for one golf channel, much less two. I think perhaps half of golf channel might be about right. I want to PLAY golf not watch it, and I have barely the time to do that. I watch the Golf Channel most of the time when I am traveling, and there is nothing else to watch. Take the Golf channel, tournaments I have no real interest in and instructional shows that I don’t need or want. Perhaps on Masters week or US Open week I watch to get detail but that’s about it.
If they wanted to counter program, what might be of interest is classic stuff. Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf, old major tournament coverage of Nicklaus, Palmer, etc. The ’73 Open and Miller’s final round 63. Sort of a Golf History channel. That might work.
Back9 is swimming upstream covering a sport that is shrinking, not growing.
joe
Nov 17, 2014 at 2:28 pm
A most interesting article. Ihope they get on the web. Don’t forget “oldsters” love golf too!
James
Nov 17, 2014 at 12:50 pm
Maybe if they improve the instruction shows, show the old classic golf shows and then relate them to today as well, and get rid of the fluff, they will do great. Golf Channel has pretty much jumped the shark in my view.
milt turley
Nov 16, 2014 at 3:37 pm
There has to be a good alternative to the drivel of the golf channel! I find it unwatchable except for the tournaments which I mostly record for delayed viewing. If watching live, I mute the sound.
Mike Belkin
Nov 16, 2014 at 12:40 pm
Why would they try to just copy the Golf Channel? If they did that I don’t know how they could possibly succeed. They must be different I have to think.
Joker
Nov 16, 2014 at 3:06 am
What the Back9 Network should have done or should do more of in the future is purchase rights of all the historical footage and rare footage still unseen to this day and show them all from the beginning of time. I guarantee you that the purists would switch over from TGC if they knew some good golf from the 60’s is on, for example. We all know there’s still a ton of footage out there that hasn’t been seen in years
Mike Belkin
Nov 16, 2014 at 12:41 pm
Totally agree. Their ability to tell golf stories is crucial. Golf has so much history I think there is a lot of potential around this.
RD
Nov 16, 2014 at 6:19 pm
If the channel can survive that long. May be they have to pull the plug soon lol
don davis
Nov 16, 2014 at 1:39 am
good luck. I find myself watching less and less of the golf channel. I watch the tournaments with the sound off. The rest of the programming is usually pretty boring and hard to watch for long. They could all go belly up and I would still be out there every day trying to beat father par! It’s all fluff.
Mike Belkin
Nov 16, 2014 at 12:43 pm
Can’t disagree with you. But what could they to to not be “fluffy”?
Tip o'kneel
Nov 15, 2014 at 7:16 pm
I’d like to see these guys make it to cable. Frankly, I’m getting sick of the bozos on golf channel (except for DiMarco he’s a stud). How many times does Damon hack need to ask for a swing tip from a pro? The best tip they could give him is to relax and quit asking for advice.
And Gary Williams….this guy is the typical country club type that every 18 to 30 year old can’t stand. GC needs some competition for viewership. I’d like to see back9 give them a run!
Nick
Nov 15, 2014 at 6:36 am
Ahmad is the worst golf anchor in the history of golf anchors… Sinking ship with Ahmad as the anchor
gary m
Nov 15, 2014 at 1:44 pm
i totally agree….. he is a tiger woods homer !! i stopped watching the golf channel while he was on it. I can say i would never watch the back 9 network while he is on it.
On another note i love John Maginnes on satellite radio and would consider watching him on this network….
But Rashad ruins any network he is on…..terrible
Mike Belkin
Nov 15, 2014 at 4:21 pm
but if gets Tiger Woods than he gets Tiger Woods…
I doubt he can, however.
Oscar
Nov 15, 2014 at 3:52 am
The channel is a failure. Who the heck wants to watch famous, rich people get interviewed NOT playing golf? We’ve heard from them all, enough, with their scripted interviews of only the selected bits that they want us to see. A total waste of time.
gary m
Nov 15, 2014 at 1:52 pm
i agree with you as well…. there are way too many “crossover” athletes that think they can play high level golf and have to tell us all about it. That’s what happened on the morning drive for a while. True passionate golfers want the facts not all the b.s. and fluff. i dont care or need to know how many Ferrari’s Poulter has or about Phil selling his 6 million dollar house…. jealousy, maybe…whatever… it still isnt important to the purist.
Therefore i dont think there is room for multiple golf programming. At some point you run out of “golf related” stories to go around. We already get the morning drive replayed 2 to 4 times a day during the week.
Mike Belkin
Nov 16, 2014 at 12:44 pm
To each is own. You guys are definitely not the type of golfer they are pursuing. Nothing wrong with that, just a different target audience.
Bill
Nov 15, 2014 at 2:53 am
While some of the stuff on the network is a bit campy, but I like the show Golf Treasures where they show off all the cool golf memorabilia. Very cool to see stuff like this that the Golf Channel never had. The main problem with the network is that 75% of the time I turn it on it’s a repeat of something that’s already been on. I must have tuned into Rashad interviewing Bill Murray 100 times. It gets old REAL quick. Too many infomercials during regular viewing times as well. I think they need more content.
Mike Belkin
Nov 15, 2014 at 4:15 pm
They launched at a tough time as the golf season was coming to a close….I actually think they did that strategically to “soft launch” to get things out there and test the waters before the real golf season kicks in in April with Augusta. The question is how can they get people intrigued without a lot of golf “stuff” going on?
Robeli
Nov 14, 2014 at 10:52 pm
Flipped over to ch262 to gave a peek. Ehhh… why are the people so fat? O, not HD. Ehhh.. isn’t that SNL? I’m sure that looked like a skit from SNL. Switch back to ch218. Thanks, but no thanks.
Mike Belkin
Nov 15, 2014 at 4:16 pm
No HD is tough, definitely hard to be “legit” not in HD in this age.
Jeff
Nov 14, 2014 at 9:10 pm
It’s gonna be expensive to cover golf tournaments so they should focus on instruction, to grow their audience. Or to build a loyal one.
Mike Belkin
Nov 15, 2014 at 4:23 pm
I highly doubt Back9 will ever focus on instruction…it’s not in their DNA. They are all about the lifestyle. If you want golf instruction, watch the Golf Channel. Do you no think Golf Channel does a good job offering golf learning-based content?
Pat Robertson
Nov 14, 2014 at 9:08 pm
I want to like it because I want it to succeed. I want more golf programming options. The problem is I prefer golf to almost anything, preferably tournament golf. I’d rather watch the 10 year old junior state toureamer than almost any non golf show I’ve ever seen. What I’ve seen of the back9 network so far, apart from the Ahmad Rashad show, it’s pretty terrible. But if it could possibly lead to tournament coverage, or even “Live From” style major coverage, I’ll continue to be a supporter.
Mike Belkin
Nov 15, 2014 at 4:18 pm
I don’t think there is much demand out there for the type of niche tournament coverage you desire. Not that it’s not “interesting”, it’s just that I can’t see Back9 getting an “ROI” on sending a crew out to coverage niche championships. They are all about the lifestyle…for better or worse…
Mark
Nov 14, 2014 at 8:54 pm
How do you launch a TV Network in 2014 that is not in HD? The article does not even address this fairly important issue; would like to watch, can’t get passed the SD feed.
Mike Belkin
Nov 15, 2014 at 4:24 pm
I don’t have DirectTV….thanks for sharing this important point which I should have addressed.
Brad B
Nov 14, 2014 at 7:35 pm
Sounds like they’re aiming at the same audience Golf Digest is aiming at with its retooling ….
wonder whether Golf Digest will bring in more readers than it turns off.
Mike Belkin
Nov 14, 2014 at 8:44 pm
“Think young play hard” – is Digests’ slogan….definitely a similar audience but Golf Digest is more focused on “golf”
CT
Nov 14, 2014 at 6:50 pm
Ahmad is good friends with Tiger. Maybe he can work that for some exclusives. Give him a show, a series of interviews, or playing lessons, and the network will compete with Golf Channel.
Mike Belkin
Nov 14, 2014 at 8:44 pm
That would be enormous for the network however I highly doubt that they can pull it off
Dick
Nov 14, 2014 at 6:48 pm
I refuse to support anything with Shane Bacon. He makes the writers of GolfWrx look like New York Times best selling authors. His articles were simply dreadful
Mike Belkin
Nov 15, 2014 at 4:27 pm
Haven’t read much of his stuff, all I can say is that he seems like a great guy in person and seems to have his stuff together on air.
Tom D
Nov 14, 2014 at 5:04 pm
I was in golf publishing for about 20 years and witnessed the launch of many magazines and websites that focused primarily on lifestyle and/or tried to be edgy or cool. They pretty much all failed and the further away from the game they got (i.e., the more focused on lifestyle/being hip), the quicker and more precipitous the fall.
This is a totally different media and a different time, but I don’t give it much of a chance.
Mike Belkin
Nov 16, 2014 at 12:45 pm
It’s a very tall task. Not to say that it can’t be done, but a tall task.
JT
Nov 14, 2014 at 4:20 pm
Never come close–they are plain lousy!!
Pat
Nov 14, 2014 at 3:03 pm
This is going to fail miserably. Golf is a niche market and this network is concentrating on an even smaller more specific market. The only people that care about golf fashion are the upper to upper middle class which is a very small percentage of tv viewers. Also, most people could care less about Ahmad Rashad and his horrible interviews including myself. FAIL.
Mike Belkin
Nov 14, 2014 at 8:47 pm
While I”m not saying I believe that Back9Network will necessarily be around for the long haul, there are millions of “latent demand” golfers who want to play but are on the fence. Quality golf content leveraged on digital platforms (social, web, mobile) is the key.
The opportunity is large, bottom line.
Mike Honcho
Nov 14, 2014 at 2:00 pm
Strike 1: Not in HD. Strike 2: Some of the shows are trying to be too uber Fox Sports via staged, lame comedy, hipness and with some just downright bad writing. I’ve yet to find a show on there I will watch regularly. There’s absolutely no way I would ever watch The Turn with Shane Bacon on it. He was HORRIBLE when he wrote for Yahoo Golf and is one of the biggest Tiger apologist on the planet. Strike 3: ???? TBD, but at some point Ray Allen, Clint Eastwood, State of CT et al will be wanting some return on their investment.
Mike Belkin
Nov 14, 2014 at 3:10 pm
It’s a pure venture investment that will be a hit or not. I hope they succeed, it will take some time…..
Josh
Nov 14, 2014 at 1:45 pm
Ferrity?
Mike Belkin
Nov 14, 2014 at 3:12 pm
More importantly, who will be their “Holly”?