Author Archives: Keith Hirshland

Unknown's avatar

About Keith Hirshland

My name is Keith Hirshland and I am a four decades television veteran who has spent time both in front of and behind the camera. During nearly forty years in broadcasting my path has crossed in front of, behind and alongside some of the best in the business... And some of the worst. Many of those people I count as friends while others wouldn't make the effort to spit on me if I was on fire. This television life started early watching my Mom and Dad found, fund and run a local affiliate TV station in Reno, Nevada. As a teenager approaching adulthood I worked for them, first as an on-air sports reporter/anchor and later as a director and producer. Jobs in the industry took me across the country and then to many places around the world. Sports is my passion and putting it on TV has been my business. Production credits include auto racing, baseball, basketball, bowling, college football, field hockey, soccer, volleyball and water polo but the majority of my time "in the chair" since 1990 has been invested in the game of golf with both ESPN and The Golf. Channel ( I was one of the first forty people hired by TGC in 1994 ). I am a fan and I watch TV sports as a fan but I also have hundreds of thousands of hours watching from inside a production truck. I think that makes me qualified to comment, my hope is you agree. I have written four books, Cover Me Boys, I'm Going In (Tales of the Tube from a Broadcast Brat), a memoir that is a tribute to my parents, the hard working, creative people who started ESPN2 and The Golf Channel and a look back at my life in television. Cover Me Boys was awarded the “Memoir of the Year” in 2017 by Book Talk Radio Club. In February of 2019 it was released anew by Beacon Publishing Group. My second book is a novel, Big Flies, and is a mystery that tells the story of a father and a son with four of the world's most notorious unsolved robberies as a backdrop. Big Flies was named “Solo Medalist” in the True Crime category by New Apple Awards. My third book, another mystery titled The Flower Girl Murder, was published in 2018. Book number four might be the most fun I ever had on a writing project. Murphy Murphy and the Case of Serious Crisis is a mystery, a love story, and an homage to good grammar. It is both the Book Talk Radio Club BOOK OF THE YEAR for 202 and a TopShelf Awards first prize winner in the mystery category. All four are available at Amazon. Book five is in the capable hands of the good people at Beacon Publishing Group and should be available soon. I look forward to sharing new thoughts about golf, golf television, sports in general and the broadcast industry with you. The views expressed here are mine and mine alone. They are not connected to nor endorsed by any other person, association, company or organization.

Ten Things I Would Tweet If I Was Still On Twitter… Volume Two

If Green is a color for both Oregon and the NY Jets why isn’t it part of either uniform Even though GB&I won the Walker Cup I wouldn’t change a thing about the competition I’m rooting for Roger Federer The … Continue reading

Posted in general observations, golf on tv, sports | Leave a comment

Ten Things I Would Tweet If I Was Still On Twitter… Volume One

Julian Edelman seems like a punk I like most of the voices on Golf Channel’s coverage of the Evian Championship Why don’t tennis stats guys simply remove the word “unforced” from the errors column Is there anybody not happy that … Continue reading

Posted in general observations, golf on tv, sports | Leave a comment

It Was Just Better Back Then

I awakened this morning pensive, dare I say even a little melancholy. Not because the Giants lost to the Dodgers in 14 innings last night (though that didn’t help) but more because I realize with each passing minute, hour, day, … Continue reading

Posted in general observations, Golf, sports | Leave a comment

Stick A Fork In Him, He’s Done

One of the greatest professional golfers of his, or for that matter any, generation will never win on a PGA TOUR sanctioned event again. “Join the chorus”, you yell, “way to go out on a limb,” you cry, “people have … Continue reading

Posted in general observations, Golf, sports | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Why This Fan’s U.S. Open Experience was Anything but “Miserable”

I spent Thursday through Sunday in University Place, Washington at Chambers Bay watching American golf’s national championship, the United States Open. I wasn’t alone, in fact far from it, joined by somewhere in the neighborhood of 45,000 other golf fans … Continue reading

Posted in Golf, sports | Tagged , | 1 Comment

I Love Playing Golf With My Wife

I play golf because I love the sport. I love golf because my parents, Lee and Ginger Hirshland, loved golf. They introduced my brothers and me to the game when we were kids, young enough to be interested, challenged and … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

It’s Time to Put Golf Channel Founder Joe Gibbs in the World Golf Hall of Fame

On April 19th Jim Furyk won for the 17th time on the PGA TOUR. It was his first TOUR win in five years and immediately reignited the “does Jim Furyk belong in the Hall of Fame” discussion. I’m not here … Continue reading

Posted in Golf, golf on tv, sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Is Paula Creamer a “Lock” to make the 2015 U.S. Solheim Cup Team?

If the Solheim Cup was next month, not this fall, and you’re Captain Juli Inkster is Paula Creamer one of your two captain’s selections to make the team? Before you holler a resounding, “Of Course!” Let’s look at some numbers. … Continue reading

Posted in Golf, sports | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

If You Love The SF Giants Then You Hate The LA Dodgers (and vice versa)

The Los Angeles Dodgers travelled 383 miles North this week to take on the San Francisco Giants and add another page to, what I believe is, the best rivalry in team sports. I know that worldwide you’ll argue Australia’s Wallabies … Continue reading

Posted in general observations, sports | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

My Look at a Texas PGA TOUR Player With Plenty of Firepower

Masters Champions Jordan Spieth is taking a well deserved break but another “can’t miss kid” with Texas ties is teeing it up at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans this week. Less than a decade ago Colt Knost was golf’s … Continue reading

Posted in Golf, golf on tv, sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment