Author Archives: Keith Hirshland

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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.

How The LPGA And Its Players Could Make Good… Better

I spent several hours of my life the past four days watching LPGA Tour golf on the Golf Channel. A good portion of it was enjoyable, some of it unsatisfactory, and all of it got me thinking. I’ve been in … Continue reading

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It’s High Time We Cut Jean van de Velde Some Slack

This past Sunday Jordan Spieth stood on the 12th tee at Augusta National on a collision course with history. He was seven holes away from becoming the youngest player ever to win two Masters’ green jackets. He was a great … Continue reading

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My Heartfelt Thanks To Arnold Palmer

“Mama, put my guns in the ground I can’t shoot them anymore. That long black cloud is comin’ down I feel I’m knockin’ on heaven’s door.”   Bob Dylan     Like millions of golf fans, I watched the ceremonial … Continue reading

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Six Golf Commercials Scored

Rory “Snake” – Bogey It looks cool, is well edited and dramatic but honestly what the heck is going on here? Is this a modern day version of “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”? Or is it “I … Continue reading

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The Masters Needs THIS Guy To Start Winning Green Jackets

Let me correct myself right out of the gate. The Masters doesn’t NEED anything or anyone. But I firmly believe the annual Augusta golf get together would benefit most going forward if one player started winning the most coveted coat … Continue reading

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And The Emmy Awards Goes To…

Truth serum time… I LOVE awards and award shows. I watch the Oscars, Golden Globes, Grammys, ACM’s and EMMYs. I am interested in both who and what gets nominated and who and what wins.   I have a particular affinity … Continue reading

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Living Proof That A Person Can Be Great At Many Things Yet Not All That Good At Something Else

I must begin this post by saying unequivocally that I believe Annika Sorenstam is golf’s greatest woman player ever. She is also in my top 5 of the game’s best players, man or woman, of all time. I mean it, … Continue reading

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It’s A Thin Line Between Love And Hate

There’s an old proverb that states, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”. Clearly this was said eons before the advent of the 64 team NCAA basketball tournament.  Last night my wife, a Duke grad and fan, and I … Continue reading

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The PGA TOUR Has Ruined Another Event… Go Figure

The PGA TOUR tried to make the WGC Dell Match Play more television friendly and all they did was make the early matches less watchable. Few thing are more simple in general or more compelling in sports than “win or … Continue reading

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My Weekend Glimpse Into The Future

  Hey sports fans how did you spend your time this past weekend? Chances are the answers range from watching March Madness, to catching Jimmy Johnson’s march toward NASCAR history, to observing Jason Day’s meltdown then comeback to win Arnie’s … Continue reading

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