NBC’s golf goalposts are pointless but fun

If you’re even a casual golfer, you’ve likely faced a tee shot to a fairway lined with trees on both sides.

In that scenario, it’s practically a requirement for someone to mention hitting it between the goalposts. NBC’s U.S. Open presentation has taken that literally (well, virtually literally) this week at The Country Club, superimposing goalposts into the narrow chute between trees on the fifteenth tee.

What?! pic.twitter.com/i0ga2o9OjB

— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterCBS) June 16, 2022

They’re a part of the virtual flyover, too:

Then, after Tony Finau teed off without any extra graphical enhancement, Justin Thomas threaded his drive through the goalposts:

(Quick note: howling at Paul Azinger’s voice calling the kick good.)

Is this kind of thing necessary? No, of course not. It’s also not innovation that helps the viewer at all. But! It’s also kind of fun! It doesn’t hurt anything, it wasn’t hugely distracting. We probably don’t need it on Sunday as the leaders play the final stretch of holes, or taking over the broadcast like Gold Boy at the Players, but for a Thursday afternoon opening day, why not?

Sometimes silly, pointless things can be fun. Golf presentation could use more “pointless fun,” although what it could use most this week is a consistent home, rather than trying to once again navigate the daily whack-a-mole/find the channel across Peacock/USA/NBC.