NBC Sports Rolls Out 70 Cameras for U.S. Open Coverage; Producer Tommy Roy Says Graphics Play Big Part Two drones provide aerial support; tracers, graphics reveal challenge of domed greens By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Thursday, June 13, 2024 - 12:03 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The 2024 U.S. Open calls the Pinehurst No. 2 course in Pinehurst, NC, home, one of the true legendary tracks in the U.S. and a true challenge for the golfers. One of the challenges for the NBC team is to make clear to viewers just how challenging the course is for the world's best golfers.
To do that, 70 cameras are being deployed, and the production team uses graphics to give viewers a real sense of the greens, many of which are like an upside-down cereal bowl.
Tiger Woods is the biggest draw for fans and viewers on Day 1 of the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.
It's going to be crucial for us to help the people at home understand what the golfer faces trying to land a golf ball on these greens from long distances away, said Tommy Roy, lead producer, NBC Golf, prior to the start of the tournament. We will have significant graphics to show that, not only setting it up before the golf ball is hit but also while the ball is in the air.
The NBC Sports golf production team is working out of NEP's ND2 A, B, C, and D units as well as Supershooter 4's A, B, and C units (the USGA is producing the world feed out of Supershooter 8).
As for high-flying drones, NBC Sports has two drones: one at the first tee, putting range, and clubhouse area; the other following the leaders on the course.
At the Phoenix Open earlier this year, said Roy, we had a second drone that we added in the area [around the 16th hole], where in the past we've had a Flycam. It allowed us to get many more unique angles, and we repeated that at THE PLAYERS at the 16th- and 17th-hole area. We will continue that at the Open.
Key to making sure everyone - golfers, caddies, fans, tournament officials - is comfortable with the drones is to use small drones, which make less noise than the large ones.
Ben McClung [owner, Sky Realty Productions] is the drone operator, said Roy. He uses a much smaller drone that is also quieter. He played golf at Vanderbilt with Brandt Snedeker, so he's very familiar with the game. We have never had any issues with players' being distracted by the drones. You just have to be very careful about when they fly and make sure that they're out of eyesight of the players; if they're quiet, you can do that.
Among other tech toys, tracers are used on every hole, but, at 4 and 14, where the tee shots are downhill, the tracers look down on the tee shot, allowing the viewer to see where the ball is headed in the distance.
Bunker cams are used at Holes 6 and 13. In addition, a Jita tracer at Holes 8 and 18 not only tracks the ball in flight but also zooms with the ball, which Roy described as quite a cool effect.
He also noted a rail cam at the 17th green, which is a pretty crazy green, lengthy with a lot of undulation. This rail cam will be able to show that from a really cool angle.
Viewers can expect 47 hours of tournament coverage on NBC and upwards of 300 hours of content available via NBC, Golf Channel, and Peacock over the week.
We have 19 announcers, Roy pointed out. The goal is that, when we get to Sunday afternoon, when everything is on the line, our top guys are fresh and ready to call the dramatic finish that we hope we get.
This year's U.S. Open is the first to reflect a new philosophy in managing the talent. We've gone to this odd-even method, where there's a play-by-play paired with an analyst, says Sam Flood, executive producer/president, production, NBC Sports. For the prime hours from the U.S. Open, [play-by-play announcer] Dan Hicks is paired with [analyst] Brandel Chamblee, and [play-by-play announcer] Mike Tirico is paired with [analyst] Brad Faxon. That system has worked very well, the concept being that Dan and Mike take care of context and what is going on the course, giving historical perspective; why the golfer is being successful or what they're thinking about on the shot gets handled by the analysts.
The big news with respect to on-course reporting is the return of Jim Bones Mackay. We're thrilled that Bones is back with the team here, says Flood. He will be part of NBC Sports for years to come; we're going to partner for a long time with him. Two other adds to our group are Roger Maltbie and Gary Koch: Roger will be walking the course, and Gary will be in the tower in an earlier shift.
Another personnel addition is Mark Loomis, who was producer of golf coverage for FOX Sports. He will be joining us as the producer of the morning coverage this time around, said Roy. I'm in the afternoon, so you've got the two guys that have produced every single U.S. Open since 1995 doing the shows, which I think is pretty cool.
In fact, he added, several team members are marking their 25th U.S. Open. For me and Dan Hicks, this will be our 25th U.S. Open, going all the way back to 1995, when we started. Tom Randolph, my co-producer, and Greg Katz, our editorial guy, and about a dozen of our technicians have done every single U.S. Open that [NBC has broadcast] during that time.
North America Stories
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
30/05/2026
Zero in on one that says yes (and no)
Andy Marken May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Hero image courtesy of Deposit Photos
For content creators the most difficu...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
29/05/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
29/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, died April 12, 2026, at his home in...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Comparing 5 AI Video Enhancers for Restoring Old Video Quality
Kate Luvis May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Digitizing VHS, MiniDV, and other legacy formats doe...
29/05/2026
Studio Hamburg Builds New Post Pipeline with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Workflow replaces a patchwork of legacy tools...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
At the Intersection of Music and Dance, an Epic Collaboration Boston Conservatory musicians and dancers found creative parallels in their recent performance o...
29/05/2026
GLOOKAST LAUNCHES CINNAFILM TACHYON PLUGIN FOR MEDIA PRODUCER AND MEDIA SERVICES
This release first appeared here.
Visit our Tachyon product page or contact...
29/05/2026
Something fundamental has shifted in how people consume media. Audiences aren't abandoning television or radio content; they're just expanding how, wher...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
The Official Trailer of Physical 100 Italy, on Netflix From Se...
29/05/2026
Experimental HIV vaccine achieves a long-sought goal In a first for the field, all non-human primates given a new series of vaccines generated antibodies capabl...
28/05/2026
FOX Sports' MLB coverage dominated the night at the 47th Annual Sports Emmy ...
28/05/2026
One of the most memorable postseasons in baseball history would have had no memo...
28/05/2026
NBC's Sunday Night Football is among the most-decorated and most-watched pro...
28/05/2026
The 2026 Sports Emmys marked a watershed moment for Prime Video Sports. After bu...
28/05/2026
Hosted by ESPN Senior Writer Ryan McGee, the ceremony honored winners from athletic departments, conference offices, professional networks, production companies...
28/05/2026
Major rights-holders rolled out their 2026 college football slates today, offering a first look at marquee windows, kickoff partners, and conference distributio...
28/05/2026
The 4 Nations Face-Off, an international competition that launched in February 2...
28/05/2026
Soccer is a truly global sport, and, to match the U.S. viewing audience's in...
28/05/2026
The NFL Today, CBS Sports' top-of-the-line NFL studio show, has a storied hi...
28/05/2026
Prime Video is no stranger to innovation, and, within the realm of live streamin...
28/05/2026
The crack of the bat, the pop of the glove, and the cheer of the crowd: those are three prime examples of the glorious sounds fans hear on televised baseball ga...
NBC Sports Rolls Out 70 Cameras for U.S. Open Coverage; Producer Tommy Roy Says Graphics Play Big Part Two drones provide aerial support; tracers, graphics reveal challenge of domed greens By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director 
