'Back to the Studio on Hole 17'

A studio booth on Hole 17? That’s right. USDGC veteran broadcasters Jamie Thomas and Avery Jenkins will anchor the live broadcast starting Friday for Round 3 and will continue for the final round on Saturday.
Look for the broadcast to begin around 11:30 (Est) at the Innova YouTube channel and the Innova Facebook Page.

The studio tent has been constructed near the green of Hole 17 and it will be the hub of the live show. Along with Thomas and Jenkins leading the coverage and speaking to a range of guests like Ken Climo, the hole itself will be a recurring character in the broadcast
“For everyone that knows about the USDGC, it’s the hole that makes it or breaks it,” said Luke Johnson, co-founder of Fulcrum Media, which will be broadcasting the event.

Live video coordinator Luke Johnson (left), of Fulcrum Media, and others prepare the Hole 17 studio set on Tuesday.

Live at Winthrop

Several cameras will be focused on the hole, including one positioned behind the tee pad at shoulder height so it can capture each player’s drive to the treacherous island green. Holes 1, 5, and the tee shot of hole 18 as well as parts of other holes will be covered.
Not only will disc golf action be available, but Fulcrum also wants to reveal the personalities and the stories of the sport to the greater audience beyond disc golf.

Fulcrum has Ultimate background

Johnson and Fulcrum haven’t covered disc golf before, but they do have lots of experience in another disc sport, Ultimate Frisbee. They have brought high level production to its coverage of the American Ultimate Disc League.
Though Ultimate takes place on a different setting (1 field), the two sports share in the goal of gaining more viewers, said Johnson.

Here's a look at some of Fulcrum's past work:

Live drone footage

Something they’ve had success with on the Ultimate field is the use of a drone for live shots, which hasn’t been done with disc golf coverage before, said Johnson.
They’ll be using drones with interchangeable lenses that will hopefully be able to zoom in and capture player reactions and the flight of discs.
Johnson says the biggest challenge when covering a disc golf event is providing the production value on a course that’s quite large and doing that on a budget. But, he said they’re up for the challenge.

We’re proud to bring you the Friday and Saturday open flight rounds live from Winthrop Gold. The live broadcasts are produced by The SpinTV in association with SmashboxxTV. The Live Stream starts at 01:45 PM (ET), 10:45 AM (PT), 20:45  (GMT+3) and you can watch the coverage from the YouTube window below. Our Final Round lead card consists of Nate Sexton (-23), Paul McBeth (-20), Ricky Wysocki (-20) and Nate Doss (-16). Follow live scoring here! Follow live updates on twitter here!

We’re proud to bring you the Friday and Saturday open flight rounds live from Winthrop Gold. The live broadcasts are produced by The SpinTV in association with SmashboxxTV. The Live Stream starts at 01:45 PM (ET), 10:45 AM (PT), 20:45  (GMT+3) and you can watch the coverage from the YouTube window below. Our Moving Day lead card consists of Nate Sexton (-16), Nate Doss (-16), Alex Geisinger (-11) and Zach Melton (-10). Follow live scoring here!

The USDGC and its live stream media partner Fulcrum Media are pulling out all of the stops for this year’s live coverage. More cameras. More technology. More hands-on deck. And, best of all more live lead card disc golf.

Here’s a closer look at how live coverage will play out this year.

Live Stream Schedule

Live stream pay-per-view will feature lead card coverage for rounds 2, 3, and 4, and includes commentating from 5-time US Champ Ken Climo. Fans may purchase the entire 3-day broadcast for $9.99 now. Proceeds will benefit the Educational Disc Golf Experience and help fund the broadcast itself.

Learning from 2018

Going into 2018’s production, Fulcrum and the USDGC knew they’d be facing the same challenges of other live disc golf productions, chiefly limited cameras and signal to follow the lead card properly. What resulted was a focus on Hole 17 with occasional drop-ins on the lead card.

Here's a look at the final holes from last year's broadcast:

However, they learned that as much as USDGC fans love the drama that Hole 17 provides, they wanted more lead card coverage including the reactions from players and fans, said Fulcrum co-founder Luke Johnson. So that’s what they’re going to bring this year, lots and lots of lead card coverage.

How Will the 2019 Live Broadcast Look?

Live viewers should expect to get closer than ever to the USDGC’s lead card. To ensure the lead card is amply covered, Fulcrum is bringing their 18-foot production van to follow the lead card on nearby roads. Essentially a home base on wheels, the addition of the van will allow Fulcrum to package complete multi-camera coverage of the lead card with graphics, replays, and more all while having a consistently strong signal.

“That’s a huge advantage,” said Johnson, whose team has broadcast American Ultimate Disc League games online and to TV the last few years, many from the exact van.

More Camera Angles

Unlike many of today’s lead card coverage with one or two cameras, Fulcrum will employ four. Connected to the production van will be three camera operators to capture the players’ shots, the discs’ flight/landing, and the reactions of the players and fans. In addition to that, a live video drone will be used for large scale shots.

“We’re hoping that it will bring fans as close to the action as possible,” said Johnson.

Live from the Studio Booth

All of that lead card coverage will be sent to the commentator booth/production studio positioned near the Pro Shop. Five cameras will be on hand here including two focused on the commentators, one in the new player warm up area, one perched near Hole 18 catching scenic shots, and another in a special spot to be determined. Calling the action will be familiar USDGC faces Jamie Thomas, Hannah McBeth, and 5-time US Champ Ken Climo.

“That’s another thing that separates this live broadcast from the others, is to have people like Ken Climo involved,” said USDGC Event Director Jonathan Poole. “With Paul McBeth chasing another Grand Slam and Climo calling the action, it’s going to be can’t miss TV.”

Don’t Miss It!

This is going to be an incredible presentation of live disc golf – possibly one that others will be measured against. We believe disc golf and the USDGC are worth this extra effort and those that tune in to watch will find it to be a worthy investment.

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