Johnny Miller to retire from the booth!

golfreggie · #1 10-16-2018, 12:27 PM

One of my favorite golf analysts, Johnny Miller, has announced that the last tournament he will be calling will be the 2019 Phoenix Open. He was a staple on NBC Golf and will be missed, at least by me. There have been a few great golf analysts and Johnny is among the best. I really loved Ken Venturi for many years on CBS. There are several working now who are good commentators both on the course and in the booth. But Johnny was, well, Johnny. He called 'em as he saw them, never sugar coating, but honest, and not hateful. He will be missed. I wonder who NBC will put in his seat.

reeve21 · #2 10-16-2018, 01:04 PM

Johnny is also my favorite golf announcer. He can come across as a bit arrogant, but he certainly calls them as he sees them. Kind of refreshing, but I'll bet some of the players don't think so

My Johnny Miller story...

Back in the very early 70's I was too young to caddy at our local tournament, so my brother and I bought season tickets, which included practice rounds. Our dad worked nearby so he would drop us off to spend the day. This was a long time ago, and we were only 11 or 12 years old.

In those days the fan access to the players during practice rounds and on the driving range was much different. We got friendly with one of the tour caddys, whose man was Grier Jones, a good friend of Johnny's. They played 2 or 3 practice rounds together and talked to us all the way around. We got to walk "inside the ropes" with them (again, practice rounds, not during the tournament).

Johnny would hit several shots from the same spot, all different ball flights, in rapid succession, and call out what was coming. Even at 11 or 12 years old I had the feeling this guy was going to be special....he won his first tournament a year or 2 later, and then shot a 63 in the final round to win the 1973 US Open. That was a unheard of score in that tournament in those days.

I got to rub elbows with a lot of famous golfers as a young kid, and then caddy for some not so famous ones as a teenager. It was a great experience, and I can only think of one or 2 who may have fallen a little short of the pedestal I put them on. Johnny and Grier Jones were wonderful to their young fans, as was our other favorite player to watch, Lee Trevino.

As for Johnny, I have a similar build, so I tried to copy his golf swing... and I still blame him for my back problems

Thanks for the memories, Reggie.

LouieAtienza · #3 10-16-2018, 01:35 PM

I can't say I was his biggest fan (or fan for that matter) but it's always good to hear different viewpoints. A bit hypocritical about how the game was/is played.

Way better than Brandel Chamblee though!

raysachs · #4 10-16-2018, 01:43 PM

I've never been much for watching a lot of golf on TV, or at least not in many many years, so his charms as an announcer are mostly lost on me. But I got to see him play in that peak period where he was hitting the ball so true, in the couple of years after he shot that 63 at the Open. I followed him for a couple of rounds at the Tucson Open, which was one of the first tournaments of the year on our desert courses, where they'd paint the fairways and greens to they'd be, well, green.

I haven't played golf in years, but I played a lot as a high school kid in those days - I wasn't much good, but I was good enough to recognize great when I saw it, and he was transcendent for a while there. And I remember he was playing so well he was just hitting perfect shot after perfect shot and he seemed as surprised by it as anyone. Like he'd hit some amazing ball, the crowd would go nuts, his playing partner would compliment him on it, and he seemed almost apologetic. Kind of shaking his head, like saying "I don't know where this is coming from, but I hope I can ride it a little longer". And it WAS a relatively brief period he played like that. He didn't have near the staying power of a Nicklaus or Palmer or Watson or Tiger, but for a couple of years there, nobody could touch the guy. Really amazing thing to witness... A great athlete just completely in the zone...

-Ray

Dirk Hofman · #5 10-16-2018, 02:06 PM

I’ve fallen asleep on the couch to Johnny’s voice many a time.

TomB'sox · #6 10-16-2018, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirk Hofman

I’ve fallen asleep on the couch to Johnny’s voice many a time.

yes, that is funny right there. I love golf, love to play it, love to watch it, but there is nothing better to take a nap to on a Sunday afternoon, during a tourney you don't really care about....best naps I have ever had hahaha!!!

LouieAtienza · #7 10-16-2018, 02:52 PM

Was it Jonny that won the Firestone 3 times?

jseth · #8 10-16-2018, 03:01 PM

Not one of my favorites, either, but he was certainly competent and spoke from his experience much of the time... to me, that was when he was at his best.

Conversely, when he'd talk about ANYONE'S putting or stroke, I'd just shake my head and laugh, knowing that in his later years, he was beset by the putting yips and never did get over it.

Wide World of Sports recorded a match between Miller and Nicklaus, back in the 90's; I was fortunate to know a member of the Olympic Club (where the match was held) and got tickets for it. Perfect object lesson in what the game is truly about...

Miller outplayed Nicklaus by a MILE, from tee to green, even though Jack didn't play all that poorly... plus, Johnny knows the greens and course on the Lake course like the back of his hand. I believe that, when the day was done, Miller had something like 46 putts! There were holes where a 3-putt would have been welcomed, I'm sure...

Got to the point where neither the fans nor Jack could watch Johnny when he stood over a putt, of any length... he'd d some sort of lurch/shove/scrape at the ball, and it was horrific to watch, as a golfer...

So, I had issues when he talked about other players' putting...

But there is no doubt about how good he was in the 70's... I stopped playing in '66, didn't come back to the game until '88... once I got my handicap down near scratch, I considered trying out for the (then) Seniors' Tour. Although a car wreck stunted that thought, I would look back and be VERY glad I didn't turn pro when I was a kid (scratch at 14 and the old guys at the Country Club were saying they'd "back me" if I wanted to turn professional...) - had I been a pro in the late 60's, I would have had the opportunity to play against Miller, as well as so many other great players... and they would have fed me my lunch, I'm sure!

A well-deserved rest, Johnny... enjoy!

LouieAtienza · #9 10-16-2018, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jseth

Not one of my favorites, either, but he was certainly competent and spoke from his experience much of the time... to me, that was when he was at his best.

Conversely, when he'd talk about ANYONE'S putting or stroke, I'd just shake my head and laugh, knowing that in his later years, he was beset by the putting yips and never did get over it.

Wide World of Sports recorded a match between Miller and Nicklaus, back in the 90's; I was fortunate to know a member of the Olympic Club (where the match was held) and got tickets for it. Perfect object lesson in what the game is truly about...

Miller outplayed Nicklaus by a MILE, from tee to green, even though Jack didn't play all that poorly... plus, Johnny knows the greens and course on the Lake course like the back of his hand. I believe that, when the day was done, Miller had something like 46 putts! There were holes where a 3-putt would have been welcomed, I'm sure...

Got to the point where neither the fans nor Jack could watch Johnny when he stood over a putt, of any length... he'd d some sort of lurch/shove/scrape at the ball, and it was horrific to watch, as a golfer...

So, I had issues when he talked about other players' putting...

But there is no doubt about how good he was in the 70's... I stopped playing in '66, didn't come back to the game until '88... once I got my handicap down near scratch, I considered trying out for the (then) Seniors' Tour. Although a car wreck stunted that thought, I would look back and be VERY glad I didn't turn pro when I was a kid (scratch at 14 and the old guys at the Country Club were saying they'd "back me" if I wanted to turn professional...) - had I been a pro in the late 60's, I would have had the opportunity to play against Miller, as well as so many other great players... and they would have fed me my lunch, I'm sure!

A well-deserved rest, Johnny... enjoy!

Can't remember who it was, but Jonny raked him over the coals because he said his lower body was too active, thete was too much leg movent, the finished in a reverse C... anyone who's seen Jonny's swing in his prime knows that nobody had as much lower body movement than him! And he finishedin a big reverse C! His feet were almost off the ground at impact...

While Jonny took it to the extreme, I'm a big believer of using lowet body movement. I yhink a lot of the crazy back and knee injuries we see today is from this crazy notion that humans must twist and untwist like a spring, and the muscles don't work that way...

DoryDavis · #10 10-16-2018, 03:33 PM

One of the bigger reverse C finishes was maybe Colin Montgomerie?

6L6 · #11 10-16-2018, 03:36 PM

The first (and ONLY) golf announcer with the courage to tell it like it is. And... he had the credentials to back it up!

I'll miss him as we go back to "goody goody" announcer wimps like Jim Nantz.

LouieAtienza · #12 10-17-2018, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoryDavis

One of the bigger reverse C finishes was maybe Colin Montgomerie?

Most guys that use more leg action will... Montgomerie, Miller, Purtzer, Norman, Stewart, Couples.... it's actually a pretty old-school way, one of which I've always thought was more elegant and accurate than this x-factor junk...

DCCougar · #13 10-17-2018, 11:10 AM

Yep, Johnny was a good commentator. I always appreciated his insights.

gimme789 · #14 10-17-2018, 01:19 PM

While he certainly was a great golfer, I personally dislike him as an announcer. He always seems (to me at least) to try and put a jinx on a player just before an important shot - especially a putt. Listen to his comments just before an important putt - see if you agree.

LouieAtienza · #15 10-17-2018, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gimme789

While he certainly was a great golfer, I personally dislike him as an announcer. He always seems (to me at least) to try and put a jinx on a player just before an important shot - especially a putt. Listen to his comments just before an important putt - see if you agree.

LOL I thought that too... He's like Dick Button was with Olympic figure skating...