Was really shocked to hear this. Although initially I was taken aback by the intensity of his instructional segments early on, I gradually warmed up to his style and enthusiasm, even if it occasionally borderlined on Gilbert Godfrey-type energy on occasion.

I met him at a Philly Golf Expo a few years back, as he was a celebrity guest... his enthusiasm seemed sincere in helping amateur golfers become better players. He spent several hours at the expo giving lessons and talking about the importance of basic swing mechanics, and also pointed out the normal swing flaws of the average player. The energy and enthusiasm he displayed while he was there wasn't lost on me.

According to the article, Breed is looking at a foray into Sirius Satellite radio (similar to that of Hank Haney) and will be splitting his time between the radio telecast and Golf Digest instructional segments, while also hoping to find another network to continue his show in the long run.

It's also being reported that John Feinstein will no longer be a frequent guest/host with the network, which (imo) provides further proof that the network is definitely struggling to find an identity with the younger viewing crowd. Letting go of Breed and Feinstein, imo, doesn't help their cause.... Golf Channel viewership has been on the decline in recent years and it seems obvious that they're going bassackwards in figuring things out.

http://golfweek.com/2018/01/03/forecaddie-michael-breed-turns-to-sirius-digital-future-after-leaving-golf-channel/

    TVs are a shared resource in our house, and since I care the least about watching or gaming, I don't often see programs on any regular basis. I enjoyed his show whenever I've caught it and found it to be very educational. I would think, after a little while, everything becomes repetitive (heck, even monthly golf magazines recycle the same articles every year or two for the most part). I like his upbeat style and the advice he was giving.

      PA-PLAYA

      I remember Butch Harmon telling Breed he needed to take a valium to watch him. Breed is already on PGA radio with his show. Feinstein is very good also. He's very opinionated which I like. Feinstein is on PGA radio as well. I now have Sirius / XM capabilities in the house and will listen to PGA radio much more now. Before I was relegated to listening mainly on Saturdays when my wife and I were running around doing errands etc..

          johnnydoom

          He always seemed to have the ability to get the same point across differently. He used a lot of training aids and visual graphics, much like the guys on "Me and My Golf" on Youtube.

          As with a lot of modern golf instruction - a player struggling with a certain swing flaw might not understand the instructional concept a certain way it's being presented by one instructor, but might have the light go off with another way of explaining it from another. That communication of delivering the lesson, and the manner it is conceived and interpreted, is key. There is no one-size-fits-all in golf instruction.

          It's why so many players go through the revolving door of instructors.... not just at our level, but even at the highest level.

          Breed was very good at breaking down his swing keys to a very basic, understandable level. He's an effective communicator, and a very good instructor imo. Perhaps not quite owning the cachet as that of Foley, Harmon or whoever coaching at the tour level, but as it relates to the weekend club player - I thought he was very good at what he did on the network segments.

            Sneakylong

            Feinstein is great... read most of his books.

            One of the best books he ever wrote was "A Season on the Brink". Feinstein chronicled his up-close and personal season of college basketball with Bobby Knight back in '85-'86, as he was granted access, by none other than Bobby Knight himself, for the season to journal what life was like for Indiana hoops players and their coach.

            Lots of other really good reads too... "A Good Walk Spoiled" is a classic. "Tales from Q-School" is another great read.

            Feinstein just seems to capture the essence of sports, in words, like very few other sports writers can.

            "One on One" definitely ranks up there as one of my favs from him.

                Must not have been a "happy-happy" split as all his video golf lessons are gone from Golf Channel's site. At least, I can't find them...

                  raggmann54

                  I think that was part of the deal with him leaving. And I don't blame him. Golf Channel obviously didn't own exclusive rights to his teaching segments, and he obviously didn't want the network benefitting from his work there with them (I'm assuming) not interested in keeping him on the payroll.

                  Golf Channel was a huge break for him, however. I seriously doubt that he would've made a huge name for himself without the exposure he got from his time there.

                  I don't think their parting of ways was as amicable as is being presented.

                  In the end - it's all about the money. Commuting from NY to Orlando.... that would definitely get old, and I would definitely want to be well compensated for the time and effort.

                  I just get the sense that Golf Channel (like Disney/ESPN) is in the process of cutting payroll and restructuring their programming.

                  I've personally not watched Golf Channel in over a month now. Between the "Greatest Game Ever Played" and "Tin Cup" reruns the past several months - there's absolutely nothing there left worth watching.

                      PA-PLAYA Feinstein - I am reading his new book, THE FIRST MAJOR, about the 2016 Ryder Cup. Very good read!

                          PA-PLAYA

                          I'm watching FS1 with Skip and Shannon and listening to Hank Haney on PGA radio also. Plus on the computer. Can I do all 3? Absolutely. When a segment I'm interested in with Skip and Shannon is on I just tell Alexa to stop. When it's over I turn the volume down on the TV and tell Alexa to continue. Hank is on for 2 hours now (10:00 to noon).

                          Looking forward to the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii tonight.

                              GLFTPS

                              Just bought it a few nights ago on iBook app for iPhone. Haven't started it yet, but plan to by the weekend. 🙂

                                Sneakylong

                                Not a fan of Skip and Shannon. Listening to Dan Patrick until noon, and will then probably listen to Colin Cowherd's podcast this evening while making dinner.

                                It's part of my routine. 🙂

                                    sdandrea1

                                    We got down to 40 degrees this morning. Supposed to get into the 30's tomorrow morning. Looks like golf is out this week. Too nippy for our 7:22 am tee time. Monday is looking warmer with a low of 60 and high of 75.

                                        PA-PLAYA

                                        I listen to Dan Patrick's show when I'm in my car (no Sirius / XM in my car). Watch Coherd at noon on FS1. I really like Colin Coherd's and Jason Whitlock's show at 5:00 pm called Speak for Yourself on FS1 as well. I find I watch much more FS1 than ESPN these days.

                                            Sneakylong We got down to 40 degrees this morning. Supposed to get into the 30's tomorrow morning. Looks like golf is out this week. Too nippy for our 7:22 am tee time. Monday is looking warmer with a low of 60 and high of 75.

                                            We're supposed to play in our monthly scramble on Sat. Still waiting to see if the pro is going to cancel. Supposed to get up in the 50's but will be still around 40 at 0830 shotgun time.

                                              darpar

                                              Blair is nothing without Hall.
                                              However, nobody would watch either one teach if they were alone.

                                                Breed is a good teacher for the average golfer but should slow the pace down for TV.
                                                He will land on his feet. He doesn't need TGC anymore, imo

                                                I watched Breed for the first few years, but started to lose interest. Martin Hall was who I started watching as I liked his style better, but now I don't watch either one. Nor do I look at magazines anymore. Too much repetition with all of it. I still watch Breed once in a while as I like how he works when showing different lessons. I don't pay attention to his lessons though as all those shows did was screw up my swing as, like a fool, I tried most of the things being shown. Bad idea as I am still trying to get back to MY basics.

                                                Sneakylong

                                                ESPN has pretty much gutted their sports talk show hosts.

                                                Can't take Stephen A Smith.... used to listen to Mike and Mike religiously, but they disbanded back near the end of last year. I do, on occasion, like listening to Lebatard and Stugotz, but it depends on the mood. Mostly on Monday mornings. And more because of Stugotz than Lebatard.

                                                Fox Sports has scraped up all of ESPN's talk-show talent that they let go with the reorganization that began a few years back and ESPN really hasn''t got much podcast programming that makes me want to tune in these days.

                                                I still think Dan Patrick is the best.