You can’t talk about golf broadcasting without talking about that voice. Cool. Clipped. English. Confident. And just controversial enough to make Twitter (or a very traditional British living room) erupt.
For some fans, hearing Nick Faldo on the mic was like playing Sunday foursomes with a six-time major winner — equal parts enlightening and infuriating. For others, it felt like being lectured during your backswing. But love him or loathe him, there’s no denying that Faldo left a permanent mark on how golf sounds.
Let’s rewind to how it all started.
From Major Champion to Broadcast Mainstay
Faldo didn’t ease into retirement. He pivoted — hard. After stepping away from full-time competition, he stepped right into the commentary booth in 2007, joining ABC for the Open Championship and taking over as CBS’s lead golf analyst that same year.
That gig lasted 16 years.
Along the way, he also joined BBC Sport in 2012 for Open Championship coverage and made appearances on the Golf Channel. It wasn’t just a side hustle — this was his second act.
As he put it, “I’ve been on the road since I was 18.” So yeah, fair to say the travel grind caught up. In 2022, Faldo stepped back from full-time TV work, officially retiring from CBS and Golf Channel. But retirement didn’t mean silence. He continued showing up at majors — including The Masters for Sky Sports in 2023 — like a seasoned club member who can’t help popping in on tournament day.
What Made Faldo… Faldo
First, the obvious: Faldo wasn’t just guessing. The man won six majors. When he spoke about pressure on the back nine or judging the wind at Augusta, he was pulling from lived experience — not just notes.
And he didn’t sugarcoat it. Faldo’s commentary was sharp, technical, and sometimes brutally honest. He’d tell you when a player was making poor decisions, or when a swing “just wasn’t there today.”
That bluntness was refreshing for some, like when he predicted in 2007 that Tiger Woods wouldn’t win the Masters — a take that aged surprisingly well. One CBS executive even praised Faldo’s candor, saying: “We encourage those opinions. And on this one, he was dead on.”
His humor was… British. Dry. Occasional. Sometimes charming, sometimes baffling. One fan summed it up by saying his jokes felt “geared towards an older audience,” like a dad cracking wise at Sunday dinner.
But his technical tips? Often gold. PGA Tour pro Joel Dahmen even adopted Faldo’s method for judging wind — dubbed the “Faldo method.” You don’t get a technique named after you without saying something that sticks.
The Critics Came Loud — and Early
Despite his résumé, Faldo never won over every viewer. And some of the backlash was personal.
During Rory McIlroy’s emotional Masters win in 2025, fans slammed Faldo for making the moment about himself — drawing constant parallels to his own career instead of letting Rory’s shine. “Only Nick Faldo can watch one of the best Masters finishes ever but still spend most of the broadcast talking about himself,” one viewer posted.
He caught even more heat for his coverage of Bryson DeChambeau. Critics accused him of “disrespect” and even “hatred” during the 2025 Masters broadcast. Faldo clapped back, saying: “That’s bullshit. I like the guy. I texted him after he won the US Open. I don’t like the way he plays at times, which I’m allowed to criticise.”
There were other quirks. Viewers pointed out his awkward on-air delivery and shaky chemistry with broadcast partners. “He still seems awkward and says strange things,” one forum user noted — and this after decades in media.
Reddit threads echoed the sentiment. “The lineup with Faldo feels dated,” one commenter wrote. “The humor doesn’t land anymore.”
More Than a Talking Head
Even with the controversy, Faldo’s influence is real. His presence added weight to broadcasts. His perspective reminded viewers what it really takes to win a major — not just flashy drives, but patience, strategy, and nerves made of steel.
He wasn’t just calling shots; he was pulling back the curtain on championship golf. What it feels like to stare down the 72nd hole of a major. What it costs to stay in contention all four days. That insight, when it clicked, was electric.
Faldo also didn’t shy away from taking strong stances on the bigger issues. On LIV Golf, for example? No holding back. He called the league “meaningless” and said its players had “gone soft.” On Ryder Cup selection, he argued LIV defectors had “burned their bridges” and shouldn’t be invited back.
Was it polarizing? Absolutely. But in an era when most analysts walk on eggshells, Faldo brought a little danger back to the booth. And you could argue golf needed that.
Faldo’s Exit Left a Big (and Divisive) Void
When Faldo retired from CBS in 2022, Trevor Immelman stepped in. Big shoes to fill — and a very different style to offer. Immelman’s polished delivery and measured tone marked a shift from Faldo’s eccentric, self-referencing commentary.
But Faldo’s legacy lingers. He showed that golf commentary doesn’t have to be bland. That it’s okay to have an opinion. That it’s okay to rub a few people the wrong way if it means saying what you actually think.
Even if you groaned at the banana jokes or cringed at another reference to 1996, you probably still listened. And talked about it.
And maybe that’s the whole point.
Quote Highlight: “Only Nick Faldo can find a way to watch one of the best Masters finishes ever but still spend most of the post match broadcast talking about himself and how he did it.”