Nina Caldwell
The Big Break is a reality television program broadcast by the Golf Channel. The show launched in 2003 and ran for 23 seasons before it was cancelled in 2015 due to budget cuts. The show's premise was to award an aspiring professional golfer exemptions into selected events or full-season exemptions on lower-level tours. The show featured golfing challenges and head-to-head match play, with prizes at stake that included entry into high-level professional tournaments. In 2020, it was announced that the show would be returning to the Golf Channel and GolfPass for binge-watching.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Show status | Cancelled in 2015 |
| Reason for cancellation | Budget cuts |
| Possibility of return | Likely |
| Return date | March 27, 2020 |
| Streaming platforms | Golf Channel and GolfPass |
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What You'll Learn
'Big Break' cancelled in 2015
The Big Break, a reality television program that aired on the Golf Channel, was cancelled in 2015. The show, which first premiered in 2003, was a huge success and the Golf Channel's highest-rated show in its history. It featured aspiring professional golfers who competed in a series of golfing challenges, with the weakest performer eliminated after each episode. The winner of the show received prizes, including exemptions into selected events or full-season exemptions on lower-level tours.
The show's signature challenge involved players breaking panes of glass, each containing a contestant's name. Other challenges included shooting golf balls into a bucket on a moving truck and hitting balls through holes in a giant plywood wall.
The Big Break II, which aired in 2005, was particularly memorable due to the tension between roommates Sean Daly and Donny Donatello. The winner of that season, Kip Henley, went back to caddying on the PGA Tour.
The show's cancellation in 2015 was due to budget cuts. NBC Universal, the parent company of the Golf Channel, decided to release most of the production staff of Original Productions, the division responsible for creating and producing the show.
Despite its cancellation, the show left a lasting impact and is still fondly remembered by fans and those involved. In 2020, the Golf Channel brought back the show for binge-watching, allowing fans to relive the excitement of past seasons.
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Show returns to Golf Channel and GolfPass in 2020
The Big Break is a reality television program that first aired on the Golf Channel in 2003. The show brought together golfers who competed in skills challenges and head-to-head match play, with prizes including entry into high-level professional tournaments. The series was a ratings winner for the network, with The Big Break II becoming the Golf Channel's highest-rated show in its history.
The show was cancelled in 2015 due to budget cuts, but many suspected it would return at some point. And indeed, in 2020, it was announced that the show would be coming back for binge-watching on the Golf Channel and GolfPass. GolfPass celebrated the return of Big Break with a complimentary two-month trial of its newly launched GolfPass Video membership, which featured the first Big Break season, Big Break II: Las Vegas, and Big Break III: Ladies Only.
Big Break Mondays began on March 30, 2020, on the Golf Channel, with a full-season marathon of Big Break II: Las Vegas. The show aired every Monday from 7 am-6 pm ET and 8-11 pm ET. The following seasons were also scheduled to be aired:
- Big Break Sandals Resorts (April 13)
- Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe (April 20)
- Big Break Dominican Republic (April 27)
- Big Break III: Ladies Only (May 4)
- Big Break Prince Edward Island (May 11)
- Big Break Atlantis (May 18)
- Big Break Ireland (May 25)
The Big Break is a beloved show that has left a lasting impact on its fans and participants alike. It has provided a platform for aspiring golfers to showcase their talents and personalities, and its return to the Golf Channel and GolfPass in 2020 allowed new and old fans to experience the excitement and drama of the competition once again.
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'Big Break' format and challenges
The Big Break is a reality television program broadcast by the Golf Channel. The show's premise was to award an aspiring professional golfer exemptions into selected events or full-season exemptions on lower-level tours. The contestants include professionals on mini-tours as well as amateurs who aspire to play golf professionally. The contestants engage in a series of golfing challenges, with the weakest performer eliminated after each challenge.
The show's signature challenge involves players breaking panes of glass, each containing a contestant's name. In The Big Break I, the ten players took aim at their own pane of glass, and all of them stood at a driving range and fired shots simultaneously. The first one to break their glass was the winner. In The Big Break II and subsequent seasons, players took turns and had to call out whose glass they intended to break. The last player whose glass pane remained unbroken was the winner.
The "Mulligan Challenge" was usually the first challenge in each episode, though in The Big Break II, it was the second challenge. Past "Mulligan Challenges" have included shooting golf balls into a large bucket sitting on a moving pickup truck and hitting balls through holes in a giant plywood wall for points. The winning individual or team in a "Mulligan Challenge" was awarded a mulligan to use in the "Skills Challenge", which was the second challenge in each episode.
The Big Break II was the Golf Channel's highest-rated show in its history. The show featured good golf as well as some tension between roommates Sean Daly and Donny Donatello. The winner, Kip Henley, failed to make any cuts on the Nationwide Tour and went back to caddying on the PGA Tour.
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'Big Break' hosts and co-hosts
The Big Break is a reality television program that was broadcast by the Golf Channel. The show's premise was to award an aspiring professional golfer exemptions into selected events or full-season exemptions on lower-level tours. The series debuted on October 6, 2003, and was cancelled in 2015 due to budget cuts. However, it was announced in March 2020 that the show would be returning to the Golf Channel and GolfPass for binge-watching.
The show has had several hosts and co-hosts over the years. The first season of The Big Break, which aired in 2003, was hosted by Rick Smith and Katherine Roberts. Vince Cellini and Stephanie Sparks became the show's new hosts, with Sparks staying on as the female host until she was replaced by Michele Tafoya in 2013. Tom Abbott replaced Vince Cellini as the male host at Big Break Sandals Resorts in the spring of 2010 and co-hosted with Melanie Collins on Big Break Florida and Big Break, The Palm Beaches, Florida. LPGA golfer Paige Mackenzie was the female host for Big Break Myrtle Beach in the fall of 2014.
There have also been various hosts of the All-Star edition of the show, including Brian Hammons and Steve Sands, and co-hosts such as former NASCAR star Benny Parsons and two-time Champions Tour major winner Peter Jacobsen.
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'Big Break' contestants and winners
The Big Break is a reality television program that was broadcast by the Golf Channel. The show's premise was to award an aspiring professional golfer exemptions into selected events or full-season exemptions on lower-level tours. The series debuted on October 6, 2003, and quickly became a ratings winner for the network. The show aired every Monday or Tuesday at 9 p.m. Eastern time/6 p.m. Pacific time during its run.
The show's signature challenge involved players breaking panes of glass, each containing a contestant's name. The winner of the "Skills Challenge" was awarded immunity from the "Elimination Challenge." The players not exempt from the "Elimination Challenge" participated in challenges such as hitting shots to the green for points. The contestant who finished last in any "Elimination Challenge" was eliminated from the show.
The Big Break II was the Golf Channel's highest-rated show in its history. The winner, Kip Henley, failed to make any cuts on the Nationwide Tour and went back to caddying on the PGA Tour.
The Big Break III: Ladies Only first aired on February 8, 2005, and was filmed in October 2004. The winner of this edition received exemptions into two LPGA events and a celebrity tournament in 2005. Amiee clinched The Big Break III title and, in addition to her exemptions and a $5,000 gift card, she won a new Chrysler Crossfire.
Other winners of The Big Break include Justin Peters, Jackie Stoelting, and Chad Pfeifer, an Iraq War veteran who lost his left leg and has become one of America's top adaptive golfers.
The Golf Channel announced the end of the series in 2015 due to budget cuts, although many suspected it would return at some point. In 2020, the show did indeed return to the Golf Channel and GolfPass for binge-watching, with full-season marathons airing from 7 am-6 pm ET and 8-11 pm ET.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Big Break is coming back and will be available for binge-watching on Golf Channel and GolfPass.
Big Break Golf is coming back on March 27, 2020, for binge-watching on GolfPass. It will also be aired on the Golf Channel beginning March 30, 2020.
The show was cancelled in 2015 due to budget cuts.
Big Break is a reality television program broadcast by the Golf Channel. The show features golfers who compete in skills challenges and head-to-head match play. The winner receives prizes, including entry into high-level professional tournaments.
