"Radio brings an added dimension to following the game."

John Paul Newport uses his weekly column to focus on Sirius/XM's recent expansion of golf coverage and says it's largely been a hit thanks to the quality of Ben Crenshaw's show, the chance for listener interaction with top instructors like Hank Haney and David Leadbetter, and the addition of other content by Sirius president Scott Greenstein.

He writes:

The instruction shows have been getting "crazy numbers," Greenstein says. Hank Haney on a recent show offered a fearless critique of the swing of his former student, Tiger Woods ("He's not practicing enough"), then answered listener questions about increasing club-head speed and overcoming social distractions on the course.

Of the new talk shows, my personal favorite is "Ben Crenshaw on Golf." The offer to host a show "came out of the blue," the two-time Masters champ told me this week. "I have said many times that television just never did suit me. I was terrible! I did a little work for CBS in the late '90s and, gosh, I was just not cut out for it at all. It was very quick, in and out." Crenshaw's style is more conversational. He is self-effacing, deeply knowledgeable and likes to tell stories.

Radio suits Crenshaw perfectly. If you have ever wondered what it would be like to sit in the 19th-hole grill room with a table of golf legends shooting the breeze, this is your chance to find out.

Newport makes clear he's reserving judgement on the new shows by Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson, which is writerspeak for, they really stunk when he tuned in.