KVOA's Danny Harnden is No Stranger to the Camera or the Golf Course

Shane Sharp
Regional Staff Writer

June 1, 1999

TUCSON -- If there was any doubt that Danny Harnden was a golfer, the speculation vanished as he strode into the Wildcat House sporting the golf shirt, the golf shorts, and the golf tan. The Wildcat House is a Tucson staple for half pound burgers, cold pints, and University of Arizona sports.

Danny Harnden is a staple on TV's throughout the Old Pueblo - a sports reporter and weekend anchor for Tucson's NBC affiliate KVOA, Channel 4. He is also a regular on many of Tucson's golf courses, despite a work schedule that keeps him under reigns 50 to 60 hours a week for much of the year.

Tonight I am meeting Harnden to rap about a true passion of his, one that is beginning to usurp his love of basketball and its physical rigors. We order up a couple of drinks - me the obligatory sportswriter beer, Harnden the proverbial "quick iced tea before I just check into the office on my day off."

Beer, iced tea, milk. It doesn't really matter. Getting Harnden to take time out of his hectic schedule to talk about golf was about as difficult as convincing Karl Malone that he should go hard to the basket during the playoffs.

True to form, Harnden had just rolled off the Starr Pass Golf Course where he had just put in a solid 27 holes of golf. A rare day off, Harnden was not about to let it slip by without teeing it up.

"I don't play as much golf since the baby came along," says Harnden, reflecting on his trips out on the links. "But I try to play every couple of weeks. I play a lot in stretches. Being in the business I am in, I get invited to play in a lot of scrambles."

While not as often as he'd like, every couple of weeks is affording Harnden a handicap of eleven. Not too bad for a guy who admits that he hates the practice range. In fact, I quickly learn that golf is a game that Harnden didn't pick up until he was in college at Arizona State University.

"My brother got me into the game," says Harnden. "He used to take me to the back tees and make me play from there. He said it would put hair on my chest."

While the jury may still be out on that theory, playing from the tips does seem to have instilled Harnden with a solid concept of course management and what it takes to score on a course. His list of favorite courses from around Tucson includes Tucson National and La Paloma. And if you can get used to Paloma, and score well there, then you have to have a fair amount of "game."

Harnden is a breath of fresh air for those of us who spend countless hours watching Sports Center and Fox Sports News, only to tune into the local news and find a sports broadcaster that makes you want to toss up the bulk of your Hungry Man dinner.

His style is straight up and knowledgeable, only mildly sprinkled with quirky gimmicks and corny cliches. The source of Harnden's eye for detail reveals itself when he discloses to me that he used to sit around the breakfast table reading the sports section of the newspaper seeing how many mistakes he could find before his father came to the table.

These days, Harnden doesn't just play golf and report golf. He has taken it a step further, planning ultimately to pursue a career in golf broadcasting. For a guy who got his first broadcasting gig at KVOA by "just going out and doing a story, even though my boss didn't ask me to," a career in golf commentary does not seem like much of a stretch. In fact, it could already be in the works.

"I did a golf show for NBC sports called Destination Golf," says Harnden, refilling his ice tea. "O and O (Owned and Operated) NBC affiliates bought it to fill time before a golf tournament last year."

With another piece lined up for NBC in the near future, and his coverage of local area golfing events like the PGA's Tucson Open and the LPGA's Welch's/Circle K Championship, Harnden's "transition" to golf broadcasting may be just a formality.

If you're a writer, or ever happen to become one, I highly recommend interviewing someone in broadcast journalism for a story - particularly about something they love. You will not be at a shortage for material, as my hand was about to fall off about 20 minutes into interviewing Harnden.

I could tell you all you ever wanted to know about Danny Harnden and golf. That he has his swing taped and analyzes down at the station - frame by frame. That after church on Sunday, he likes nothing more than to sit on the couch with his wife Sandy and watch any and every PGA golf tournament that happens to be on TV. "Especially the majors," adds Harnden. "We watch every single shot of the majors."

I could tell you that Harnden had no designs on getting into broadcast journalism until a job at the sports desk at KVOA opened up down the road in Tucson. I could even tell you that Danny Harnden doubled as the ASU mascot, Sparky, while in school, and that the heat that he has taken in U of A Wildcat country for this dubious honor rivals that of a summer day in Yuma.

But more than dwelling on any of these details, it is apparent to one golf writer that Harnden is content to just sit and talk about the game. About the game's intricacies. About his favorite players. About his swing and what could make it better. I had long since abandoned the formal part of the interviewing program to just rap with Harnden about Fred Couples' sweet stroke, Phil Mickelson's short game, and a subject that gets Ole Sparky plenty fired up -- the scrutiny and criticism surrounding Tiger Woods.

"My favorite golfer is Tiger Woods," says Harnden, an air of concern surfacing in his voice. "Even more so lately because everyone is into Tiger bashing. People need to get off his back. Just because he is not winning as much doesn't mean he is not a great player. I do get mad at him because he could have won a couple more majors if he would just accept a bogey at a hole and move on."

A beer and an iced tea later, Harnden and I are winding down the interview talking about pace of play. In fact, Harnden may be the only other golfer I have met that is as obsessed as I am with finding the elusive three hour round of golf. We both concur that even the first time hacker, if he or she simply obeys basic golf etiquette, should get around the course in under four hours. Ah, but we digress.

After I ask the obligatory Savannah Gutherie questions, its time for Harnden to get on his way. The U of A women's softball team is off to the College Word Series, and Harnden will be hot on their trail. KVOA's most avid golfer does stop on the way out to ask me if I know of any good golf websites where he can find a decent track to play in Oklahoma City. After all, you can't stop Harnden, you can only hope to contain him.

But wherever he ends up teeing it up in the Sooner state, you can be sure he'll post the course record. The plaque reading "Danny Harnden played this course in 2 hours, 36 minutes." Sad thing is, I might have to fly up to Oklahoma City and beat it.

Shane Sharp is a staff writer for Myrtlebeachgolf.com and GolfArizona.com. Contact him at sharp@rockies.com