LIV Golf is in the midst of its third campaign, and although the organization will host its inaugural event in June 2022, questions about the breakaway circuit remain numerous. The golf world at large – fans, players and media – is still trying to figure out what exactly this high-profile, team-oriented, star-driven, Saudi-backed golf course is.
You can’t get a feel for something without actually participating in it, so with LIV Golf hosting an event at The Grove just outside of Nashville, I decided to jump in the car and take a three hour trip to see what it was. it’s about.
The question I wanted to answer was, should you, as a fan of golf or sports in general, attend a LIV golf tournament? About 20 minutes after arriving, I already had my answer.
Before we get to that answer and the many takeaways after a full Saturday at The Grove, it’s important to set the scene here.
I am a 31 year old man who works in professional golf for a living. I’ve been following the sport closely for over a decade at this point, so I don’t fall into the “everyday golf fan” category, but that’s the approach I took before joining LIV Nashville. Yes, I was there as media, but I was there to take it all in and experience what LIV had to offer while being fully aware that 99% of the people there spent their hard-earned money to do so.
Expectations are important here. Like anything in life, if you find yourself in a situation where expectations are low, there’s a good chance you’ll come away disappointed. Being open-minded is key, and after a quick five-minute shuttle ride from a designated parking lot at a nearby high school, I was there as a guy just curious about this much-criticised new golf course.
You can’t escape the music
In incredibly on-brand fashion, with LIV’s slogan being “golf, but louder”, the very first thing I hear is Zach Bryan’s “Heading South” blaring from a speaker at the door . I head out to the course about an hour before the shotgun starts. Many people chant as their tickets are scanned, while the thought of “this isn’t your everyday PGA Tour event” quickly comes to mind, followed by “I think I love it.”
The next song on LIV’s playlist was Drake’s “Nice For What,” which took things to a whole new level. Golf, but stronger, indeed.
I didn’t think I was going to like the music playing at all times, but it’s an important piece of the puzzle that makes LIV not only different but enjoyable. I’ve often complained about the music on social media because it’s distracting to hear when you’re watching the show on TV, but in person it adds a whole new level to the experience.
There’s just something awesome about watching Phil Mickelson pound balls at the end of the register while Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight” plays over the speakers.
While it may seem like a stretch to say that constantly playing music is one of the most important characters of the LIV experience, it’s hard not to draw that conclusion. Whether it’s kids being dragged into the tournament with their parents, people who don’t even play golf, or a wife or girlfriend who has no idea what’s going on, everything everyone loves music.
The vibrations vibrated
The Par 3 15th hole was the designated party hole for LIV Nashville. A giant construction surrounded the entire perimeter. A ticket to the Birdie Shack behind the tee costs around $155 on Saturday, along with three free drink tickets. For the curious, local beer and generic seltzers were sold for $11 at concession stands, standard cocktails and premium beer were $12, with the most expensive drink being grape crush at $16. Soft drinks were $6 and a bottle of water was $5.
The scene at the 15th hole, even from the public fan area, was pretty atmospheric.
As for the crowd itself, it wasn’t just a group of young people around the Par 3 15th, but there seemed to be a younger crowd all over the golf course. It was the wait, not only because it’s a LIV event, but I was in Nashville, after all.
The majority of people playing golf on the 15th hole were there to relax, have their share of cold drinks and maybe pay attention to a few shots here and there. It’s no different than a PGA Tour event, as big stands like this are mostly occupied by people who couldn’t care less about golf itself.
As someone who has attended the PGA Tour in Memphis a dozen times, the atmosphere was similar to any all-you-can-eat grandstand, but you had Luke Combs followed by Kendrick Lamar playing on the speakers while the Guys competing for millions of dollars were stressed out on all four feet on the green.
A party to which traditional golf enthusiasts and their children are also invited
After spending all this time talking about music, drinking, and parties, one would assume that your old-school, more “traditional” golf fan wouldn’t have a welcome seat at a LIV event . In reality, it’s exactly the opposite scenario.
If you’re determined and determined to go 18 holes with, say, Jon Rahm or Bryson DeChambeau and just focus on the golf being played, it’s certainly doable given the accessibility of the players. LIV wants this to be the case, and the overall event setup is tailored to exactly that.
The construction behind the first teebox is the perfect example. Not only was it open to all fans surrounded by a giant video board with loud music, but there was also a specific section for the “Little Sharks” where young children could surround the first tee on the ground floor. -pavement.
The name “Little Sharks” quickly took on meaning after LIV CEO Greg Norman arrived about five minutes before the opening tee shot and greeted the 50 or so kids surrounding the tee before allowing them to stand on the tee itself as the leaders began their second round. .
As the father of an almost two-year-old, I couldn’t help but think how cool it would be to see my own son there rubbing shoulders with a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame standing just a few meters from Tyrrell Hatton, the eventual winner of the event, as he sends the driver to the middle of the fairway.
A quick word on starting the shotgun
The random start on LIV Golf – which involves each group teeing off at the same time – has its pros and cons, and emphasis has been placed on their presence on site.
The biggest positive, at least personally, is that you don’t have to be on the golf course from sunrise to sunset to watch the players you want to see or feel like you have for your money with your ticket. You can arrive at 11:00 a.m. and be well prepared and in position to start at 12:15 p.m. before heading out at 5:00 p.m. Spending 12 hours at a golf tournament is not pleasant, spending six is much more bearable.
Getting ready to tee off at the shotgun, especially on the first tee, is also a pretty fun scene. They play hype videos like the ones you see at an NFL game for the players, exit songs start playing and continue playing throughout the shot, and the players leave.
As for the complaints against starting with a shotgun, I came away with two.
For some reason, I had in mind that starting shotgun would mean non-stop action. I could sit on the first tee and as soon as the previous group was on the fairway, the next group would be ready to shoot. This was not the case on Saturday with a wait of 20 minutes between groups. A somewhat long walk between the 18th green and the first tee didn’t help speed things up, but it seemed very long at the time. Two separate people asked me where the next group was.
The other negative point is the last hole of the day. Take DeChambeau, for example, on Saturday. He is by far the most popular player in LIV at the moment and started his second round on the second hole, meaning he finished his round on the first hole. If you wanted to see DeChambeau finish his round, you walk away from the clubhouse and out for one final hole, then do the exact same walk back 20 minutes later to leave the event.
In a place like The Grove, where the fourth hole might as well be in a different state than the clubhouse, this presents a problem not only for the fan watching the player complete his round, but also for LIV himself- even, because the fans will refuse to walk the whole way. going out there just to back out moments later.
Overall, not having to spend an entire day on the golf course is a benefit that outweighs the negative, and I guarantee every player and employee at LIV feels the same way.
So, should you try attending a LIV golf event?
I’ll never be someone to tell anyone how to spend their money, but yes, any sports fan who wants to see LIV Golf in person should try to make it happen.
I was pleasantly surprised by the whole experience. From the point of view of the music, the large number of fans, the overall construction and the aesthetics of the setup in general, it exceeded all the expectations I had in mind.
I think there’s a fine line for LIV where it might come across as trying way too hard to be different from the PGA Tour in every way possible. Nothing I saw or felt made me think anything LIV was doing was over the top. This includes paratroopers falling from the sky at just the right time when the shotgun start clock hits zero.
LIV Nashville was certainly unlike anything I had ever seen on a golf course, and that is by no means a bad thing.
The LIV model in its simplest form is different from the norm while still featuring some of the biggest names in the sport, and after witnessing it in person, the model works.