Everyone has got an opinion about LIV Golf. But for all the column inches, and the fiercely held views, not many of us have actually experienced the breakaway tour in the flesh.
It makes some big claims – golf, but louder, for a start – and the cash on offer for the players is eye-watering. But away from the headlines, what is a day out at LIV Golf actually like?
How did the golf course play? How deep really is the field? Does LIV Golf embrace the fans who attend or is the whole experience merely skin deep?
We had a roving reporter on the grounds at JCB Golf and Country Club and this is how they found the LIV Golf UK event…
5 things about LIV Golf UK
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The golf course was a triumph
Opened in 2019 with the express intention of one day hosting tour events, like rivals John Deere and their annual classic, The JCB Golf and Country Club is an invite only corporate plaything.
I have been lucky enough to play the course. As a spectator it suddenly made sense. The routing is such that the holes circle the clubhouse, and the central amenities, meaning walking to almost all the holes is possible in short order.
The elevation changes and the mounding that unlimited access to diggers have created means that the viewing experience is exceptional – with vantage points a plenty.
The 14th, which is annexed from the rest of the course by the access road, and unremarkable in general play, is transformed into a party hole with wrap around staging.
Much of the design works for a tour player, the short 4 12th a genuine risk and reward, the premium on reaching the top shelf off the tee on 18 (see Rahm v Hatton, the former did the later did not), whisper it quietly but these create great match play moments …. Ryder Cup 2031 anyone?
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LIV staging and the fan experience is very confusing
As we wander in through the entrance past signs saying, ‘Golf, but louder’ and familiar LIV tropes, there is a theme park vibe to our arrival. YOU ARE HERE TO HAVE FUN. We arrive to see Phil, popular with the crowds, flag it at 16.
As he prepares to putt ‘Quite Please’ signs are held aloft by volunteers, actually ‘Shhhh’ signs to be accurate. Not that much louder then.
And the whole thing is a bit like this. There is a lot of hype. There is some music. I quite like the music. We see John Caitlin fist pump a par putt on 16 (his 4th) like he has won the Ryder Cup and the crowd respond in kind. We dodge some vox poppers on the way in. There is branding literally everywhere, and I mean everywhere.
There is a little fan village with some activities for the actual kids and grown-ups acting like kids.
This aspect of the staging feels like an afterthought, like an Instagram skit ‘Welcome to the fan village ideas council. What have we got’ ‘Longest putt?’ great idea. Anyone else? ‘Some kind of Velcro chippy thing for the kids?’ Brilliant! And that is what there was. Like there is everywhere.
The innovation is Emperor’s new clothes, and this perhaps the biggest disappointment, as even the attempts to disguise the lack of substance lack substance.
A LIV field is a curate’s egg of a thing
There were more than enough players to get excited about. Jon Rahm (shout out to his caddie Adam Hayes, who unprompted gave an 8-year-old his golf ball on the 13th tee) Bryson, Brooks, Smith, Hatton, Phil. We were thrilled to see all of these up close.
But for every recent or past major champion there is a Swafford, Vincent, or a Lozuma.
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All LIV golfers it feels are not equal, there are the big money trophy signings, undoubtably among the best players in the game, there are some genuine potential superstars who jumped earlier but there are also plenty of has been’s, never wozes, and never will be’s and in a limited field that make it all quite difficult to take seriously, and I think that applies to most of the field as well.
LIV Golf UK: It is undeniably a good day out
‘Well that was a great experience’ I overheard a slightly precocious nine-year-old remark as we left. And it really was.
The venue and the limited crowds mean watching golf is easy, getting close to the action is a thrill for big and little kids. It feels like the brief is entertainment and it delivers on that. Big screens keep you informed of scores, and course position and stats about length of drive and approach add to the richness of the experience. The players seem happy to interact and are responsive to the galleries.
There is a lot to keep you occupied as players and teams move up and down ubiquitous leader boards, it is easy to stay engaged with the action.
The hospitality is clearly a focus, there are endless options at various price points with options to upgrade at the gate of each suite, which is smart.
The crowd at the side of 18 for the denouement was great to be part of, as was the buzz at the presentation. As people meandered back to transport in the late evening sun, the vibe was summery, festival like even.
You leave wondering what next
Looked at sideways with a squint then this event and all the other cut and paste ‘activations’ around the globe are a success. Yet in amongst all that branding I could see no sponsors, what happened to them?
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How do you get genuine sporting jeopardy into a no cut, closed shop, invitational? What will happen when the contracts for early adopters like Westwood and Poulter run out?
Does this hit and giggle disco really have a place alongside the meat and potatoes of the PGA Tour? Does it really matter if everyone is half cut and having a nice time?
Now have your say
Have you been to a LIV Golf event in the UK? Does our reporter’s experience chime with your own? Are you more likely to give it a chance, or will you never darken the doors of LIV Golf? Why not let us know by leaving a comment on X.
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