As golf fans, it’s easy to take for granted the sheer volume of live televised golf coverage available to choose from across the men’s professional game.
As we reach the height of golf season, armchair spectators like myself have the option to watch DP World Tour, PGA Tour and LIV Golf action… often all in the same weekend.
This level of content can be overwhelming, especially if you struggle with the fear of missing out, so I started to ask myself the question: Which of the men’s tours has the best viewing experience?
With this being something I constantly complain about, I decided to do some research (at least that’s what I am calling it), by watching coverage of each tour and assessing it against three main criteria – number of shots shown, quality of bonus content and overall viewing experience.
After some deliberation, I concluded there is only one winner… and it might not be the one you expected!
Number Of Shots Shown
It might shock you to hear that LIV Golf actually shows the most shots per hour (120), eclipsing the figures of the PGA Tour (88) and the DP World Tour (85). The pace of LIV’s coverage felt much more engaging, with a nice variety of shots and players delivered at a tempo which keeps you wanting more.
On the contrary, the PGA Tour coverage felt slow and laboured, with lots of dead time and obvious fillers. However, even the monotony of the PGA Tour coverage was better than the sleep-inducing snore-fest I had to endure while watching an hour of DP World Tour ‘action’.
Watching someone prepare to putt over and over again is not the most thrilling experience
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Of the 85 shots shown in one hour of full live coverage, a staggering 56 of them were putts and many of them were on the same selection of greens. By the end of it all, I felt like I could make a putt from anywhere on that surface and read it perfectly.
First point to LIV Golf in what was barely even a contest.
Bonus Content
I am going to balance the books slightly here, because this in fairness is something I believe the DP World Tour does very well. The opportunity to go inside the ropes and hear directly from competitors on the course adds an interesting sprinkle of seasoning to an otherwise bland experience, and interestingly the players seem to be more open in their responses and less guarded against questioning.
LIV Golf also do this well, with player microphones allowing you to listen to on-course conversations (and the odd expletive) as they go about their business. I also love the breakaways, particularly the whizz around the course to catch-up on six or seven shots you have missed. This allows the viewer to see plenty of different players, with short bursts of content, and provides an opportunity to understand the forever fluctuating leaderboard with more clarity.
LIV Golf definitely get their bonus content right, with a great variety and gauge of when it’s needed
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Unfortunately, there are no positives to be shared for the PGA Tour in this section, as I actively consider turning off every time we are dragged back to the studio for a prolonged, and what feels like forced, chat. The timings of this are often ill-planned, and the coverage feels very disjointed as a result.
At the risk of sounding like a Eurovision judge…1 point to DP and LIV.
Overall Viewing Experience
When all is said and done, I can’t fault LIV Golf. I like almost everything about how they broadcast their product, the fact that it’s free to air on YouTube and their push towards making it more enjoyable for non-traditional golf fans.
The PGA Tour, despite not receiving a single point in my analysis, actually ranks second in my estimations, but that’s more to do with how tough I find the third option to watch. If the PGA Tour could adopt a little more of LIV Golf’s pizzazz, they have the players and tournaments to really make it a compelling watch.
We love big Sunday showdowns on the PGA Tour, but that alone isn’t enough to make a tournament compelling to watch overall
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Clearly, it goes without saying that PGA Tour Sundays, going down the stretch with big names in contention are a non-negotiable watch for me. The difference comes in the fact I am not rushing to switch on PGA Tour coverage on a Thursday or Friday, whereas I would happily watch all three days of whatever LIV Golf have to offer.
The wooden spoon unfortunately has to go to someone, and on this occasion it’s the DP World Tour. Competing with the other main tours is already going to be a challenge, mainly due to the gulf in field strength, but even by showing a few (and I mean quite a few) less putts and a little more of the great golf courses on their circuit, they could easily create a product that most golf fans would enjoy.