LIV Golf Rich Harvest Farms
Well, the LIV Golf event at Rich Harvest Farms Golf Course has just come to a close. Congrats to Cameron Smith on the win and the 4 Aces GC on a four-peat for the team win. My wife and I attended the event for the final round on Sunday and from the moment you walk in, you get the chills and realize this is different. At least that was me. My wife leaned over to me and said “this is bringing the younger fans in and that is a very good thing.”
I’ll share a few thoughts later on but here are a few pics from my few-year-old camera phone. Note to self: get a better camera phone.
Here comes the Frog-X Navy SEAL Parachute team.
Rich Harvest Farms Golf
I’ve always wanted to visit the golf course at Rich Harvest Farms. It is in Sugar Grove, IL (although for this event they were saying Chicago) and is about 4 miles from my house. I missed the Solheim Cup event in 2009 but I’ve always heard good things about this golf course. This LIV Golf Rich Harvest Farms event showcased great golf from some of the best players in the world. I especially enjoyed the shotgun start, knowing we could watch golf and not be in the blazing heat all day long.
As you walked in today the first thing that stands out is the music. Enjoyable music that puts you in a good mood. There are plenty of concessions to choose from and as someone who has attended more than a few golf events, the prices weren’t bad. If my eyes weren’t deceiving me, there were plenty of tables set up and maybe some hay bales lying around. We never made our way into the merchandise truck which means I will be logging in to the LIV Golf Shop to pick up a hat or polo. Hey LIV Golf, what happened to the shop?
We walked nearly every hole on the Rich Harvest Farms golf course and saw plenty of concession stands. Many were packed with folks waiting so we kept walking to find the next one. Happy we did as we had a Saucy Clucker BBQ pizza from a food truck called Kiss By Fire. It was yummy. The taco truck to the side seemed to be doing equally as well.
It has to be Ian Poulter.
Unfortunately, neither my wife nor I received what I believe they call a draw card which would show the groups that would be playing together on this final day. So we were scrambling a little when we were trying to figure out where Phil Mickelson might be or who he might be playing with.
We were there about 45 minutes before the horn sounded to start the shotgun golf format but were told they ran out of these draw cards. Was really hoping to put one up in my golf cave to add as a memento. If someone could get the word out to Greg Norman, it would have been really nice to see more of these boards below. He did go by us on a golf cart so that was cool to see.
It looked like there were plenty of fun activities if you wanted to take your mind off the golf going on. I saw a gentleman throwing a football and it looked as though there might have been a putting event going on. All in all, I would say this was a much livelier crowd than what usually attends the PGA events I have seen in the past. Part of that may have been due to it looking to be a younger crowd but then I would throw out the word respectful. Fans enjoyed the golf. Fans were having a good time and fans were respectful of one another and the golfers out on the course.
Rich Harvest Farms Golf Course Scorecard
There is Phil Mickelson.
Final Thoughts
Just being upfront. There are a lot of naysayers when it comes to LIV Golf. It was hard to avoid one of those naysayers as he/she was flying a plane with a banner telling of their feelings.
Personally, I believe the PGA can take some notes and improve enjoyment for both the fan and golfer side of things. Let the golfers wear shorts if that would make them more comfortable. A no-brainer. Not a knock whatsoever but I’m sure both the PGA and LIV Golf can learn from each other. Treat the players right. Treat the caddies right. Treat the fans right. I’ll give the upper hand to LIV Golf on the above three.
I can understand not allowing a player to move back and forth from one league to another. However, for the good of golf, allow LIV players to be part of the OWGR. It can help broaden the sport and allow for other opportunities. Such as… PGA players to go up against LIV players in a single yearly tournament for ultimate bragging rights. This would include both a team as well as an individual format.
Putting all of that aside, both LIV Golf and Rich Harvest farms put on a spectacular event that was enjoyed by many thousands in attendance as we watched elite golfers do what they do best. And because of that, I would be happy to attend any future outings put on by LIV Golf. The same goes for Rich Harvest Farms.
I would like to add one last comment on a personal level. Ultimate respect to Rich Harvest Farms and LIV Golf for the one minute of silence in honor of the Queen.
P.S. Rich Harvest Farms Golf Course will be hosting LIV Golf Chicago on September 22-24, 2023. Looking forward to being there.