Last month the PGA TOUR released a new app called PGA TOUR LIVE. The app allows you to watch live coverage of two concurrent featured group pairings during morning competition prior to the start of the regularly scheduled television coverage. It is available for iOS and Android.
The app also offers live-streaming coverage from select holes after early-round group coverage has concluded, as well as on select weekends. In addition, the app includes video-on-demand content such as subscription-only highlights as well as feature and historical videos in an easy-to-access environment.
The Basics
PGA TOUR LIVE, a subscription-based digital platform service, debuted in the first round of the Quicken Loans National. It’s available on desktop, iOS, and Android devices. Other devices like Smart TV will follow soon.
The coverage is be available first as a seven-day free subscription when you register. After that, the subscription costs $4.99 per month.
The only live golf streaming I’ve previously done has been during the Masters. The Sand Trap.com has partnered with the PGA TOUR LIVE team for the review and after a few days with PGA TOUR LIVE I experienced plenty of pros and a few cons. I reviewed this app based on my experiences with the iOS version on an iPhone 6 and a fourth-geneeration iPad.
The app allows you to watch golf live or check out the highlights of the day.
What Works
The layout of the app is super easy to navigate. When live golf is streaming the prompt to “Watch Live Golf” is front and center. Scrolling through all the content is simple and efficient – it’s basically idiot proof. The app houses a deep library of videos which includes player interviews as well as round highlights, previews, and recaps. Load time and playback is smooth and timely. The content is updated regularly and there is always something new to check out. You can also go back and watch featured groups from previous rounds and well as highlights and interviews from previous tournaments. Just a few “clicks” (or taps!) and you’re there.
If you’re a PGA TOUR fan there is more content for you on the app than you’ll find on PGATOUR.com or on their YouTube channel. What makes it the most enjoyable is that you can watch all these clips ad-free, something you can’t do on PGATOUR.com. This made me more inclined to watch a few more interviews than I normally would have.
Signing up was hassle free and while watching videos and tour coverage I never encountered any buffering problems nor was I interrupted by a spinning wheel. One feature that is useful is the information icon in the top right corner of each clip that gives the viewer a summary of the content and the length of the video. Even if you don’t want to sit through the video, you’ll still be informed on what’s going on.
The coverage itself is well done. The announcers are obviously not “name” announcers but they do a fine job reporting on the golf and the players. Since the app is only following a couple groups, the viewer gets to “hang out” with the players. You get more of the player/caddie conversations and player-to-player rapport compared to network coverage. I still got to see plenty of golf shots being hit, there just isn’t the typical jumping around from hole to hole and player to player. I don’t think this is a good or a bad thing, it just offers the fan a different flavor of coverage. Obviously featuring groups with some interesting players is essential.
Great streaming quality for a clear picture.
Typically when there are some big name players in the field, you’ll only be able to catch one of their rounds on Thursday/Friday. With this app you don’t have to miss a round. I was able to watch Tiger shoot 64 on Thursday at the Wyndham when most golfers only got to see the highlights.
What Needs Work
The obvious con is that the subscription service costs $4.99 a month, and a fair amount of the content overlaps what’s available at PGATOUR.com. If you’re okay sitting through 30-second ads for round highlights/recaps, then you can watch the clips for free on PGATOUR.com or on their YouTube channel. You really aren’t going to miss anything critical by not watching the subscription-only highlights.
While the app is great for pre-GolfChannel/network coverage, once TV picks it up you’re left with featured hole presentations. A golf fan wants to watch what is happening at the top of the leaderboard, so they’ll have to switch to Golf Channel or network coverage. On Friday I was using the app when Golf Channel was airing the second round of the Wyndham and watching the featured hole coverage. The announcers were referring to what Tiger was doing but weren’t showing it. I understand why that has to be but I turned off the app and starting watching TGC because I wanted to watch what was going on with Tiger and the guys in the hunt. For those who enjoy having multiple screens going (say, for commercial breaks), this wouldn’t be an issue.
With the PGA TOUR LIVE app you can watch rounds that you may have missed.
Bottom Line
If you’re a PGA TOUR junkie that relishes access and needs to watch all the action on tour, this app is for you. It’s seamless to use, the video content uploads quickly and the clarity is great. Even if you just want to quickly catch up on what happened during the day, you can do it with ease. The highlight for me was being able to see a good chunk of Tiger’s first round as it was happening. I didn’t have to wait for highlights or follow his progress on Twitter. As I said earlier, I’m “old school” and haven’t watched much live streaming golf coverage but I recognize there are some plenty of cool features with this app. While it’s not necessary for every golfer, for the right fan it’s be a great service. I recommend giving it a try for seven days (free trial).
List of Events for the Remainder of 2015
The four FedExCup Playoffs events:
- The Barclays
- Deutsche Bank Championship
- BMW Championship
- TOUR Championship
List of Events for 2016
PGA TOUR LIVE will run each week, beginning with the CareerBuilder Challenge in 2016 through the TOUR Championship, excluding the four majors.
Hours of Coverage
Beginning with the first featured group’s tee time, PGA TOUR LIVE will be available up until the start of Golf Channel’s coverage on Thursday and Friday. The approximate times for PGA TOUR LIVE are 8 am-3 pm ET, with the exception of West Coast events that have later start times. Additionally, there will be free featured hole coverage on Thursday and Friday during the Golf Channel window (usually 3-6 pm ET).
There will also be free featured hole content scheduled for Saturdays and Sundays (8 am-6 pm ET) at 15 select events, as well as free featured group content on Saturday and Sunday (8 am-6 pm ET).
Thanks Mike for the review.
I am overseas and would like to catch up. When I open the app for Rounds 3-4 there is nothing. The time difference is 12 hours.
Must I stay up all night to watch live streaming? I bought the app because golf channel is unavailable thinking that I could wake up and get the replay.
What’s up?
March 3rd, 2018. I signed up for this lousy streaming app. It worked for one day and then nothing. What a waste of $39.99.
Just don’t do it, I will request a credit through my bank.
Can’t believe the PGA Tour would be this crooked?
Kenneth, I signed up back in February, and aside from a one-hour outage that they acknowledged on their Twitter account during the Valspar, it’s worked quite well. I’ve watched the featured groups each round, and occasionally the featured holes, and it’s been great. On iPads, iPhones, AppleTV, and browsers.
My problem is with the app, not the content. How do you have an (paid) app these days that doesn’t have Chromecast support? I mean, honestly.
I signed up for the monthly price to try it out after viewing the 10 minute free preview. My account verifies that my subscription is valid yet I can’t get past the ‘your preview has ended, please sign up’ screen. If I re-enter my card info it has an error and says I already have a subscription. I’ve been on hold with customer service (phone number) for over 45 minutes now. What a joke.
I am a female who loves to watch golf. The Matty/Caddie interaction I don’t like. To me it interferes with watching the game. I would very much prefer coverage from the usual commentators. Interviews and comedic quips ruin it. Thank you.