LIV Golf's Trump course event was part-political rally, part-music fest, and part-exhibition — what worked and what didn't

• LIV Golf has shaken up the sport with huge paydays for players and promising to fans, "Golf, but louder."
• I attended the LIV tournament held at Trump National in Bedminster, New Jersey over the weekend to see the product in person.

BEDMINSTER, NEW JERSEY — Golf, but louder.

That is the slogan, and promise, of LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed, breakaway league that has already shaken up the top-tier of the sport. In just a few months, LIV has poached some of the top players in the world away from the PGA Tour, as well as several big names that are still impressive draws for fans despite having their best days behind them.

Over the weekend, LIV hosted its third event at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Walking the course for the final round on Sunday, the atmosphere felt like a mix of Coachella and a Trump rally, with some golf thrown in for good measure.

In person, the LIV experience is somewhat surreal. Throughout the final round on Sunday, speakers continued to blare music across the course, even as players hit shots that would go on to decide millions in potential earnings.

"It's golf, but louder," I overhead one fan say walking past the practice green. "It really is," his friend replied. "They weren't exaggerating."

At times it felt like Trump was the biggest star on the course

At the first tee, former President Trump greeted fans who had come out to see the event. It was as packed as the crowd would be for hours.

As chants of "Four more years!" broke out, it appeared that some in the crowd were as excited to see the former president as they were the golfers taking part in the tournament.

Near the rope, a woman shouted out, asking for Trump's autograph as he made the rounds shaking hands. Trump eventually obliged, earning a cheer from the crowd. The woman turned to celebrate. "I need a beer!" she exclaimed.

In the background, Coldplay's "Adventure of a Lifetime" transitioned into Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop the Feeling," which in turn gave way to Daft Punk's "Get Lucky."

After Trump left the first tee, the crowd thinned out significantly by the time the next group was ready to tee off.

If you've ever wanted to get up close with some of the best golfers in the world, attending a LIV event offers you quite an opportunity to do so.

As Trump made his way away from the action, I walked towards the course.

LIV Golf is attempting to bring a festival atmosphere to the sport, similar to the recently revamped NFL Draft

Across the course, the energy was like that of the early afternoon hours at a music festival, but with Nike ballcaps replacing flower crowns, and performance polos in place of throwback basketball jerseys. The Chainsmokers were even scheduled to play after the conclusion of the event.

Fans walked the course to find their favorite players after LIV's shotgun start, carrying light beers and seltzers as they enjoyed the sunshine. It felt similar to the effort that the NFL has recent put into the draft, turning what could be an internal spreadsheet into a party that stops in a new city every year. Sure, there is golf here, but there's other stuff too.

LIV Golf's design team has done well to create an overarching aesthetic that was displayed throughout the course, with many Instagram-ready spots for fans to snap photos.

The music did not let up.

Early in the day, I watched as Louis Oosthuizen eyed up a tricky 12-footer for a birdie with a song blasting in the background. My mind kept waiting for a hush to fall over the crowd, but it never came. Oosthuizen pushed his putt just a bit wide.

As one moved away from the epicenter of the course, the music faded a bit, but never fully, with speakers strategically placed across the course.

By this point, the political rally energy had given way nearly entirely to that of Golfapalooza. While one could still see a good amount of Trump hats and shirts around the grounds, most of the times an overeager fan attempted to start chants of "Four more years!" or "Let's go, Brandon!" they would peter out quickly.

Instead, people relaxed and watched golf. Nearly every fan I spoke with said they were having a good time, with some buying tickets online for $75, and others getting them for free through friends or friends of friends.

I met Mark and Skyler, waiting along the sixth fairway. They had come early and gotten some free swag from LIV as a result — a water bottle, coozies, tees, and ball markers. It was their first time attending a golf tournament in person.

"It being close definitely helps," Mark told me. "Thought it would be a fun Sunday."

LIV Golf made an effort to target locations that might be overlooked by the PGA Tour, and several fans noted that as a reason they were out to enjoy the LIV event.

Eventually, Mark and Skyler's friend Jack came to meet us. Unlike his buddies, he had been to a PGA Tour event before, and said he was having a better time with LIV.

"More fun," Jack said, when asked the biggest difference between the events. "There's more stuff to do. When you walked in it didn't feel like a golf event."

There certainly was plenty to do.

Should fans tire of walking the course, they could head to the Fan Village, a centrally located hub that featured a bar, food trucks, and a few air conditioned tents to help cool off.

Inside the tents, fans could get a few drives in on a golf simulator. Jacob was proud to slam this one 300 yards as he and two friends took some swings while awaiting the leaders to make their way towards the 18th hole.

The food trucks were also a nice festival touch, and they weren't stuck solely in the Fan Village, but placed throughout the course.

Wherever you saw a generic concessions stand, there was a food truck option parked nearby.

Prices were tough, but not dissimilar from what you might find at other sporting events.

While everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves on the course, one thing that stood out was how little the golf seemed to matter.

LIV has touted its team competition as a differentiator between itself and the PGA Tour. With time, the teams could come to mean something, but this early in its existence, they still feel a bit silly.

"The Majesticks are my team," I heard one fan saying by the practice green upon entry.

"Oh yeah, I love Lee Westwood," his friend replied.

"Oh is he on that team too?!" the first fan said.

Westwood is the captain of the Majesticks, as one more fan now assuredly knows.

LIV Golf is here, but does it mean anything?

Another aspect of the golf struggling to find meaning was the fact that LIV Golf's format is difficult to track. Because of the league's shotgun starts, it is extremely tough to track which players are where and how likely they are to catch the leaders.

Despite several large scoreboards that were updating with each passing hole, it was difficult to tell where the action was on the course.

Further, the facts of LIV Golf make it difficult to engage with at times.

On what was the last round of the event, when everything is set to be decided, very few players were within striking distance of the leaders. Knowing that most of these players recently signed guaranteed deals with LIV worth as much as — if not more than — the prizes they are playing for, it can be tough to feel like there's much action to be had on the course.

The lack of energy could be felt across the course, for fans that were following any groups aside from the leaders or Phil Mickelson, who carried a large set of supporters with him hole-by-hole despite finishing the weekend six strokes over par.

Fans Peter and Tom set up camp on the 11th fairway and decided to watch the entire field play through the hole. Aside from the big groups, the scene was sometimes rather grim.

"It must be demoralizing," Peter told me, pointing out to Jason Kokrak, who was playing in his first LIV event after making the jump from the PGA Tour as the 37th ranked player in the world. "There's no one here."

Peter and Tom would both get up to cheer on the groups as they played through, determined to give them some support. Their cheers could be heard by players on the course extremely clearly.

Still, the crowds were gathered where the action was. By the time I made my way back to the 18th green, the closest I could get was on the other side of a water feature with a camera rig in my way.

As someone who has on several occasions settled for obstructed views during the headliner's set at a festival, I made peace with my place.

After a while Trump was back on the green waving to the crowd.

Chants of "Let's Go Brandon!" broke out again. The playlist shuffled between "I Gotta Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas and "Jump Around" by House of Pain and eventually to "Poison" by Bell Biv Devoe.

Eventually, the final group to play the 18th readied for their approach shots. Henrik Stenson, who was making his LIV debut this week after being stripped of the European Ryder Cup captaincy for his decision to join the new league, was leading the tournament by two strokes. If he took care of business here, he'd secure a win and $4 million.

"Senorita" by Justin Timberlake played over the speakers.

Guys sing
It feels like something's heating up, can I leave with you?
And ladies
I don't no but I'm thinking 'bout really leaving with you

"Senorita" gives way to "Suit and Tie."

Stenson took two putts and won the tournament.

"Eye of the Tiger" hits the speakers in celebration of Stenson's victory.

Next to me, a woman says to no one in particular, "Take that... all you people that took things away from him."

Loud, but golfier

At that point, I thought the surreal day might be over, but the podium ceremony was still left to go.

Trump was once again on stage, having enjoyed a walk through the clubhouse accompanied by Fox News' Tucker Carlson and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

On the podium, the top three finishers are honored, followed by a champagne spray by the winning team, this time, the 4 Aces.

Once the ceremony was over, all that was left was the concert. At some point during the day, the Chainsmokers canceled and were replaced by Wyclef Jean.

A somewhat sparse, but happy crowd had settled in front of the festival stage as he opened with "Ready or Not."

Having been asked to put my hands in the air enough times in my lifetime, I left after his first song.

On the walk back to my car, Stenson could be seen taking photos with fans celebrating his victory.

LIV Golf has a lot to offer for fans attending in person — a party atmosphere, with some golf involved as well. The production of it all was an impressive feat, as well. It's clear that LIV is putting up plenty of money to throw its events in addition to all the cash it's giving its players directly.

Still, LIV has a long way to go in terms of golf. While its roster has improved with each passing event, there still isn't enough star power to make the events feel like anything more than a supersized exhibition.

Golf, but louder.

They have the loud part down; the golf could still use some work.