Generally, one would assume that the key feature of a golf broadcast is to show the golf.
But on USA Network on Friday, in a broadcast run by NBC, the Ryder Cup’s opening day featured a lot less golf than one would expect.
The broadcast opted not to show a lot of the shots being taken on the golf course.
In a tournament with 100-plus players, that makes sense.
In an event where there are just four matches going on, it seems a bit inexcusable.
We just got a “By the way, the second hole was tied with pars” on the broadcast…
THERE ARE ONLY THREE GROUPS ON THE COURSE. SHOW THE GOLF.
— Fore Play (@ForePlayPod) September 26, 2025
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Fans noticed, too.
This post on X summed it up pretty well:
.@NBCSports should be absolutely ashamed and embarrassed with this Ryder Cup coverage. Missing golf shots when there are only 8 balls on the course, commercials flooding the broadcast, audio out of sync. Unacceptable for arguably the best spectacle in golf.
— Kevin Stoicovy (@k_stoicovy) September 26, 2025
And there’s this one:
This Ryder Cup broadcast is a disgrace. I’ve seen probably 3 commercials per golf shot. #RyderCup pic.twitter.com/gXKJ6ISO3g
— bach (@rendanbach13) September 26, 2025
And this one brings it home:
The broadcast of the Ryder Cup may be the most horrendous broadcast I’ve ever seen from a major sports event. There’s no reason I’m only seeing half the shots and having to split screen half the time with commercials. Greedy broadcast
— Wolfpack Mort (@WolfpackMort) September 26, 2025
Fingers crossed that there’s at least a little improvement on this over the weekend.
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