As a course owner, I spent the entire telecast cringing.
I've spent the last two months being extra careful in fear of being shut down for not taking precautions, yet the lack of BASIC precautions compared to last weeks' broadcast was shocking. For example:
1. All four of them standing directly next to each other on an otherwise empty driving range. How hard would it have been to put an extra spot in between them?
2. Lots of high fives/fist bumps - really?
3. Pulling the flagstick on every hole - something that is universally not done right now.
4. The convoy of golf carts behind them was at least double last week's fleet. In addition to the multitude of cameras and other people doing who knows what, there was one guy following them and the only thing he appeared to be doing was recording every shot on his iphone. Because the 20 video cameras and 5 professional photographers wasn't good enough?
5. Standing literally shoulder to shoulder reading greens
6. You could throw a hula hoop over all four of them when they were presenting the check at the end.And, as an added bonus, I got to watch Phil drive his cart right up to the green and practically onto the tee box on half a dozen holes. (The others usually stayed on the cart path).
Our marshall's job is hard enough without pros setting a bad example. If this was at a regular golf course in a newly opened state, it would be on the news and golf courses would be shut down again. At a certain point I got the impression that it was deliberate, not sure why?