Golf without fans present is better than no golf at all.

Well at least on a wayward tee shot there won't be any spectators who will be hit or to stop the ball. This is going to be interesting to watch!
I wonder if CBS will add canned crowd noise?

Might be some lost balls. I know they used to rely on us marshals to spot them under the big pecan trees along the left side of #14.

I wonder if we will see some bad lies and higher scores due to the non-existent gallery and errant balls not being stopped by anyone...

Golf doesn't need fans but they will be missed by some.

Or lost due to further offline adventures without a human backstop? Saw some mysterious lies "appear" with Manning and Brady on Sunday.

Don’t forget the laid down rough because of where the spectators stand. Gonna be thicker farther out on the errant shots!

It doesn't matter to me if they don't have fans. How can you possibly marshal thousands of people properly around an entire golf facility, given our current situation? Players and support staff safety is paramount. As far as wayward shots go, I'm sure that forecaddies will be used to spot those shots.

One thing I will not miss - the idiots screaming "Get in the Hole!", etc...

At an LPGA event and following Suzanne Petterson, who was in the hunt until a bogie on the 16th. 17th tee, 200 yard par 3 and I'm standing about 15' from her alongside the tee box. From impact you could see the ball hooking left toward a bunker and still in her follow-through the idiot next to me screams "Get in the Hole!". I turn to him and not nicely tell him to "Shut up!". He replies that he's just having fun. I said [sarcastically] it looks like it was real fun for Suzanne. She was NOT amused.

My hats off to you Rick for telling the guy to shut up. Geez I can't stand it when some moron out of the crowd yells that line!

I will not miss hearing that at the televised events without fans.

That badge display is very cool man! What an awesome way to preserve your memories

Thanks Eric. It was my pre-marshal years, 1986-2004. Wish i had something to display for the 2005-2014 seasons as a marshal. I kept the shirts and hats for a while but that was just too much. Still have good memories and a few pictures.

Hi guys,
BirdieBarty here (Caddie PGA European Tour / Team Titleist ambassador).

So on social media I received the last 3 days many incoming request with 1 one related question:
Why is mr. Furyk playing Titleist when he is under contract of cally.

I have decided to shine a little light on the moment and share it with you other Team Titleist members here on the forum as social media.

So let's start by the beginning. What happend? Jim Furyk was picking a club out of the bag during the Charles Schwab. When he removed his cally headcover there was a Titleist TS3 metal wood coming out.
Now many of you replied on the threat: "Shocking, Wauw, Why, etc."

Now, I have been on tour since 2003 (Royal St. Georges, British Open) let me be so kind to share a closer look from my 18+ years caddie experience.

So when a player is under contract, (doesn't matter which brand). For easy purpose to understand I will call it company X.
So when a player plays a tournament he is required to use the clubs of company X. However, depending on the type of contract a player is allowed to use 1 specific club (other than the putter) of 1 brand. So in real life scenerio that means you could end up using 3 types of brands in the bag.
Big shots, like Woods, McIlroy call them all.. they have a bit more tighter contract. Basically it comes down to money and influence on the audience.

Now when Fluff came in the Titleist tour truck earlier this week he asked if a rep was avaiable to have a look at Mr. Furyk. He required a bit more loft & carry distance. As progression was made with the TS3 Titleist asked if he was comfortable to place it in the bag for the week. (They do that for everyone on every tour).
And trust me! The Titleist reps check that!

But when it comes down to contracts, NDA's etc. etc. it comes down to 2 things, MONEY & influence.
So we caddies and players have been asked if you would use a different brand of your main sponsor. You use the headcover of your main sponsor. That is one golden rule!

In this case I don't find it shocking. This happends all the time and every week.
A player walks inside the tour truck, asking for something specific, like more distance, larger carry, lower/higher loft, stiffer flex , etc... I even had worked for a Titleist player saying the next week he wanted the same club, same specs but different design in weight. (he wanted a larger sound of the clubface when he hitted so he gets more confidence). I think it great to see over the last 2 years TS been absolutely great, players truelly like the TS3 model for shot shaping, control and more distance. I do see Titleist changing this in the next 1.5 year. Players feedback: The color & the line up logo). But that's for a different post on here.

If you have any further questions or ? marks on this topic come back to me or reply on this threat.
In the mean time if you want to stay more up to date with the inside on the tour. Add me on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/nl.birdiebarty

Thanks Bart. Most of us probably already knew this and understood how different contracts work, especially now that some of the larger companies no longer have the requirements of equipment, clothing, and ball all linked together. Suggest you move this topic to it's own thread as people will be looking here to discuss the Colonial which has now ended. You will get more interest and be able to answer questions if you just start a new topic under something like "Player Equipment Contracts". Cheers!

Great info BirdieBarty and thanks for sharing your knowledge.