Get ready for golf under the lights at LIV Golf Riyadh

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Anirban Lahiri suggests he and the 53 other LIV Golf players competing this week in Riyadh are playing the board game Monopoly.

“Land on chance and you pull a card,” the Crushers GC star said. “Everyone’s guessing what it’s going to be like.”

That’s because for the first time in LIV Golf history – and for one of the rare times at any professional golf event, especially with this caliber of field – the three rounds at LIV Golf Riyadh will be played under the lights at Riyadh Golf Club.

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As you might suspect, experience competing under the lights is practically non-existent among LIV Golf players. Some played a pro-am round last December here in Riyadh at the season-ending International Series event. Others have tried it as a lark if there was a lighted course near their home.

Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm recalls a par 3 course that had lights when he was growing up in Spain, but that won’t help him this week. “There's a difference between trying to hit a pitching wedge and a driver,” he said. “It's a whole different feel.”

Different … and perhaps a bit daunting. The next three days – er, nights – will present completely different challenges.

“It’s definitely a little more difficult judging distance and reading greens,” said Ripper GC’s Marc Leishman. “If you’re a bit offline off the tee, it’s going to be a bit harder to find your ball. Judging your lie – it’s just harder. But I think it’s cool.”

“Reading greens at night, it looks really flat compared to during the day,” added Smash GC’s Jason Kokrak. “You’ll see a lot of putts that fool a lot of people.”

Tournament officials and course set-up partners have worked diligently to reduce the amount of impact on the competition aspect this week.

In addition to the course’s 300-plus permanently installed lighting masts (with two to four lights on each mast), the crew from Behind The Volt, which handles lighting at LIV Golf events, added between 900 to 1,000 lighting fixtures since being commissioned several months ago.

Extensive testing and adjustments have been made. The shape of a hole determined placement of new lights. Eliminating glare was a priority. Lights needed to shine but couldn’t be an obstruction.

Lighting to help the players wasn’t the only consideration. How the golf will look on the LIV Golf broadcast that is now part of FOX Sports was also a factor. For instance, uplights were added to catch the ball flight.

Plus, LIV Golf Riyadh will also provide fans onsite with some colorful light shows away from competition, all controlled by a wireless network.

“It’s quite an involved process,” said Alan Muller of Behind The Volt. “There are so many perimeters that come into play.”

Despite the hard work and best efforts, however, it’s impossible to recreate a sunny day under the night skies.

As Muller said: “Unless you have a Goodyear blimp floating with lighting at every hole, you’re not going to get rid of the shadows.”

The players understand. Night golf is different. Temperatures will be cooler. The local shotgun start is after 6 p.m. Routines will be derailed.

“My biggest thing is being the 6:00 p.m. tee time,” Rahm said. “We're so used to by 6:00 p.m. we're home, almost thinking about dinner and going to bed if you're not having dinner. So, trying to shift that mentality of the schedule, it's been the most interesting part.”

Added Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann: “It's not normal to look up and see a moon instead of the sun. I feel like that has to change a little bit. You can maybe ask Bryson [DeChambeau] if that would change the air density.”

Perhaps the biggest factor in determining success this week will be the mental component. Those who embrace this unique challenge instead of feeling frustrated should thrive.

“All of us have go in with an open mind,” Lahiri said. “It’s going to be important to have a good attitude. There’s going to be moments where you look silly. The only thing is, you’re not the only one looking silly. Everybody will be feeling it.”

And for those taking a step back and looking at the big picture will be rewarded with an experience that’s totally unique to golf – and totally on brand with LIV Golf’s innovative approach to the sport.

“From the moment I found out we were going to play under the lights, I've been really excited,” Rahm said. “It's all about what LIV Golf is all about. It's innovating and creating a new product for the consumer.

“It reminds me a little bit to the first few times to a different scale when Formula 1 decided to go at night. TV looks very, very cool – and I hope golf comes out that way, as well.”