TV coverage of Day 1 of the 2026 Presidents Cup started at noon ET. The first match was off about 35 minutes later. It wasn't long after that for the bellyaching to start.
Golf fans are nothing if not vocal on social media when it comes to TV coverage. Missed shots are bemoaned and the commercial load is high on the list of complaints.
Over the first 60 minutes of competition today at the Presidents Cup, there were 15 minutes, 45 seconds of commercials on Golf Channel.
— Josh Carpenter (@JoshACarpenter) September 24, 2026
Four full commercial breaks (11:15 total)
Two "Playing Through" breaks (4:30 total)
Those who put on the event need to recoup their investment, of course, but fans just want to watch the live golf, especially of an event that only comes around every two years.
It’s been so bad. Literally
what is most compelling about match play is seeing the match unfold from hole to hole. Impossible to do that if showing actual golf is not a priority https://t.co/C6aEGpy79T
— Paolo Uggetti (@PaoloUggetti) September 24, 2026
Golf Channel is carrying 6½ hours of Thursday's Day 1 and 5 hours of Friday's Day 2, the lone TV channel carrying live coverage of the first two days at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago. Golf Channel will then have the first hour on Saturday before handing it off to NBC, which will simulcast its live TV coverage on its streaming service Peacock.
NBC will have 10 hours of live golf Saturday, from 9 a.m. ET to 7 p.m. ET and six more hours on Sunday, from noon ET to 6 p.m. ET.
Will the bellyaching subside when NBC takes over? We'll see but an early poll on X conducted by No Laying Up is predominantly against the way coverage has been handled so far.
How is the broadcast so far?
— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) September 24, 2026
Two groups on the course and Sungjae hitting one off the fence back into play and it’s not live.
— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) September 24, 2026
Broadcast misses three of the tee shots on two entirely.
Just very unserious.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Golf fans already unhappy with the live TV coverage of the Presidents Cup
