Rebels and decibels: What it’s like at a LIV golf event

BEDMINSTER, N.J. — Whatever you might think about the new league’s rebellious players, condensed 54-hole format or Saudi-backed billions in funding, LIV does deliver on its “Golf But Louder” mantra.

The music was inescapable during this month’s tour stop at Trump National. Speakers blared at the practice range, drowning out the rhythmic smack from club crushing ball, typically the sport’s beloved soundtrack.

Wander from tee to green, following a Phil Mickelson or Cam Smith along the fairway, and as one song faded out, another soon picked up volume. As players lined up their putts at No. 15, a DJ booth stood roughly 30 yards away, mixing tracks more suitable for the Meatpacking District at midnight than a Jersey country club in the mid-afternoon sun.

But nothing could prepare golf traditionalists for what happens at the launch of a LIV tournament. With the league’s shotgun-start format, a simultaneous launch used for company outings and charity events, all the players loaded into golf carts at the range as Van Halen’s “Panama” blasted through the sound system.

And once the scoreboard clock ticked down to the last few minutes, it was time for ACDC’s “Thunderstruck.” Then, of course, the skydivers.

You may have heard that LIV features a 12-team field to go with its individual competition, the 48 players divided into groups of four, with franchise names like the Mickelson-captained “HyFlyers” or Bubba Watson’s “RangeGoats.” But LIV also employs its own official parachute team, and a trio of skydivers floated down to the first hole’s fairway — narrowly avoiding the sand traps — as the crowd roared.

This was the sort of thing usually reserved for MetLife Stadium, right before kickoff, but the players seem used to the circus, as LIV is now into its 15th month of existence (with 25 events played during that span). At the Masters, the so-called patrons (fans) aren’t allowed to bring cell phones on the course, for…