Inaugural Optum Golf Channel Games Debut Under the Lights' in Primetime on Golf Channel and USA Network30+ cameras incorporated into the coverage, including multiple drones, a rail camera, and two cart camerasBy Mark J Burns, SVG Contributor Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - 2:26 pm
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Top professional golfers Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler headline the inaugural Optum Golf Channel Games competition tonight featuring four-man teams in a series of unique, made-for-TV challenges under the lights at Trump National Golf Club Jupiter on Golf Channel and USA Network.
The live, made-for-TV event, which is being launched by USA Sports (the newly branded sports arm of the Versant) in tandem with PGA Tour Studios, EverWonder Studio and Producer Bryan Zuriff, features both McIlroy and Scheffler each leading four-man teams through five events, such as a timed drive competition, 14-club challenge, and team relay.
I would think of it like an all-star weekend for golfers, says Mark Loomis, SVP of Production, Golf Channel and Producer of the Golf Channel Games. From the front bench [perspective], the whole key to this is if the players are having fun, then the viewer will have fun. And that's what this is really all about - trying to figure out a way where they are competing against each other but in an enjoyable way.
Creating An Entertaining Product From Scratch'Golf Channel Director Jeff Jastrow, who will be at the front bench alongside producer Chris Maguire, says the coordination and communication for this event was as much or more than the biggest events we do.
Adds TK title Chris Maguire: Collaboration is the result of effective coordination and communication. This project has been, perhaps, the most collaborative all-in effort across all departments of Golf Channel and, with the help of our partners at the PGA Tour and our technology/facilities vendors, it's the most collaborative project I have ever been a part of in the context of an abridged timeframe.
In our collective careers, our team has been behind the scenes of the biggest television events in sports, and I think they would all share in my opinion that this opportunity to create an entertaining product from scratch is what inspires and motivates crazy people like us who decided to pursue a career in sports television.
Competition coverage for the Golf Channel Games will be on-site at the Trump National Golf Club, with pre- and post-match shows conducted from Stamford, Conn.
Since the event is being aired in primetime at night, Versant/USA Sports needed to incorporate additional lights into the production compound, including placing more headlights and flashlights for the crew, according to Bridget Cugle, Director, Golf Remote Operations.
Meanwhile, Jastrow explains that he conducted his first site survey in July as he prepared to execute the Golf Channel Games. He performed two surveys to plot camera positions and refine the technical aspects, while production did at least two other surveys to dial in the competition format.
Jastrow says his camera plan has reached version 15 based on modifications made throughout the planning stages. During the preparation, camera towers were also plotted and a build book was created for vendor InProduction.
All The Bells & WhistlesA total of 32 cameras will be incorporated into the competition, according to Jastrow. There are 175 people on-site for the event, including broadcast talent, production staff, crew, and vendors.
There will be numerous bells and whistles for the competition, such as drone shot tracing and shot tracing from Trackman, Jastrow says. Some of the additional cameras will include a Steadicam, two Scorpion cranes, three super slo mo hard cameras, an RF X-mo camera, a rail camera for putting, two cart cameras, and another drone for broadcast coverage. A Technocrane will be situated on an exposed platform behind the set to cover the range area, too.
There was also a brand new graphics package created for the event. All eight players will wear a microphone and Airpods for audio monitoring, too.
What I'm most excited to debut is the look of the graphics package designed by Two Fresh, which is a breath of fresh air in the golf space, adds Maguire, and a look, I think, that captures the essence of the event.
Octagon has managed the overall event and logistics for the Golf Channel Games. Filmwerks provided the set for tonight's competition, while USA Sports also worked with lighting vendor Musco. Illumination Dynamics provided set lighting services.
Broadcasters for the Golf Channel Games will include Steve Sands (play by play) and Keith Mitchell (analyst), in addition to on-course commentary provided by Smylie Kaufman, Brad Faxon, and Johnson Wagner. The pre-game show - hosted by Anna Jackson and Wagner with special commentary from Kai Trump, starts at 7 p.m. followed by the event, with a post-show scheduled to begin around 10:30 p.m.
How It Works The Optum Golf Channel Games will be comprised of five challenges: Timed Drive Competition, Timed Short Game Competition, 14-Club Challenge (Two Players, One Bag), Team Relay, and Captains' Challenge (Rory vs. Scottie)
We've been spending the last few months trying to figure out how to do something that would be a little different, says Loomis. When we started originally, we were thinking Drive, Chip, and Putt. How could we add some urgency to it? How could we do some stuff that people haven't seen before?
First up will be the Timed Drive Competition in which players compete in head-to-head duels with two minutes on the clock and must combine power and accuracy to launch drives into a scoring grid.
A combination of chipping and putting precision is required in the Short Game Challenge. Players hit shots from multiple locat
