LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman praises Chatham Hills during visit to Westfield

LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman said Thursday that spectators at the golf circuit’s tournament in Westfield next year will experience a “100% different” type of atmosphere than they’ve become accustomed to at professional golf events.

Norman, who was in Westfield to work on modifications to The Club at Chatham Hills course, said the team-style approach and shotgun starts—where every player starts at the same time, on different holes—brings a new layer of excitement to the tour. He added that he’s confident central Indiana will be quick to embrace LIV’s style.

Westfield officials announced in mid-November that LIV would host its first individual player championship at Chatham Hills in 2025, with a three-day event running Aug. 15-17, ahead of the group’s team-focused postseason tournament.

The event, which will be the first top-tier professional golf event hosted by the course, is expected to draw up to 25,000 spectators per day.

LIV Golf tour stops differ from more traditional events hosted by the PGA Tour, both in format and atmosphere. LIV plays 54 holes over a weekend (LIV is the Roman numeral for 54) compared with the PGA’s 72-hole events.

LIV events are also known for being more raucous than those hosted by the PGA. The tour uses the slogan “Golf, But Louder” to promote itself, piping in background music through speakers at the tees and greens while players compete, and encouraging fans to create a festival-like—but family-friendly—atmosphere.

“We have music, we have a fan village, we have concerts,” said Norman, who won 88 professional golf tournaments including two majors as a player and now leads one of the world’s leading course design firms. “You have 54 of the best players in the world on the golf course at the same time under the same weather conditions, so everything is equal. it’s a whole new, unique experience.”

LIV uses a scorecard system to determine the best courses for the tour. Norman said the residential aspect of Chatham—it’s within an affluent neighborhood with houses lining the greens—was a big win as the circuit evaluated its options for a new event. He didn’t discuss other courses in central Indiana that may have been under consideration.

“From our perspective, we wouldn’t have made the decision to come here if that scorecard wasn’t [great], right?” he said. “Our players like to rent houses, so from a player’s perspective, you’ve got 54 happy guys, you’ve got happy wives, happy caddies, so that helps a lot.”

The par-72 course is the final course designed and brought to fruition by the late Pete Dye, a titan in the industry. Henke Development has committed to investing $2 million in upgrades to the course, the clubhouse and pro shop.

Norman said he worked closely with the Henke family to integrate course improvements that didn’t disrupt Dye’s original design. Norman and Dye were close friends and competitors in golf architecture.

Norman has visited the course several times over the past eight months and spent at least two hours walking the links with Steve Henke and several others on Thursday afternoon.

The two-time British Open winner said another selling point for bringing the LIV tour to central Indiana is the area’s affinity for major sporting events.

Norman has direct experience with the city’s reputation for hosting such activities. He served as the Indianapolis 500 pace car driver in 1998 and attended this year’s U.S. Olympic swimming trials at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The event is expected to have an economic impact of $21 million to $30 million, according to officials.

“I think just the data point, that 5 million people come in here a year for sports, is enough to tell you the importance of what sport means to this area and this community,” he said, pointing to recent figures from the Indiana Sports Corp. and Visit Indy about the city’s sports tourism market. “The economic impact that we’ll have within the region is phenomenal. I think [spectators will] experience something that’s going to be very unique to them. I look forward to being with them, showcasing it and bringing the players here.”

Norman on Thursday also acknowledged that when Westfield hosts its event in 2025 (it also has an option for 2026), he will likely not hold the title of CEO for the tour. ESPN first reported last week that LIV in the coming days is expected to hire former NBA and NHL executive Scott O’Neil to replace Norman as its CEO and commissioner.

“I’m very, very proud of what I’ve done, but … like in anything, any business, it’s the vision and belief in the model,” he said, noting he hopes and expects to continue to be involved with the tour. “The skill set can be different and my skill set is different than the new CEO’s skill set. So, by changing up the skill set and bringing the two together, you’re going to have a better product going forward.

“I think it’s great that we’re doing that, because it’s telling [observers] that we’ve filled out our C-suite with quality people in the sporting world that know how to build a franchise model. So building on that is critically important. Will I be still be involved with LIV in some shape or form? I’m planning on it, because I love what I’m doing.”