The 2023 Solheim Cup wasn’t a pleasant experience for many, especially those who tried to watch it from the comfort of their homes. Fast forward a year, and the next edition of the biennial event seems to have hit the same mark as well. The way the opening ceremony was carried out was bashed by many golfing enthusiasts.

“Is this already going down as the worst #SolheimCup opening ceremony?” inquired a fan, alluding to the coverage of the event’s start on Thursday. He then made sure to point out the “awful camera angles, poor sound feed, badly timed walk-ons,” before urging SkySportsGolf to do better. “We can do better than this to support Women’s Golf! You’ve not even put it on your main golf channel!”

This was just one of the many concerns that fans revealed during the biennial event’s opening ceremony. Some highlighted the poor service at the prestigious tournament’s host venue, specifically regarding parking and bus tickets. To say they were dissatisfied would be a severe understatement.

Fans bash the 2024 Solheim Cup ahead of its first tee

The year 2023 saw Sky Sports raking in a lot of criticism owing to bad coverage of the sport and the lack of clarity in the broadcast. A picture of Georgia Hall’s tees on the back of her head, using the tied hairstyle as a holder for the equipment, went viral last year. Due to the poor clarity of the image, many commented on the live coverage. The pattern seems to be the same this year, with the broadcasting network not airing the event on its main channel.

A follower aptly pointed it out as they commented, “100% Agree. Definitely the worst that I have seen. Sad to see it being put on Sky Sports+.Women’s Golf needs to be cherished & nurtured more by all of the stakeholders who can make a big difference in showcasing the Women’s Golf Premier Event. These brilliant golfers deserve far better.” Another enthusiast, at the same time, bashed the NBC Channel and dubbed it “ridiculous” as they responded, “NBC is at it again. Turned on the Golf Channel to watch the Solheim Cup opening ceremonies. Was told to go to the NBC Sports website. The website told me I had to download the app. Now I’m doing that. Ridiculous.”

The parking spot for vehicles at the 2024 Solheim Cup was located at an off-site known as the Jiffy Lube Live, with the disabled parking spots being served on a first-come, first-serve basis. The official site also revealed that complimentary shuttle service would be provided to and from the golf club. However, the number of buses was not nearly enough, according to a couple of spectators who attended the opening ceremony.

One person came forward to comment on the same as well; “unbelievably horrible service to get spectators back out to the busses/ parking lot after the opening ceremony. Someone should be fired & made to refund us all the money we’ve spent on overpriced parking, tickets, and especially merchandise.” Another user, at the same time, hoped for a better situation on Friday: “Bussing to and from the event was a total fail! Wow! How can the Solheim mess this up soooo bad? I hope they have 100+ busses for the next three days or they’ll be a lot of pissed off people.”

The Opening Ceremony of the biennial event took place at 4:30 p.m. on The Great Lawn, followed by a concert featuring Jordan Davis. Even though fans didn’t need to purchase any extra tickets to watch the musical performance, many spotted a lot of empty seats at the venue. “Very disappointed by the opening ceremony of the #Solheim Cup,” responded a fan as they expressed disappointment over the state of the ceremony. “So many empty seats & a lackluster opening ceremony. Then to see that the lion-hearted warrior that is @leona_maguire, who has been the backbone for Europe in the last 2 Solheim Cups is not selected for the Foursomes.“

A lot of people were upset with the start of the Solheim Cup. Fans would surely want a better experience over the next three days and hope that the issues from 2023 wouldn’t repeat. What about you? What did you think of the coverage and the ceremony?