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With more people than ever ditching cable television and cutting the cord, the necessity for live streaming sports is becoming increasingly important. Fortunately, supply is meeting that demand in the form of over-the-top streaming services, which allow you to watch a handful of channels for a monthly fee.
When it comes to watching the PGA Tour, there are a handful of networks that will have broadcasting rights throughout the year:
The Golf Channel, which will have coverage of every tournament except for the US Open; CBS, which will have coverage of the PGA Championship, as well as weekend coverage of several other tournaments; NBC, which will have coverage the Open Championship, the Tour playoffs and the Presidents Cup; Fox and Fox Sports 1; which will have coverage of the US Open; and finally, TNT, which will have coverage of the PGA Championship
When it comes to watching the most golf online without cable, our recommendation is Sling TV, but DirecTV Now and Fubo TV are some other alternates with different pros and cons, while CBS All Access may be a smart add-on to whatever package you choose.
Here’s a complete rundown of your streaming options:
The Cheapest Option: Sling TV
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There are many factors that go into choosing an over-the-top streaming service, but if your main goal is to watch the most golf for the cheapest, Sling TV is going to be your best option. If you go with Sling’s “Blue” package ($25 per month) along with the “Sports Extra” add-on ($10 per month), you can watch every golf channel with the exception of CBS (we cover how to watch CBS for cheap further down in this article).
Here’s a rundown of the Sling Blue + Sports Extra package:
Golf Channels Included: Golf Channel, NBC, Fox, (NBC and Fox are live in certain markets. You can click here to see if they are available in your area), Fox Sports 1, TNT
Total Channels Included: 50-plus, depending on local channels available. You can find the complete channel list right here
Price: $35 per month
Extras: Watch on three different devices at once; 50 hours of cloud DVR is $5 per month extra
Free Trial: 7 days
How to Sign Up & Watch:
1. Click here to go to the Sling TV website
2. Click on “Watch Now 7 Days Free” and then create an account
3. Select the channel package you want. Again, the “Sling Blue” bundle will include NBC, Fox, Fox Sports 1 and TNT, while the “Sports Extra” add-on includes the Golf Channel
4. Enter your payment information. The “Sling Blue” package costs $25 per month, while the “Sports Extra” add-on is another $10 per month. If you cancel your subscription within seven days of signing up, you will not be charged
5. Download the Sling app on your computer or mobile device and begin watching TV. If you’re interested in watching Sling TV on a mobile or streaming device, you can do so via their app, which is free to download. You can click here for a full list of compatible devices
Most Channels: DirecTV Now
As is the case with Sling TV, DirecTV Now’s bundles don’t include CBS, but all of the other golf channels are available through the company’s “Go Big” bundle. It’ll run you $60 per month, but if you’re willing to pay a little extra, you’ll be getting a far superior channel lineup.
Here’s a rundown of the “Go Big” package:
Golf Channels Included: Golf Channel, NBC, Fox (NBC and Fox are live in certain markets. You can click here to see if they’re available in your area), Fox Sports 1, TNT
Total Channels Included: 100-plus, depending on local channels available. You can find the complete channel list right here
Price: $60 per month
Extras: Watch on two different devices at the same time; No DVR
Free Trial: 7 days
How to Sign Up & Watch:
1. Click here to go to the DirecTV Now website
2. Click on “Start your free trial now” and then create an account
3. Select the channel package you want. The “Live a Little” bundle will include NBC, Fox, Fox Sports 1 and TNT, while the “Go Big” bundle adds the Golf Channel to that
4. Enter your payment information. The “Live a Little” package costs $35 per month, and the “Go Big” package is $60 per month. If you cancel your subscription within seven days of signing up, you will not be charged
5. Return to the DirecTV Now website to start watching on your desktop. You can also watch via the DirecTV Now, which is available via a handful of different mobile or streaming devices. You can click here for the complete list of compatible devices
A New Option: Fubo TV
If you’re looking to test out a new product and you’re not concerned about the lack of CBS or TNT, Fubo TV is an interesting option. The service includes the Golf Channel, NBC, Fox and Fox Sports 1. Also worth noting: Fubo is a fledgling product that’s still growing its arsenal of channels. It’s possible the service will add more channels as the year goes on.
Though it’s more expensive than Sling’s “Blue” package, Fubo TV is only $35 per month, has a DVR feature at no extra cost and offers a mostly sports-based channel lineup. It also includes NBA TV, Big Ten Network, Fox Soccer Plus and all 10 of the beIN Sports networks. Moreover, if you’re at a computer, you’ll also have the opportunity to watch TV right in your Internet browser without having to download a desktop app. And lastly, the service allows you to sign in using your Facebook or Google account — a nice perk that not all services offer.
Here’s the rundown:
Golf Channels Included: Golf Channel, NBC, Fox (NBC and Fox are live in certain markets. You can click here to see if they’re available in your area), Fox Sports 1
Total Channels Included: 58 (You can find the complete channel list here)
Price: $34.99 per month
Extras: Watch on two different devices at once; three DVR spots for free
Free Trial: 7 days
How to Sign Up & Watch:
1. Click here to sign up and launch your free trial. You’ll need to enter your credit card information when signing up, but if you cancel your subscription before the trial ends, you won’t be charged.
2. If you’re on a computer, you can start watching TV right away in your Internet browser without having to download a desktop app. If you’re on a mobile device, download the Fubo app.
Click here to download the app in the iTunes App Store
Click here to download the app in the Google Play Store
Full list of compatible devices can be found here
How to Watch CBS Without Cable
For die-hard golf fans, watching CBS is important. Not only will the network have coverage of the PGA Championship in August, but it will have weekend coverage of the following tournaments between June and the end of the year: The Memorial Tournament, FedEx St. Jude Classic, Travelers Championship, Quicken Loans National, The Greenbrier Classic, John Deere Classic, RBC Canadian Open, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Wyndham Championship and The Northern Trust.
You may be able to get CBS by hooking up a digital antenna to your TV, but if you want to watch on a computer or mobile device, you can sign up for CBS All Access, which allows viewers in most markets to stream CBS live online for $5.99 per month.