The USGA has clamped down on unauthorized media production during official events following intense backlash over independent golf content creators filming their way through qualifying rounds.

Now, it clearly mentions where the cameras can go, where they cannot, and what happens if they get in the way.

"It appears the USGA is taking notice of Mr. Flusher’s tweet," wrote one X user named @paint_onwood, sharing the updated USGA's on-site content capture policy.

How did it all start?

Golfer Dalton Joyce, who posts under the handle "youngdalt" and has built a following of more than 54,000 followers on Instagram, entered a U.S. Open Local Qualifier at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas.

He carded a 10-over 82, well outside the number needed to advance, and posted about the round with honesty rather than embarrassment.

What drew attention wasn't the score — it was the production. Joyce had a cameraman with him documenting the round shot by shot, including a full breakdown of his worst hole, a quadruple-bogey on the sixth.

An X user @FlatironFlusher sparked a conversation at that time, saying, "Golf 'creators' are ruining competitive golf."

He argued that bringing a cameraman onto the green during play was intrusive and unfair to the other competitors in the group.

"No one asked for my opinion, but it does seem a bit crazy that we've reached a point where creators have a camera man out there filming them shoot 82 in what's supposed to be a serious qualifier. That's not to say Joyce isn't taking it very seriously, but we could be entering "slippery slope" territory," Golf Digest's Christopher Powers weighed in on the situation in his column.

"Next thing you know you'll see a YouTube video titled "I ate one donut per hole and shot 93 in a U.S. Open Local Qualifier," he added.

What the new USGA's on-site content capture policy states

Whether or not the timing was a direct reaction to the viral thread, the USGA has since clarified its rules for anyone bringing a camera or recording device to a qualifying site.

It clearly states:

1. One must get a media credential from the Allied Golf Association (AGA).
2. The cameraman cannot stand on the tee boxes where players start their shots. They stand on the greens where players putt. And they cannot stand in the fairways or bunkers. These places are 'inside the ropes,' and only players and officials can go there.
3. Filming from directly behind a player, or from within their line of putt, is not allowed.
4. Anyone capturing content has to clear sightlines for the rest of the group between shots.
5. Microphones and other audio equipment can't disrupt play or compromise a fellow competitor's privacy. Recording must stop the moment a competitor or an official asks.
6. Drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles are barred entirely from USGA qualifying sites.

And it also added at the end:

"Under no circumstance should caddies film or photograph players while on the course during a competition round."

Previously, the enforcement around qualifying rounds had been far looser. That gap is exactly what led to the Dalton Joyce incident happening in the first place.

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Written by

Md Saife Fida