Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
LIV Golf has harnessed a number of strategies in an attempt to differentiate itself from the PGA Tour, which includes the party atmosphere it tries to generate at its events. The league has tried to take that part of its game to the next level with its own line of alcoholic beverages, but it’s facing some resistance from a distillery in Long Island that’s taken it to court.
It’s been four years since the LIV Golf Experiment officially got underway, and the league that kicked off its inaugural season in 2022 is currently in the midst of its fifth one while waging a seemingly endless battle to justify its existence.
LIV Golf has abandoned a couple of features it initially harnessed to try to set itself apart from the PGA Tour. The most notable is the decision to switch to a 72-hole format after starting with a three-round set-up that inspired its name, but players are also no longer allowed to wear shorts on the course unless the heat index hits 90°F.
That second tweak was part of a strategy to make its event seem less formal, which also involves pumping music on the course during play and having a dedicated “Party Hole” where fans are encouraged to generate the kind of energy that defines the WM Phoenix Open, the one stop on the PGA Tour where decorum has historically been chucked out the window.
As is the case with most golf tournaments, there’s no shortage of alcohol to be found on the course, but LIV Golf’s attempt to launch its own brand has hit a bit of a snag.
LIV Golf is being sued by a distillery on Long Island over a trademark dispute
According to records filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on August 15, 2025, LIV Golf revealed its intentions to enter the booze game with an application that concerns “alcoholic beverages except beers,” which has the potential to include “distilled liquor.”
That led to drinks with names like LIV Clubhouse Cooler and the LIV It Up Bloody Mary being served up at its tournaments, but according to ESPN, the organization has been hit with a legal challenge from a Long Island distillery that claims it’s already secured the right to the “LIV” name in that particular space.
The distillery in question is Long Island Spirits, which is based in Baiting Hollow, NY and has produced a vodka dubbed “LiV” (short for Long Island Vodka) for close to two decades.
The brand’s legal argument is pretty standard. It alleges LIV Golf’s offerings have the potential to create “widespread confusion amongst customers” while “depressing sales,” arguing it deserves punitive damages for “willful and intentional unfair competition and misuse” of the trademark it holds.
This is probably near the bottom of the list of things LIV Golf currently has to worry about in the grand scheme of things, but it’s still another headache that will need to be dealt with.