Jim Costigan speaks to the Rotary Club of Aiken on June 24 at Newberry Hall.

While working as the director of security and safety at Augusta National Golf Club and serving in a similar position for LIV Golf, one of Jim Costigan's major concerns, he said was "people do crazy."

In some cases, "you have the luxury of the tickets to an event being so valuable that people won't act out... because they'll lose their tickets for life," he told the Rotary Club of Aiken on June 24 at Newberry Hall. "[But] sometimes people just want to make a statement or want their 15 minutes of fame."

Costigan mentioned a recent example of such a problem. It occurred June 23 at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut, where climate change activists stormed the 18th green.

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"That's what we were always fighting against, these types of things," he said.

Making everyone feel safe and keeping them safe are priorities at professional golf tournaments, and to do so, "you have to have a visible security deterrent," according to Costigan.

"Putting ... long guns, long weapons at the gates really gives a sense to the seriousness to the security," he said. "When you see a SWAT officer as you are walking up to a gate, you're going to realize there is a heightened level here and everybody is concerned."

Also important is a standard process in which "everybody goes through the same thing; everybody get into a tournament the same way," Costigan said.

Another priority is a communication plan.

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It should involve the "strategic thinkers," the tactical people who respond to a problem and the tournament's ticket holders, according to Costigan.

In addition, "you have to have adequate resources to dispatch people when needed to address an issue," he said.

Law enforcement officers and first responders that are hired for security purposes should be calm and under control, Costigan believes.

They also need to be knowledgeable when someone asks a question.

"You've got to spend the time up front before you start the tournament to make sure that everybody is aware of where things (like exits and medical facilities) are located throughout the course or the tournament," Costigan said.

A difference between the Masters Tournament at Augusta National and LIV Golf tournaments is that spectators can keep their mobile phones with them while attending the latter's events.

"At the Masters, I had a cellphone and I would hide so I could talk on my cellphone and people wouldn't notice," Costigan said. "At LIV, I had a cellphone and I would have to hide [to have a conversation] because I couldn't hear because they were playing music the whole time the tournament was going on."

From a security standpoint, patrons having access to their mobile phones at a golf tournament is helpful, in Costigan's opinion.

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"You can do a public service text broadcast to all the fans and let them know that we're going through a thunderstorm watch or what's going on if there is an issue," he said.

During a question and answer session following Costigan's Rotary talk, someone asked how much it cost to provide security for a golf tournament.

"I can speak for LIV," Costigan said. "My average LIV tournament budget was about $1.5 million a tournament."