Serious structural problems in the stadium that was being conscientiously built for the TGL forced the postponement until 2025 of the launch of this new ‘indoor’ golf competition. But as the start date approaches, details are beginning to be confirmed about this technological league launched by TMRW Sports, a company shared by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
For example, it is known that the premiere is scheduled for the evening of January 7, 2025, in prime time on ESPN. “January is a fantastic month for fans looking for prime time sports and the launch of TGL will complement the start of the PGA Tour season and take advantage of ESPN’s promotional machinery through its coverage of the NFL playoffs and college football,” says Mike McCarley, founder and CEO of TMRW Sports.
Many stars from the American golf circuit participate in this new technological league. Below we review the confirmed teams:
Atlanta Drive GC
Players:
- Justin Thomas
- Patrick Cantlay
- Billy Horschel
- Lucas Gloves
Team logo:
What we’re all about.
https://t.co/OeUBMlV0NA pic.twitter.com/47hfiXoqSB
— Atlanta Drive GC (@atlantadrivegc) October 10, 2023
Owners:
The shareholding of Atlanta Drive GC is headed by Arthur Blank and AMB Sports and Entertainment, which manages the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United and the PGA Tour Superstores.
Boston Commn GC
Players:
- Rory McIlroy
- Keegan Bradley
- Adam Scott
Team logo:
Any early favorites? pic.twitter.com/1mzb3dPu2Y
— Boston Common Golf (@commongolf) October 30, 2023
Owners:
Fenway Sports Group is the owner of Boston Common. The group also owns the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Los Angeles Golf Club
Players:
- Collin Morikawa
- Tommy Fleetwood
- Sahith Theegala
- Justin Rose
Team logo:
LOS ANGELES GOLF CLUB REVEALS OFFICIAL TEAM LOGO + COLORS https://t.co/SPHvn2oWA0
— LAGC (@WeAreLAGC) October 13, 2023
Owners:
Group led by Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Alexis Ohanian.
New York Golf Club
Players:
- Rickie Fowler
- Xander Schauffele
- Matt Fitzpatrick
- Cam Young
Team logo:
🚨🐦⬛⛳️ #NEW: The New York Golf Club is the latest team to be unveiled by @TGL. The team which is backed by Mets owner Steve Cohen, will feature PGA Tour stars Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler, Cameron Young and Matt Fitzpatrick. (Via: @SBJ | @JoshACarpenter) pic.twitter.com/M7ccrZaXLk
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) April 2, 2024
Owners:
Cohen Private Ventures.
The Bay Golf Club
Players:
- Wyndham Clark
- Ludvig Aberg
- Min Woo Lee
- Shane Lowry
Team logo:
A golf brand that reflects the swagger, joy and fun coming to the game.
A brand that pays homage to the innovative spirit of our home market and the championship pedigree of our roster and ownership group. pic.twitter.com/wPRiqtzxJ0
— The Bay Golf Club (@TheBayGolf) May 6, 2024
Owners:
The property is led by Avenue Sports Fund, by Marc Lasry.
Jupiter Links Golf Club
Players:
- Tiger Woods
- Max Homa
- Tom Kim
- Kevin Kisner
Team logo:
We are Jupiter Links Golf Club 🌴 pic.twitter.com/aYYCMudpFo
— Jupiter Links Golf Club (@JupiterLinksGC) April 22, 2024
Owners:
The group of owners is led by Woods’ TGR Ventures and David Blitzer.
Game Format
Each match will consist of two sessions with different formats. The first session will include 9 holes of ‘Triples‘, three against three in alternate shot teams. The second session will consist of 6 holes of ‘Singles‘, a head-to-head competition in which each competitor plays two holes.
Holes are worth 1 point and the team with fewer strokes on a hole wins the point. Ties are worth 0 points. If at the end of the 15 holes the match is tied, the players will compete head-to-head until one team gets two strokes closer to the flag than their competitors.
Players will have 40 seconds to hit the ball or, otherwise, a shot clock violation will result in a one-stroke penalty. Each team will have four timeouts per match, two for each playing session. As in the NFL, timeouts are not recovered and teams cannot call consecutive timeouts during the same stroke.
The league has also stated that there will be a referee “with experience in timeouts, shot clocks and the dynamics of team sports”, which points to a basketball referee. A golf rules official will also be in a booth to oversee the action. The referee and the booth official will be responsible for managing and enforcing the shot clock.
TGL Stadium
The SoFi Center at Palm Beach State College in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, is a venue of over 23,000 square meters that will accommodate approximately 1,600 people on match nights during the inaugural season of the TGL. The advanced technology field is approximately the size of a football field.
Players will make tee and approach shots from real grass tees, fairways, rough and sand on long shots on a 64×46 foot screen (approximately 20 times a standard simulator) with Full Swing technology.
For shots 50 meters or less, players will switch from Screenplay to Greenplay in a custom-built “green zone”, larger than four basketball courts and including three virtual greens of 15×27 feet, also from Full Swing. Each green has 189 actuators and jacks that change the slope of the green to create a variety of play on each TGL hole.
Points system and playoffs
The TGL regular season points system resembles that of the NHL: a win in regulation time or overtime is worth 2 points, a loss in overtime is worth 1 point and, of course, a loss in regulation time is worth 0 points.
At the end of the regular season, the top four teams on the points list move on to the playoffs. The semi-finals will be knockout and the final, the Championship Series, will be played best of three matches. More details about the postseason will be announced later.
