The Rise of TGL

The New Golf League Has Emerged as a Fan Favorite

Photo by Michael Mueller on Unsplash

The new Tomorrow’s Golf League (TGL) has turned many heads in the golf world with its unique playstyle and rules. Unlike traditional golf, TGL is played inside of SoFi Center with various technologies covering the length of a football field. Players hit from real grass boxes into a simulation screen with tech-infused greens changing slopes every hole.

The league was founded in August 2022 by star golfers Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. Wanting an experience that allows fans to watch teams of golfers compete in an up-close fashion, they created the three vs. three golf league.

TGL features six teams: the Atlanta Drive GC, Boston Common Golf, Jupiter Links Golf Club, Los Angeles Golf Club, New York Golf Club and The Bay Golf Club. Four PGA Tour golfers are on each team, from Masters to Grand Slam winners. Justin Thomas, Hideki Matsuyama and Xander Schauffele highlight the league’s talent.

“This golf league has created a new form of entertainment for the golf world,” senior Hayne Miller said. “I think it’s a new fun idea for there to be a simulator golf league. ”

The league utilizes a massive 64’ by 53’ screen and 18 full swing kit radar-based launch monitors that allows for 30 different landscapes and combinations for the competitors. With this high technology, TGL courses are semi-virtual, allowing designers to showcase things that would not be possible on a golf course.

“Especially [due to] how large the screen is, there can be a crowd that can watch every single one of your shots where in real golf you can’t watch every single one of a player’s shots,” Miller said.

While professional golf matches are 18 holes, TGL has created a shorter format and shot clock to keep the full engagement of fans, with each competition having a two-hour maximum and 15 hole round. Players are also wearing microphones throughout the entirety of the round, allowing fans to hear player-caddie interactions and first-hand trash talk. While golf is typically an individual sport, TGL has turned to golf as a team sport, allowing fans to choose favorites and follow that specific team.

“It’s cool as we are able to experience a new way golf is played,” senior Zac Scovotto said.

The league is set to begin on Tuesday, Jan. 14 and will continue through March. Thousands of golf fans from around the world will tune in to watch their favorite stars compete in this never-before-seen semi-virtual league.