TGL Revisited

Shot clocks, cinema screens and Old Tom Morris. Officially bullish on the new tech-infused league.

‘Think everything you knew about golf five years ago, and just flip it on its head. There’s TGL.’

That’s Pat’s limited, journeyman definition right there, no stealing allowed.

Upon reading the linked article by Steven Levy at WIRED, my understanding of TGL has expanded and I am bullish on the league. Some of my definition still holds, and it really is the opposite of the stuffy strokeplay most people were accustomed to only a decade ago.

Despite the letters ‘TGL’ left to our interpretation, the essence of what TMRW Sports is trying to achieve has the ability to transcend golf into the future. One foot each in the digital and physical camps, merging the worlds of golf and e-gaming, it looks like some of the world’s best golfers will be avatars on the biggest gaming screen to date (which is 64 x 46 feet).

Old Tom Morris might turn in his grave if he saw what we are now calling ‘golf’ and many golf fans will be confused as they read the reports of what is to come. Therefore, I feel TGL is best represented if you consider the shortcomings of professional golf; and look at how TGL may begin to address them. For example:

Slow Play – TGL will have a 40 second shot clock,

where if this time barrier is exceeded, the team will be penalized one stroke. The total time should be no more than two hours, which is why the TGL is played over 15 holes, rather than 18. As the attention span of the audience narrows ever more, there is a global demand to speed up play in all sports. MLB introduced the pitch clock, which pleased everyone except the food and beverage vendors at the baseball games, who aren’t selling anywhere near as much volume.

Dead Time – The cost for wiring up a golf course so that we may witness the events from our couch at home is in excess of $1 million.

Cameras, TV towers, media tents, the team involved, occasional re-routing of cart paths, it all adds up. Despite this cost, most of the time we are watching players stood on the tee with their caddie, or lining up putts, or walking between shots. TGL addresses this directly, because the players will only have to move between varied patches of turf, depending on where their shot finished up.

Weather Breaks – Gone are the days of a four-hour delay

while we wait for Mother Nature to finish the hairdyer treatment, half-watching a re-run of The Open Official Film 1995. With TGL, the stadium will provide ample coverage for any weather. Being based in Florida means summer all year round, right? TGL also has digital wind incorporated into the shots, so the screen will explain to the player what speed and direction the breeze is coming from, and they adjust accordingly.

The sheer size of the screen makes for a very different experience from simulator golf –

where usually we look up to our ball rolling around on the floor ten feet in front of us. The plan is for players to be able to see their ball flight as it flies into the big screen about a hundred feet away, before the technology takes over. Once again, combining the physical and digital worlds.

I initially felt that TGL was a knee-jerk response to LIV Golf –

but have since learned that Mike McCarley - founder of TMRW Sports and the brains behind the TGL – approached Tiger Woods back in 2021. This was before Tiger’s most recent car accident, and also before LIV Golf reached our screens.

LIV made small changes to the pure form of golf in the name of making it more fun, and louder. LIV had the team aspect (arguably its biggest weakness) but also good things like the shotgun start, encouraging music, shorts, and more fan engagement.

LIV had some nice ideas, but continually told us they were the future, while containing most of the past. Their roster has improved now, but TGL looks light-years ahead in terms of showcasing technology, and how it can be used to make the game more interesting. As well as getting the players mic’d up and equipped with heart rate monitors, there’ll be multiple varied formats, a team and individual aspect to the competition, and a background show to boot, with music and fireworks. 1,600 fans will witness the spectacle, and silence is not permitted. A serious spectacle is promised in Palm Beach.

The line that must be carefully toed

is keeping the values of golf as we transition into the new age of technology. Early fixtures of ‘The Match’ were fairly entertaining, as we saw guys like Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning take to the screen.

But I feel that interest dwindled as more and more fake feuds were created to drum up a reason to play. None of us want golf to go the same way as boxing, with pseudo-celebrities going head-to-head. But, none of us want golf to waste this incredible post-pandemic boom. TGL must give people a reason to tune in on a Monday night.

There has always been roadblocks preventing golf from keeping up with the times. Even ten years ago, a lot of juniors required adult permission to play in competitions, music on the course was forbidden, beverage carts were scarce, dress code was strictly enforced. In order to capitalize on the new interest in the game - golf needs young people to engage.

I think the tech-focused approach will be appealing. If Tiger in the player roster wasn’t enough, we will witness some of the world’s best, and hopefully that is just the start.

So strap in for robotic putting greens, cinema screens, hi-res cameras, mic’d up golfers and augmented reality, backed by some of the most influential athletes and businessmen in the world. It’s quite the jump – but with Tiger and Rory at the helm, the leap of faith seems just about feasible.

Patrick Brennan

13th November 2023

Click here for Steven Levy’s original article Robotic Putting Greens. Mixed Reality. Loud Spectators. This Is Golf?! | WIRED