What if you could infuse traditional golf with the fanfare and excitement of sitting courtside at an NBA game? That's one of the goals behind TGL, a new tech-forward team golf league from Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, and their partnership with the PGA Tour. Regular-season matches are currently underway in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., at TGL's purpose-built SoFi Center on the campus of Palm Beach State College.
The league has already excelled at bringing in a younger audience than one might typically see for traditional golf. During the opening match in January, for example, 44% of the broadcast audience on ESPN were adults in the much-coveted 18-49 demo. (In comparison, the broadcast audience of a PGA Tour round from the week before comprised just 17% of that demo.)
Innovative tech touches include a massive simulator screen and a green with an undulating, adaptable surface to create hole variations.Photo: Courtesy of TGL presented by SoFi
"In person, PGA Tour events do an incredible job building to a weeklong hospitality and fan experience as the world's best golfers showcase their skills, but the golf competition typically spans from Thursday at sunrise until Sunday at sunset," says Andrew George, senior vice president of live events for TGL and Woods and McIlroy's TMRW Sports. "But in a world of ever-changing consumption habits, we felt as though a complimentary model, built to attract and pull in a more diverse audience to the sport, especially a platform for team golf, could be successful."
The vision for the league is to package the best of traditional golf with an arena-style entertainment experience, while condensing the start-to-finish times to just two hours in front of a live audience. George says there are more than 70 cameras positioned within the indoor competition floor.
Rory McIlroy currently plays on TGL's Boston Common team.Photo: Courtesy of TGL presented by SoFi
"The viewing angles are unlike anything golf has ever seen before," he adds. "After 15 holes, we have a winning and losing team—what most other mainstream sports get during a live event."
So, how does it work exactly? Matches are 3 on 3, with teams comprising some of the best players on the PGA Tour like Rickie Fowler and Adam Scott. Teams play in two-hour weekly matches across two sessions: One is triples, a nine-hole alternate shot competition, and the other is singles, with players going head-to-head on six holes. Innovative tech touches include a massive simulator screen and a green with an undulating, adaptable surface to create hole variations.
"The live event experience has been likened to sitting courtside at an NBA game," says Andrew George, senior vice president of live events for TGL and TMRW Sports.Photo: Courtesy of TGL presented by SoFi
The indoor arena also allows TGL to weave in familiar sporting event elements that fans from a broader group than the traditional golf audience might recognize, George explains. This includes a 40-second shot clock, instant replays on the in-venue screens, live music, and a light show immediately prompted by the results of the golf action. "All these elements add to the overall production of TGL," he says.
Quiet paddles are also nowhere to be found. Instead, there are more than 350 feet of LED ribbon boards and in-venue screens for messaging and hyping the crowd.
"We (and the players) welcome the noisy, energetic, boisterous fan response you'd think of when you attend a college basketball rivalry game or a hotly contested English Premier League match," George says. "We have levers we can pull to help encourage this element—with Roger Steele, our in-house emcee; DJ Irie playing music throughout the match; a best-in-class audio and lighting grid; and our Countdown Crew, a team of cheerleaders to give the fans a boost and signal it's encouraged to cheer whenever—and for whomever—they want."
TGL's venue boasts more than 350 feet of LED ribbon boards and in-venue screens for messaging and hyping the crowd.Photo: Courtesy of TGL presented by SoFi
There's even halftime entertainment, like a live audience would see at an NBA game: Lucky fans have the opportunity to participate in a putting contest for prizes.
Sponsorship activations abound on site as well. A large outdoor plaza is fitted with a massive LED screen to greet guests and build anticipation for the match. TGL is also utilizing this space to partner with Dryvebox, a mobile simulator company, to allow fans to take their shot in a closest-to-the-pin contest during match nights. Inside, fans will see partner activations from Genesis, TGL's official auto partner, and founding partner Best Best, which provides a hologram experience for fans to interact with their favorite TGL golfers.
An outdoor plaza at SoFi Center is often utilized for partner activations, fan experiences, press conferences, and more.Photo: Courtesy of TGL presented by SoFi
As the league progresses further into its inaugural season (the next matches air Feb. 17), George says both the broadcast and in-venue fan experiences will continue to evolve and improve from week to week.
"As we evaluate future setup, we are quite proud of the baseline that has been established through the start of our inaugural season and hope to push the boundaries of what is possible for a live event and entertainment product," he says, "ultimately with the goal of attracting new and more diverse audiences that will become lifelong fans of the product, the players, and the sport."
The indoor arena allows TGL to weave in familiar sporting event elements that fans from a broader group than the traditional golf audience might recognize, like a light show that's immediately prompted by the results of the golf action.Photo: Courtesy of TGL presented by SoFi
