For this week’s View from the fairway Column, Golfshake’s Derek Clements Shares his thoughts on the upcoming TGL Indoor Golf League created by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
Do not do this! Oh, it’s too late…
When asked to come up with something to attract a new golf audience, you would want Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy would name their name for something more exciting than their indoor “tech league.” Competition will begin on Tuesday, January 9, 2024. I’m afraid to say, I feel like this is destined to be the latest civic reminder.
I’m all for innovation and development that will get more people involved in our sport. But I’m absolutely 100% certain that’s not the case, just like LIV Golf’s team format certainly doesn’t capture the imagination.
Among the 24 PGA Tour players signed in the first season, 14 are among the top 20 players in the world. All events will be televised and played at purpose-built indoor venues in Florida. So it’s not real golf – we’re going to watch the best golfers in the world play on a simulator. Would you like to hear it? I know I won’t.
At least LIV is doing their thing on a real golf course!
For what it’s worth, Serena and Venus Williams are among the supporters, along with Stephen Curry and Liverpool owner Fenway Sports Group.
alliance – called TGL – will be operated by TMRW Sports, a technology-focused sports company founded by Woods and McIlroy in August 2022.
It will feature six teams of four players each, playing each other once in a league format. Only three of the four players will compete in any one event. If this sounds familiar, I would recommend the team format used by LIV Golf.
Five teams have been announced so far, with names linked to the US cities of Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.
NBA star Curry is involved in building the San Francisco team, while tennis superstar Serena Williams and sister Venus are also lending support to the Los Angeles team. Fenway Sports Group has a partnership with Boston.
Each game will be held at Palm Beach State College’s Sophie Center and will last approximately two hours, with all players wearing microphones and broadcast live. The venue can accommodate approximately 1,600 spectators.
(Image credit: Kevin Diss Photography)
Woods and McIlroy were scheduled to join the Spanish players Jon Rahm But he has quit.
World number one Scotty Scheffler and his fellow Americans Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas, Ricky Fowler, Morikawa Colin, Max Houma and Xander Schauffele Also among those who have signed up. Morikawa said signing with his TGL team was “almost” better than getting a call-up to the U.S. team for the Ryder Cup. Oh please!
England will be well represented Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrell Hatton and Justin Rose All are confirmed to play, as is Ireland’s Shane Lowry.
Each game will pit two teams against each other, with the winning team receiving two points.
A game will be divided into two quarters. The first is a nine-hole “triples match” where all three players will compete in alternating strokes over nine holes. The second session is the six-hole “Singles,” a head-to-head competition in which each golfer will play two holes.
Points are awarded for winning a hole, and the team with the highest score wins. In the event of a tie, the winner will be determined by the closest penalty shootout.
The league will have 15 games, the top four teams will advance to the semi-finals, and the winner will advance to the finals.
The second game is scheduled for Tuesday, January 16th.
Each hole will begin on a golf simulator, with players hitting tee shots into a giant screen that measures 64 feet by 46 feet, roughly 20 times the size of a standard screen.
For shots of about 50 yards or less, players will switch from the simulator to an adaptive green that uses 189 actuators and jacks to change the slope of the putting surface on each hole.
Unlike the signature holes or courses that most simulators allow players to experience, many of the new holes are designed specifically for the TGL season.
The whole thing is complex and sounds about as appealing to viewers as watching paint dry.
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