The PGA Is Starting An Indoor Golf League?
What the hell is Tomorrow's Golf League
What if I told you on top of the PGA Tour, on top of LIV golf, there is yet another golf league emerging? The TGL, (Tomorrow's Golf League) is a PGA-backed, simulator-style, team format golf league. To be completely honest here, from everything I’ve learned and seen about this upcoming league, I would be shocked to see it truly catch on in its opening season 2024 debut. Here is everything you need to know about the TGL league and the criticism surrounding it.
Via TGL
Twenty-four players on six different teams will compete in simulator golf rounds all held at the new SoFi Center in Jupiter Florida. Said to be a state-of-the-art indoor golf facility with seats for fans. The golfers will hit their shots into a massive 64 ft by 64 ft screen. Any chip shots or putts are then hit on an artificial green in the stadium that has hydraulics allowing the green to change and move. The six teams are; Atlanta Drive GC, Boston Common Golf, Jupiter Links GC, LAGC, New York GC, and San Francisco GC. Matches between teams will consist of alternate shot and match play style competitions between teams. There are also shot clocks, timeouts, and referees to make this league more similar to leagues like the NBA or NHL.
Boston Common Golf players from left to right; Tyrell Hatton, Adam Scott, Kegan Bradley, Rory Mcilroy
In summary, this is a new team-formatted league bringing PGA players together to compete in golf matches on a simulator as the TGL tries to present itself as a legitimate sports league. I mean, there is a lot to take in here. This is something that golf has never ever seen before! Here’s the kicker, this whole new league is almost entirely because of the emergence of LIV golf. Furthermore, the TGL league is drawing major criticism for copying many of the aspects of LIV golf.
This four-golfer team concept is something LIV Golf also uses. The only real difference is that TGL is trying to brand its team’s identity with cities. Quick tangent, one of my biggest quarrels with the TGL teams is that I highly doubt anyone from the six cities will care at all about these made-up teams. Do you think anyone from the Bay Area is going to start feeling connected to San Francisco GC when all of the matches are played in Jupiter Florida? There is one huge saving grace for the TGL though, and that is the Big Cat himself. Tiger Woods has officially signed on and been a huge presence in this new league. He will be competing on the Jupiter Links team mostly likely due to his Florida residency. While people online have been seriously criticizing this league online for being “cringy”, Tiger Woods draws eyeballs. It is as simple as that. If Tiger is out there golfing, I’ll put it into a simulator, people are still going to watch and pay attention.
Jupiter Links Golf Club via TGL
Ok, Ok, back to LIV and the TGL. TGL is copying the team style, having playoffs in golf, and as well trying to come off as the new cool fresh golf league just like LIV is still trying to do. In addition, after LIV golf was created and started paying golfers massive amounts of money in contracts and tournament winnings, the PGA knew they had to find ways to pay their golfers more. In addition to raising tournament prize pools in the past two years, this new simulator league is a perfect way to keep some of the top golfers on the PGA happy with extra winnings. $21 million dollars is on the line in the opening season for teams to win. The champion team at the end of the season is guaranteed $9 million dollars split between the four players, a nice bonus of $2.25 million. While this is nothing compared to what LIV pays, it's an easy way for top PGA pros to show up once every couple of weeks, play some easy simulator golf, and get some extra cash.
Rendering of finished Sofi Center via TGL
Now I don’t want to make assumptions, but let's just say I doubt the PGA players will be preparing as hard for the Masters as they will for TGL simulator golf. I think if TGL turns out to be more of a reality show having fun with the PGA players it will be more enjoyable to watch than promoting it as some super serious sports league. Golf is meant to be played outdoors, and solo. It’s every golfer for themselves out there, grinding through the mental and physical battle to hit a good shot. I’m sorry for the TGL supporters out there, I’ll be it if there are any, but I am just with the online consensus and this whole thing seems cringy to me as well. Will I still watch it in 2024 on ESPN, absolutely. I am dying to see if they can actually pull this thing off into a well-produced, exhilarating golf league full of great players giving it their all. Or, is it going to fade away into that weird thing the PGA did for a couple of years but no one watched? Really the only upside the TGL has going for them is their strength within the field. Tiger Woods, Rory Mcilroy, Min Woo Lee, and Colin Morikawa, just to name a few of the top talents they have competing. Yet it is one thing to have all of these big names show up, and another to have them golfing at their highest level and actually embracing whatever team they get put on. Until January 2024 when the TGL begins, the speculation continues. Will this league build any traction, or will it burn out faster than Phil Mickelson's career ever since he joined LIV?