We’re a month away from TGL kicking off its inaugural season.
I’ll cover the simulator league closely, starting with five reasons why it could become a huge hit. Next week, I’ll write about five reasons why it might happen NO be successful.
For those who need a refresher, I suggest reading it I wrote this story in March.
The basic premise is that TGL (Tomorrow’s Golf League) is a new 3-on-3 simulator golf league that will take place in January-March of this year. Originally scheduled to go online in 2024, the league had to postpone play after a storm damaged the state-of-the-art South Florida arena where all competitions will take place.
There are six teams of four players (all PGA Tour players) although only three players from each team will compete in weeks in which their team has a match. Not every team plays every week. The games will air on Mondays and/or Tuesdays on ESPN until a champion is crowned in late March.
The indoor league, backed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, has players hitting real grass boxes, fairway surfaces, rough and sand on a giant simulation screen more than 20 times the size of a standard golf simulator. All short match strokes will be played on and around an artificial green.
Will TGL be successful or fall flat? It’s hard to say for sure, but here are five reasons why it will be a hit.
1. Here you can watch Tiger Woods play golf
Earlier this week, Woods shared a pessimistic outlook for his competitive golf moving forward. He is not playing in the Hero World Challenge and has no timetable for his return due to ongoing health issues (he had what is believed to be his the sixth back surgery earlier this year).
Even if he returns, he is supposed to be a largely ceremonial golfer. We’ll see him play the first two rounds of a major, potentially limping to just barely. Maybe he plays the Genesis Invitational, his own event.
That’s it. Last year, Woods hoped to play one tournament a month. He ended up playing just five tournaments for the entire year, withdrawing from one of them. Now the 48-year-old (he turns 49 in a few weeks) seems to be in worse form that goes to 2025.
Eventually, he won’t play golf in any competitive tournaments—and I’ll be grateful for that bittersweet moment when it comes. It’s hard to watch him trudge through tournament golf when he can’t afford to walk so many holes.
If you want to see him play in the future, TGL will be where it happens. He shouldn’t draw many walks in this league. No worries about the weather. It is a relaxing environment.
Even at his age, Tiger still draws more audiences than any other golfer on the planet. TGL having him (and his partial ownership of the league) is a huge boost.
He’s not playing the first week of games – that’s a mistake in my opinion – but his inclusion is bigger than anything else on this list.
2. The TV product and time slot should be significantly better
Better than what? Basically everything else in golf we have on broadcast TV.
This league will be played on ESPN at night during a time when the sports calendar is barren for early week events. Monday Night Football is done. College basketball doesn’t get into full swing until March and is mostly limited to Thursday-Sunday action. The NHL and NBA don’t have their playoffs until April.
Why wouldn’t the casual golf fan (or even just a sports fan) stop by to check it out?
Golf is TV it’s usually a terrible viewing experiencebut this must be very different. The TV window is only two hours and the action promises to be much faster than a normal tournament. No “Playing Through” or countless commercials ruining golf into oblivion. No chance of rain delays.
Also, players will have microphones. This alone can improve the television product.
3. Format MUST be unlike anything we have in pro golf
there it definitely will be people claiming that TGL is copying LIV by using a four player team structure.
These people will miss you points.
LIV had a chance to do something interesting by pursuing a new look on the golf course. Instead, it’s just a watered-down version of the PGA Tour (with worse talent). It’s presented as serious golf with shots on regulation courses, but everyone with half a brain knows it’s not serious golf. The broadcast basically looks the same as the tour except for the commercial load. Teams are supposed to be the differentiators, but those groups were (and are) arbitrarily joined. There is no obvious reason for anyone to lead to a team.
A better alternative for LIV would have been to go for the absurd, going first towards maximizing fun while completely avoiding the “serious competition” vibe. It should have been golf on YouTube with world-class players—matches, challenges, and unfettered access.
Will TGL learn from LIV’s mistakes?
This is golf simulator with guys who are used to competing in the majors. There is nothing true in danger. TGL has to go hard on the comic side, on the silly side. It is not supposed to be taken seriously – there is no need to fiercely protect the integrity of the product.
Whatever makes streaming more entertaining should be implemented. The format – each 15-hole match is split into three separate parts – has some potential in this category. Be weird with it.
4. Unprecedented technology can be really interesting to watch
We’ll see at this point, but I’m optimistic that the viewing experience will draw people in with every swing.
First, it’s a giant simulator screen. And it’s a long way from where the golfer hits—the actual turf (or sand)—so we’ll see the ball rise over time to record the trajectory before it hits the screen.
Second, all elements of the short game are real. The slope of the greens will change with each hole. No simple shots within a 10 foot circle.
I am also intrigued by the hole design. It’s not like these guys are going to play TPC Sawgrass every week – we’re going to see a Golden Tee architecture. To emphasize point no. 3 of this article, these designs MUST be radical instead of looking like a championship course.
And then you have a crowd in a stadium surrounding the playing area. The arena is a piece of technology here and I hope the crowd is a constant roar rather than a quiet gallery.
All of this can make for an enjoyable viewing experience.
5. The potential for increased interest in gambling is there
Even if it’s not a serious competition, it doesn’t mean that people won’t play in TGL.
And, for some reason, the league is designed to be much more enjoyable for gamblers.
Golf has traditionally been frustrating to watch from a gambling perspective because TV can’t show all the players. Bettors can pick a player to win a tournament and can only watch a limited percentage of their shots – in between an onslaught of ads.
TGL bypasses most of this. It has a relatively straightforward head-to-head format, every look will be on display, and it’s a fast-paced game played in prime time on national TV. It is fertile ground for gambling.
“It’s exciting that this group of guys is coming together for a two-hour window and we’re just going to hit balls, talk a lot about (trash) and people are going to gamble on absolutely everything, every shot. ,” Woods said. “Every shot will be a bet.”
If that happens, there will be a lot of people tuning in just to see if their bet hits.
These are my five reasons why TGL could be a huge hit. Next week, I’ll go over some of the pieces that might be holding it back.
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