TGL finally arrived on Tuesday evening.
It was worth the wait.
The new league of simulators with technologywhich features 24 PGA Tour players on six teams, got off to a strong start and exceeded my expectations.
There was a long list of things that TGL got right on opening night.
The breakneck pace of the action was surprising and refreshing. The first hole between New York Golf Club and Bay Golf Club took it all four minutes. The 40-second shot clock – which rarely dipped below 10 seconds – pushed the players to move things quickly.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the beat was almost very quickly at certain points. I said “almost”. The first 30-45 minutes of the broadcast were electric from a pacing perspective.
Because of that pace, the banter between the players wasn’t as forced as we’ve seen in other made-for-TV matches. They really seemed to be having fun without thinking too much about it, and the beat after beat beat eliminated a lot of the dreaded dead space.
The technology worked – both functionally and entertainingly – as each full shot came with the allure of following the ball from a perspective we’re not used to seeing in traditional golf. The rolling green complex proved to be tricky as players struggled to get up and down from difficult positions.
The triples format – alternating shots between three guys – was perfect for the opening nine holes. Everyone was involved and engaged. It felt more like we were watching a boys bowling night instead of a Tour event.
Suddenly, some of the fans were cheering bad shots and doing fake shot clock counts (like you would see in college basketball). As the crowd went wild later in the match, it was a bonus to get some involvement from them.
I also came out with high marks for the ESPN broadcast. There were several gravitas with Scott Van Pelt setting the scene early. ESPN would occasionally flashback to a heated mic moment between players, a great way to capture their interactions without being forced. The first commercial didn’t come until 34 minutes into the process, so we were all thrown into an abyss as viewers-a distinct difference from the typical feeling of watching a golf tournament.
There are improvements to be made with the transmission, but I came away impressed with the look and feel of everything. It felt repetitive – in a good way.
Overall, I’d give TGL a B+ for opening night. I will look next week.
It’s late winter here in my hometown of Nashville (seven inches of snow coming!) and most of the country isn’t playing golf. This is a harmless, creative idea that gets people to watch golf on ESPN.
Viewership was very encouraging – an average of more than 1.2 million tuned in, which was higher than expected. That’s more than double any LIV stream in the last three years.
Consider it a big win for golf so far.
I don’t want to hear anything from the crowd that says people can’t criticize LIV and then support TGL. This is nonsense. The LIV is essentially the same thing as the Tour – it looks and feels pretty much the same – while the TGL is a completely different product that reimagines golf in a creative way.
If TGL becomes the next big thing OR it eventually falls flatthis concept has little to do with LIV.
Honestly, LIV could have done ORDER more damage like a simulator league or venture into the alternative golf category.
TGL areas can be improved
With every effort like this, lessons will be learned and adjustments will be made.
In no particular order, here are five ways TGL could improve for week two.
1. Reduce player introductions/interviews
TGL’s debut broadcast aired right at 9:00 PM ET as Duke mercifully ended a Pitt challenge in men’s college basketball (timing was a question given how long basketball games tend to be).
But the first 15 minutes of the broadcast were very “joyful” as my high school English teacher would say. Some boring player interviews were followed by player introductions that went a bit gratuitously.
We can cut some of them. As I imagine, the stream can start with the players already in the arena. Maybe the SVP hits them with a few questions and then the golfing begins. We don’t need more than five minutes from the start of the broadcast and the actual golf.
There were also some random interviews that were unnecessary. For the love of God, can we keep DJ Khaled off the air? Nobody asks for this.
2. Show shot data after each full swing
I think this is an absolute no-brainer.
We are in a simulator league infested with technology, so let’s show all the technology.
We need to see shot analytics a few times a night, but why not throw it on the screen after every full swing? Desperate people want to see carry space, ball speed and all the other metrics.
There was a cool moment in the match where Ludvig Aberg crushed a driver and his teammates were wondering what his ball speed would be. that is where this league can really shine. This should feel like a bachelor party event where the best golfers in the world are messing around and talking golf.
The shooting data is something that attracts the viewers at the moment. How far did this go? How does Rickie Fowler’s spin rate with a driver compare to mine? It’s almost addictive to watch it unfold on screen.
3. Let the player audio do more
A few things here.
The player audio was a bit hard to hear at certain points due to the loudness of the music (a wider variety of music would also be appreciated). It worked fine without background noise, but you couldn’t hear the jokes beyond that.
And then ESPN had Matt Barrie — perfectly fine, but not particularly memorable — trying to narrate the action and interject with questions for the players. Barrie had to hold on a little longer at points, forcing the conversation into some dead space.
I think they could dial back Barrie and let the player interaction speak louder. Just let Barrie explain what’s going on from a golfing perspective and then let the players talk to each other.
I was worried that the players would be too difficult – and that could still be a problem – but the fast pace makes it easier for these guys. Some of the pressure is relieved when you hit a lot of golf shots. Production can rely more on players because of this.
Along the same lines of thinking, ESPN could hit on those “hot mic flashback” moments more. One they had on Tuesday night was Shane Lowry saying he wants to be the Scottie Scheffler of indoor golf. This is a good thing!
The more this is driven by players having a good time, the better the product will be.
4. Modify the break so that the tempo does not drop
Just over an hour into the broadcast, we got a 12-minute break before the singles format for the last six holes.
This absorbed the transmission energy. We had a blowout match and singles were not hit because only two of the six players were competing on each hole.
It’s a wait-and-see approach for singles. Would it be more fun in a closer match? I’m not sure yet.
As for the layoff and the 15-hole match taking to reach the two-hour mark… it was too much. I guess the TV seats can’t be changed now, but this would work better as a 90-minute show rather than two hours.
I didn’t mind the few commercials we got because the pace of the action was so fast—but the 12-minute stoppage in the middle of the round probably caused some people to change the channel.
Maybe skip the layoff, but do a quick SVP player interview to recap everything that goes into the last six holes?
5. The course needs to get a little stronger/stronger
While some of the TGL hole designs are cool— called this hole “Pick Yer’ Plunder” is the perfect example – I came away disappointed with the way they played.
It didn’t seem like the players were having a hard time making decisions. These are the best players in the world and TGL can do any design you want. There should be ridiculous holes that are more Mario Golf than what we see on Tour.
If designs are going to be more conservative, the pitch stability dial needs to be turned way up so we see balls bouncing.
Make these guys really think there!
Despite some of these complaints, I’m encouraged by what I saw from Night One of TGL. I’m assuming it will only improve from a production standpoint.
With Tiger Woods playing the next two weeks, I will definitely be watching.
What did you think of the first night of TGL? Will you watch again?
Let me know below in the comments.
Top Photo Caption: The massive screen at SoFi Arena is five stories tall. (GETTY IMAGES/Mike Ehrmann)
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