The last 12 months had a bit of everything – a career Grand Slam, Ryder Cup chaos and much more. With 2026 on the horizon, our writers look at the most memorable moments from 2025 and explain why they mattered.
no. 15 – Impeller motion with zero torque | no. 14 – ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ takes the golf world by storm | no. 13 – Joaquin Niemann’s big 2025 (and crucial 2026) | no. 12 – JJ Spaun kills Oakmont | no. 11 – Online invitation | no. 10 – Joan a Are nites who has been a sinner and 3. | no. 9 – Tiger Woods’ next role | no. 8 – Tommy Fleetwood breaks through
Greatest Golf Moments of 2025 No. 7: TGL debuts
I’ll never forget the second-hand anxiety I felt on the night of January 7, standing on the synthetic turf inside the SoFi Center, watching Ludvig Aberg warm up for the TGL opener. I was surrounded by various golf influencers, all about 40 meters from the Aberg, with music blaring and TGL attendees thinking about them.
I wasn’t nervous about Aberg’s inclusion in this new, mixed-reality league—he seems hand-crafted for it, with his sky-high ball flight, fast pace of play, and robotically perfect movement. I was more nervous about what was behind it. Standing 20 meters away from Aberg, in sneakers and a hoodie, alone with his arms crossed, was an extremely contemplative Tiger Woods. Golf’s GOAT could have looked around at any of the oddities inside the then-still-under-construction facility, but he chose to check out Aberg. Swing after swing.
It probably makes sense that Woods would rather narrow his focus amid the hype that was TGL’s launch night. There was so much new that it was hard to catch it all. Opening presentations, lights, cameras and action, THWACK then THURSDAY the cadence of the game. This was golf like we’ve never seen it before, and it was a pleasure to be there in person, among them billionaire franchise owners and VIPS professional athlete. We quickly learned what the Screen Zone was and how it differed from the Green Zone. We learned what The Hammer was and why a pulsating heartbeat flashed over the speakers during some of the hits. The speed of the game had you speaking the same language as Matthew Barrie, ESPN’s play-by-play announcer, explaining the wonders of TGL to everyone at home.
After being introduced with a Lil’ Jon song, Shane Lowry kicked off the shoot, which felt much less like the beginning of something and more like the end of a long, dangerous journey. Remember the original TGL announcement? That was in the summer of 2022. Remember the temporary structure built for TGL? This was torn apart during hurricane force winds in the winter of 2023, forcing a 12-month delay. The people behind TGL called it a blessing in disguise because it paved the way to build a permanent, fantasy factory that will continue to grow in use over time.
The 2025 TGL season felt like the massive simulator was only for the pros. Maybe an influencer or two. NFL MVP Josh Allen got to bring his own bachelor party in for a few swings. But now, the march towards its upcoming second season has seen a whole host of media using the facility, not to mention test matches taking place every week to ensure the new and improved technology is ready for its December 28 restart. One can only dream of the corporate exits that will fill the space in the coming years.
But it’s here, on Dec. 23, that it feels worthy of a look back at what TGL looked and felt like just 11.5 months ago — especially when two intrepid GOLF.com staffers flew in to document the good, the bad and the ugly. Of course, there was that moment watching Aberg from the Tigris. But there was a greater appreciation of what was possible in the future of mixed reality, made-for-TV golf. We had to see it with our own eyes to understand why 24 of the best players in the world were interested in participating.
There were some bumps and bruises along the way, no doubt. Like getting live feed from players on microphones to actual fans in the stands, not just people watching at home. TGL likes to think it made significant adjustments to make Season 2 even better than the first. We’ll be watching to see if they can live up to these claims. For now, here’s a good reminder of what launch night was like:
“>
