Brooks Koepka hits a bunker shot at Augusta National during the Masters.
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January is normally when we start seeing images of Augusta National. Those commercials that play during major sporting events for upcoming Masters. Golf fans see them and spit on them.
This January will be no different, except that part of Augusta National won’t just be playing in commercials, it’ll be showing up a lot more often. The sand used in the mixed reality golf league, TGL, founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, will be the same pearly white sand from which we see the pros play during the Masters every April.
We know this thanks to the TGL Twitter account, which posted a video of sand being dumped into what appears to be one of the bunkers that will be used at SoFi Center in early 2025. The account followed up by clarifying the type of sand — “ SP55 Sand from North Carolina” – which is exactly the type of crushed quartz in the bunkers at Augusta National.
Details like this on one of the world’s most famous and exclusive golf courses are hard to come by. The club is extremely private and requires that the vendors it does business with do not disclose information about their relationship. But thanks LA Timeswhich produced an artistic history about bunker sand at the 2020 Masters, we know it’s true.
Story from the Times dove deep into the sand, why it’s so bright, and even shared how Tiger Woods brought three trucks with him to his home in Florida, where Woods has his practice facility. Perhaps it’s no surprise that Woods’ league, which begins on January 7, would use the same type of sand.
This sand, surprisingly, is a byproduct of the mining process for other materials, such as mica and feldspar. That has made it easy to buy, according to the Times, since the early 70s, when Augusta National co-founder Cliff Roberts decided the club wanted new sand in its bunkers.
Although Augusta National isn’t interested in commenting on the sand it uses, TGL clearly is. The Future League has always been billed as a simulator golf league, and that is very true to an extent. Players will hit a 3,400 square meter simulator screen, imagining their way through computer generated golf holes. But the ground where they will play shooting it is true. And the shots they will play inside 50 yards will be played without a screen. And the sand of the bunker they will play from will also be real.
The league’s first season schedule was released Monday and will feature 15 game nights on ESPN or ESPN2. For more on this and ticket information, click here.
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