‘Hello, new world,’ were the words Tiger Woods made famous when he ushered in a new era of golf in the now-iconic 1996 Nike ad. It’s only fitting, 29 years later, that it’s the same man pulling the curtain back on the sport’s next big venture.
On Tuesday, under the bright lights of SoFi Center in Palm Beach, Woods and his business partner Rory McIlroy finally launched their TGL endeavor, and in doing so, dragged golf into the 21st century. But there wasn’t a fairway in sight. Instead, the latest innovative venture to rock the sport marries virtual golf with real competition.
And as Shane Lowry hit the first shot of the inaugural match to a screen, 64 feet wide and 53 feet high, from square pads of grass in an intimate 1,500-seat indoor arena, it became very apparent, very quickly, that this was not golf as we know it.
Walkout songs, mic’d-up team trash talk, the continuous blaring soundtrack from an in-house DJ, a 40-second shot clock, and simulator golf. This wasn’t your average golf event, it was a primetime TV show.
Woods and McIlroy were both in the building to witness their ‘tech-infused’ brainchild begin its quest to capture a new audience of golf fans. They were captured pre-match soaking in the fruits of their labor, chatting to players and discussing aspects of their multi-million-dollar venue.
But on Tuesday night it wasn’t the duo who carried the weight of the venture on their back.
Ludvig Aberg celebrates after impressing in The Bay’s win over New York on opening night
Tiger Woods sat back and watched his new golf league get unveiled to the world in Florida
The impressive arena houses the future of golf, with rowdy fans and a DJ to entertain them
Billy Horschel had said back in December that the responsibility of success rested on the shoulders of the players. On Tuesday night, it was Lowry, Wyndham Clark, Ludvig Aberg, Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler and Matt Fitzpatrick who carried that pressure.
The six PGA Tour superstars were the first to be put to the test across a distinctive blend of virtual golf and reality on the innovative stage of TGL as members of The Bay and New York Golf Club – the debut teams in the league’s premiere match.
In TGL, professionals hit from pads of grass or sand to the simulator screen which will register their distance and position.
After reaching the green zone, they switch to the shortgame area, roughly the size of four basketball courts, to hole out, either walking away with the hole and a point, or nothing at all.
The Bay and New York’s showdown marked the first of 15 regular season fast-paced, three-on-three, two-hour matches in the long battle for the SoFi Cup.
SoFi Center has futuristic simulator technology that keeps everyone engaged throughout
Aberg and Shane Lowry celebrate during their drubbing of New York on Week 1
The fans inside the arena bought into the fun, waving their flags – and even booing some shots
The two teams will be joined by Atlanta Drive, Los Angeles, Boston Common and Jupiter Links in the battle for the SoFi Cup and $21million prize purse, and that team spirit was already on display Tuesday night.
Proud Irishman Lowry rocked up to SoFi Center in a San Francisco Giants jersey in honor of The Bay, adding tunnel fits to the list of novelties TGL is introducing to golf.
And it was the San Francisco team that drew first blood, slaughtering New York 9-2. But while it was a bloodbath, it was by no means a one-sided snoozefest.
Early on, some of that pressure to perform appeared to be getting to them. Lowry admitted midway through the first hole that he had been so nervous he had forgotten to bring a tee for his first shot, providing a hilarious snippet of insider commentary.
And that wasn’t the only one-liner the Irishman delivered. ‘I’m going to be the Scottie Scheffler of indoor golf,’ he quipped. ‘A bit like myself. A bit chunky,’ came another as he left one shot short.
And that proved to be a key to TGL’s inaugural success: Mic’d up players. Snippets of the professionals’ banter, trash talk and celebrations were captured for fans’ entertainment.
Schauffele in particular delivered on the comedy front. The New York captain attempted to steal the hammer from Clark to try to force The Bay to throw it.
The Hammer, like the shot clock, was another of TGL’s unique rules that set the crowd alive. A risk-it-all innovation, it allows one team who currently has it in its possession to throw it down to double the points for that hole.
Lowry paid tribute to The Bay by arriving for the match in a San Francisco Giants jersey
Matt Fitzpatrick couldn’t believe his luck when his tee shot didn’t roll back down to the hole
Lowry, Aberg and Wyndham Clark celebrate after defeating New York to make the perfect start
As it turned out, Lowry had nothing to be worried about. He and teammates Clark and Aberg proved to be a well-oiled machine. They took the first hole, thanks to Aberg’s clutch putt, and never looked back.
‘The last time I’ve had that much fun was probably last September,’ Lowry said, keeping the trash talk alive even in his postmatch press conference with the reference to he and Aberg being Ryder Cup-winning members of Team Europe over Clark and the USA.
The crowd atmosphere inside SoFi Center wasn’t too dissimilar from the raucous, cap-waving environment of Marco Simone – just with a fast-paced, nightclub twist.
Clark had hoped for an NBA courtside atmosphere before TGL’s debut. He got his wish.
The crowd inside SoFi Center was nothing short of rowdy. Fully buying into the experience, they were on their feet whipping around freebie towels for holed putts, letting out exasperated groans and outright booing the bad shots.
It was everything you wouldn’t expect from a golf event. In fact, the whole experience was completely antithetical to the placid, buttoned-up nature of golf – in all the right ways.
From the outside, SoFi Center resembles an airplane hangar. On the inside, ‘a glorified man cave,’ as Fowler later put it.
Upon arrival at the 250,000-square-foot building tucked off PGA Boulevard, strobe lights beamed into the night sky of Palm Beach. The flashing lights carried on inside the arena, creating the sensation of a caffeine-fuelled stroll through Times Square. Electric boards, listing the score, yardages and players’ names, were beacons across the expanse of playing area, which measures the size of an NFL field.
Woods was in the ESPN booth for some of the action as fans at home enjoyed the spectacle
There is a $21million prize pot and a glitzy league trophy up for grabs in the inaugural season
DJ Khaled strutted around the playing field as the players warmed up, while Mets owners and New York GC investor Steve Cohen and NBA legend Andre Iguodala headlined the VIP team boxes.
The in-house DJ continuously pumped out thudding music, while the emcee demanded, ‘ladies, let hear you.’
But if the players were bothered by Taylor Swift telling them to ‘Shake It Off,’ or DMX claiming ‘X Gon’ Give It To Ya,’ they didn’t show it. In fact, they embraced it.
‘I’m always so jealous of basketball and football players that they get to do this so much more than we do,’ Aberg admitted. ‘It’s cool playing in a stadium. The crowd gets going a little more. It’s so much fun and gets you going a little bit more.’
TGL’s debut delivered on its promise. It presented pulse, pace and passion packaged in a two-hour TV show. Most importantly, it was fun.
The excitement swarming the buildup to the latest chapter in golf didn’t dwindle the moment the first tee shot was hit, it surged throughout The Bay’s formidable win.
TGL has made no secret of its desire to target a new, younger audience and its debut delivered on its promise to keep existing fans entertained with a fresh, innovative twist to a game they already love and create intrigue for a new demographic by rebranding golf as a high-energy, captivating sport.
The Bay made a formidable start to the opening week by racing into a huge lead over New York
Players warm up on the green inside SoFi Center as fans make their way inside the arena
The only question remaining is: Can it last? Its explosive premiere has undoubtedly captured the attention of fans, but can it keep hold of it?
Lowry had a quick-fire solution when presented with the same dilemma: Tiger Woods.
The 15-time major winner is the next to step into the spotlight when his Jupiter Links takes on Los Angeles on January 14 in one of the most highly-anticipated golf events of the calendar year, never mind just TGL.
The Big Cat has a magnetic draw no matter what he does, ensuring even once this week’s premiere excitement wears off, the fans will – at least for one more week – be coming back for more.
