TGL announced the signing of players and the ownership of teams over the past year to create anticipation for this new technology-infused golf league, led by Tiger Woods.
The golf fans were aware of the basic details – four PGA Tour players in six teams competing at 15 regular season matches followed by semi-finals and finals, all held in a high-tech complex for short-game matches – but they didn’t have a clear picture of what constituted a competition. The competition format, regular season points system, and postseason details have all been released on Tuesday as the first match, Tuesday, January 9, approaches.
What you need to Know about TGL Format
MORE: Exclusively on ESPN, TGL will air.
Match Play
Every match will have two different sessions. The first session will consist of 9 holes with “Triples”, three teams vs. 3 teams alternate shot. Session 2, “Singles”, is a six-hole competition in which each player plays two holes.
Hole values are 1 point. The team that takes the least number of shots to complete a hole is awarded the point. Tie-ins are worth zero points. If the match is level at the end 15 holes, the players will continue to compete until one team gets two shots closer than the other.
The Triples session is sure to be entertaining. The Singles session could be confusing for viewers due to the revolving players. Also, the overtime tiebreaker closest-to the-pin may drag on (remember Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson’s first match? ).
Postseason and the points system
The TGL points system is similar to the NHL. A win or loss in regulation are worth 2 points. A loss in overtime is worth 1 point. And a regulation loss is worth zero points.
The top four teams in the standings at the end of regular season advance to the playoffs. The semifinals are single elimination, and the Championship Series is a best of three competition. Postseason details will be announced.
The Venue
The SoFi Center, located at Palm Beach State College, in Palm Beach Gardens (Florida), is an almost 250,000 square-foot venue. It will hold approximately 1,600 spectators on match nights for TGL’s first season. The course, which is infused with technology, is about the size of a soccer field.
Full Swing Technology will allow players to hit real grass tees, fairways, rough and sand for long shots, into a 64×46 foot screen. This is roughly 20 times larger than a standard simulator.
Full Swing will also be used to transition players from Screenplay into Greenplay for shots less than 50 yards. The “Green Zone”, which is the custom-built area, is bigger than four basketball court and has three 15×27 foot Virtual Greens. Each green has 189 actuators, jacks and other devices that alter the slope to provide a variety of plays on each TGL hole.
Weekly teams and fields
Six teams each consisting of four players make up the league. Each match will begin with the two teams naming their three players. All six will then be microphoned during the competition.
All team names, brands and front office staff will be announced in the coming months. All 24 players have been announced as well as five of the six teams ownership groups.
- Atlanta Drive GC – led by Arthur M. Blank (Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, PGA Tour Superstores).
- TGL Boston : led by John Henry and Tom Werner. Mike Gordon is also part of the Fenway Sports Group, which includes Boston Red Sox (team), Liverpool FC (club), Pittsburgh Penguins (team), RFK Racing, etc.
- Los Angeles Golf Club – led by Alexis Ohanian, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Seven Seven Six and Alex Morgan; with limited partners Alex Morgan, Servasco Carrasco, Michelle Wie West and the Antetokounmpo Brothers.
- TGL New York :led Steven A. Cohen, New York Mets, Cohen Private Ventures
- TGL San Francisco : led by Avenue Sports Fund’s Marc Lasry and Stephen Curry. Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson, and Marc Lasry.
