Golf has got some big plans for 2025! One of the highlights is TGL—the tech-driven golf league co-founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. Starting January 7, Florida’s SoFi Center is rolling out a golf course that’s part real, part digital, and totally new. Think simulators, digital screens, and a mix of real grass and synthetic turf. It’s going to be interesting, to say the least. After a delay of 1 year, TGL is finally happening, so the excitement for it is off the charts.

But here’s the kicker—not everyone’s buying into the hype. Even the players seem a little lukewarm about it. Don’t believe it? Just ask Rickie Fowler. On The Smylie Show, Fowler didn’t exactly sound thrilled as he said, “It is not real golf, but it’s not, you know, hitting balls in your bedroom simulator or office simulator. It’s somewhere kind of in between.” Yes, that’s coming from a guy who is in the league. Fowler plays for the New York Golf Club. 

If that doesn’t make fans pause—especially when they’re shelling out more than the usual ticket prices—what will? Fowler went on to explain, “There are all new holes; there are holes that you haven’t seen before; they are designed just for this. So there is a little bit of adjusting to do between hitting on the monitor and how the ball reacts there and how it is chipping there in the synthetic there.” 

It seems Fowler has now adjusted and is excited for TGL. He recently gave the media a peak of the venue, while hitting a shot, and it accidentally went into a bunker. Talk about a blunder, right? Had it been a real course, he might have avoided the bunker! 

When Nuclr Golf shared a sneak peek of the action at the SoFi Center featuring Fowler, what was the golf community’s reaction? Let’s just say “meh” might be generous.

Fans show no interest in the upcoming TGL

In the video, Rickie Fowler is seen taking a shot from the tee box as time runs down. After hitting the ball toward the simulator, he casually tamped down the synthetic grass like he’d made a divot—something that had golf journalist Christopher Powers cracking up. “I’m not even exaggerating when I say I’m crying watching Rickie miss a green on a simulator and then tamping down the fake grass like he made a divot. This is realistic as F**,” Powers wrote.

While that journalist may have been sold, not everyone’s on board with TGL’s high-tech approach. A lot of fans are pretty skeptical, with one bluntly commenting, “Call me a hater, but this is going to flop hard.” Another chimed in, “This is horrendous. No one is going to watch this.”

The criticism mainly revolves around the shift from traditional golf to a tech-heavy experience. One fan summed it up perfectly: “This looks f***ing awful. Make Golf Great Again.” Another echoed the same nostalgia: “I still like to go to the golf course to play. This is too fake.”

And let’s not forget the ticket prices. Starting at $160 for a single match, fans aren’t too thrilled about paying up for what some see as just an expensive simulator session. “Zero excitement. It will be an expensive flop shot,” one fan said. The graphics didn’t escape scrutiny either. “The graphics look worse than Mario Golf,” a fan quipped, clearly unimpressed by the digital production.

That said, TGL still has its defenders. During the league’s inauguration, Wyndham Clark praised the format, saying it gives fans a more intimate look at players’ personalities in a fresh environment. Billy Horschel also talked up the interactive features, from the giant digital screens to the synthetic sand traps and putting surfaces, all designed to create a more dynamic fan experience.

But here’s the big question: Will TGL’s tech-first approach bring in new fans, or will it leave traditionalists yearning for the classic game? So far, many fans are sticking to their love of the old-school golf course with real grass and wide-open fairways.

What do you think? Will TGL change the game, or is it headed for a flop? Let us know in the comments.