After months of delay, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s brainchild is finally set to kick in. The TGL is scheduled to begin on January 7, 2025. Six teams of four PGA Tour golfers will compete on simulator-based greens in two-hour sessions at SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens. TGL is a new concept. It brings technology into the picture. However, the team element is something we all know from LIV.

With the pros and fans excited for TGL, it is only natural to assume that the league will be a hit. But how will that success be measured? James Colgan, an expert writer with Golf.com recently appeared in an episode of The Drop Zone and shared how players like Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, Billy Horschel, and others will measure it. “Every single player involved is judging the league’s success based on its TV ratings, ” he said. “I think is a very bad idea,” he continued. But why?

If TV ratings drop, it does not necessarily mean the event is not successful. Take the 2019 PGA Championship, for instance. The 2021 Sunday round attracted 6.6 million, but viewership on CBS in 2019, 2020, and 2022 all hovered between 5.0 and 5.3 million. Does this mean the event was not a success? No! Brooks Koepka‘s dominant performance captured attention, but rain delays and other scheduling issues hurt viewership. 

Colgan added, “There is too much focus on if people will like it and not enough focus on how they can be acting and performing and being a part of this league to make people want to like it and want to care about it.” According to him, the players are taking up a passive role to meet the audience’s expectations and this might ruin things. LIV Golf has a global presence but it struggles to garner mainstream TV audiences because of its limited exposure to traditional networks. LIV also lacks the fame that the PGA Tour has. TGL, on the other hand, is backed by the biggest names and its partnership with ESPN is an added benefit. The league’s innovative, fast-paced format aims to attract younger audiences with shorter events and tech-driven features like virtual courses and real-time analytics.

“If ESPN has, like, rolling blackouts throughout the United States on the first night of the launch, they are going to outrate LIV,” said Colgan. Colgan thinks that TGL has the potential to be a grand success, but he has a huge question: “TGL is going to perform well comparatively, but will it be able to sustain that growth, and will it continue to grow? I think that’s the big question.” If that happens or not, it remains to be seen. 

Well, that is a big cause of concern but by the looks of it league has already become the talk of the town. Especially because of the unconventional elements it is bringing to the golf community.

TGL’s screen is the new topic in the golf world

“You imagine all these other sports that play in arenas and everything. You never imagine golf is going to play Arena, and it is, and we were moving as I speak,” said Horschel. “I could never imagine I was going to be a part of something like this in golf, and I mean, It’s going to be so cool. It’s going to be so cool. And so unique. And I think it’s going to be a massive success.” Billy Horschel has been speaking highly of TGL, and how it is innovating things.

The simulator screen at TGL is nearly 24 times larger than a standard one, measuring an impressive 53’x64’—no wonder Ohanian appeared tiny in front of it. All that while holding a banana for measurement purposes. This massive screen will enhance the golfers’ experience with improved visibility while navigating the customized holes, but it also allows fans to enjoy the game as if it were real golf.

In front of the screen is a Screen Zone featuring three designated teeing-off areas, a sand bunker, and rough patches, adding to the immersive experience. Behind the setup is the green zone, which will be used for putting and short-game shots. 

From the screen to the Green Zone, the TGL playing area is 97 yards long x 50 yards wide, nearly the size of a football field. “TGL is another example of how we can appeal to younger sports fans, and TGL’s progressive approach with its use of technology will further elevate how sports fans engage with golf. I love the concept of TGL helping to broaden the appeal of the game we love to a wider spectrum of sports fans. From the first time I heard about it, I knew it was for me,” said Max Homa, highlighting how the league is already headed toward success.

The entire functional structure has left the fans impressed already. Are you excited for the TGL to finally kickstart? Let us know in the comments section below!