
Tuesday evening, January 7th 2025 will either go down in history as just another day or become forever remembered for the first – slightly awkward – airing of the new indoor arena golf league from Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. TGL (TMRW Golf League) has been in the news a lot in the past few weeks, and there was no way to really know whether or not the whole thing would come together for a live TV audience.
If you haven’t watched already, you should at least go find a highlight reel to see it all in action. I’m sure there are plenty to choose from, but I’ll drop at least one in below. With this simulator-on-steroids golf experience, you really do need to see it all play out in order to get your head around the potential of what they are attempting with TGL.
What I loved about TGL
I’m still forming some opinions, but I really did love the atmosphere the arena provided. It felt far more like a basketball or hockey game, and that was strange but also great. The lighting looked great, the camera work was high-level, and the production value was what you expect from ESPN when it comes to golf. I really did enjoy how they handled the somewhat-static nature of playing 15 holes in one small-ish area.
I also love the technology and the sheer ridiculousness of the IMAX-sized simulator screen mixed with the wild, rotating, ever-changing green complex. Just from a sheer technological level, this was really cool to see and the fact that it all went off live without a hitch was impressive.
I really enjoyed the shot clock and the Hammer, too. Both are great devices to create tension and up the ante quite a bit. With the blowout we saw on night one, the Hammer was largely relegated to useless. But in closer matches, I think the pressure from the shot clock and the added drama of the Hammer will make things quite interesting.
And the overall vibe was what I was hoping for. Instead of the sometimes-detached feeling of PGA Tour golf, this felt far more personal. I’ll get to the mics and headsets the players were wearing in a minute, but the idea at a fundamental level is right on. Hearing these guys talk, banter and (hopefully) talk a bit more trash to one another will be great. Note that I said will be.
What I didn’t like so far about TGL
The more I reflected on this whole venture, the more I realized it is perhaps better suited to YouTube golfers. They all built their individual brands on golf, sure, but it was more so on personality. Being mic’d up for a match isn’t something these tour pros are used to, and you could tell. The conversations were a bit muted, the trash talk was totally missing, and the team comradery wasn’t on full display either. The whole thing felt a little stiff and stilted.
Part of that was the low volume of the players’ mics. It was hard to hear what they were saying most of the time, and the music/announcers drowned out most of that conversation. That being said, it didn’t appear there was a ton of back-and-forth to miss, so part of this issue is production and part of it is getting the usually-focused, individualized tour pros to open up and talk a bit more.
But the main issue for the time being is the sense that this all is a big goof-off session for these guys. It doesn’t feel like they really have much to play for. Like LIV Golf, this feels like a great idea that doesn’t yet have any substance. The rosters are fantastic and I know these guys always want to win, but TGL will have to sort out what it looks like for this to become a real competition.
I think back to the PNC last month where Tiger and Charlie were playing Bernhard and Jason Langer down the stretch. While this tournament didn’t mean a ton in the end (it’s a big, family affair), there was real tension and focus from the players that clearly wanted the victory. It created great drama and I was zoned in for the last hour or so of that tournament.
TGL didn’t have that at all, unfortunately. The entire match stayed super chummy and it felt far more like a game or two at TopGolf than anything else. Sure, the NY Golf Club definitely didn’t want to get absolutely steamrolled like that, but it just didn’t seem to bother them too much. While I think these guys most definitely need to have fun with TGL, there has to be an element of deeper competition if they want people to keep tuning in and watching.
Why I will absolutely keep watching
Here’s the thing with a new venture like TGL: the first few outings were always going to be a little messy. Between having tour pros who aren’t used to being “on” the entire match, a TV crew that had to bob and weave a bit to figure out how to commentate, interview, and cover such a different event, and the overall settling-in period I fully expected to need to take place for this whole thing to find its stride, there’s a lot to get ironed out in season 1.
But that doesn’t mean it was bad. Go back and watch the first few aired tournament stops from LIV’s first season. It was rough, too, but their broadcasts are quite good now. And TGL will get there as well. The crews that cover golf are masters of their craft out on the course, but this is a whole new paradigm. They won’t get it all sorted the first few times out, and that’s OK.
I wondered why the debut didn’t feature Tiger Woods, and now I get it. They needed this first week to really see the product on-screen. And now that they have, I’m confident next week’s match will be far better. Hopefully that means a bit more competitive, a bit more engaging, and a bit more compelling to watch as a fan.
As a golf simulator guy, I’m rooting for TGL 100% and I think there’s something there; but some tweaks need to happen in the first few weeks to really make this something people are eager to tune in and watch. Hopefully the overall investments were made to give TGL the time it needs to mature into its own thing. This isn’t a standard golf broadcast, and as they find their footing, I think there’s definitely room for this in professional golf’s “off season.”