The TGL, a new tech-infused league started by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and their joint venture TMRW Sports, was originally slated to debut earlier this year, but the circuit ran into early trouble when its stadium’s roof collapsed.
“The postponement brings mixed feelings of disappointment and excitement. Above all, we are happy that no one was injured. We are looking forward to the launch of TGL,” McIlroy said at the time. “Given the circumstances, while the delay is disappointing, the postponement will allow us to regroup, refocus and return stronger.”
In March, the TGL announced the first matches will be held on Jan. 7, 2025, and that the new stadium would be made with a steel-supported structure instead of the bubble that collapsed the first time around.
Construction of the new SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, is underway and you can check out several aerial photos below.
TGL will debut Tuesday, Jan. 7 in prime time on ESPN and ESPN+ in the U.S.
TGL announced the launch dates of its inaugural season in January 2025 on Monday and released the first renderings of its new stadium.
The team virtual-golf league backed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Sports will debut Tuesday, Jan. 7 in prime time on ESPN and ESPN+ in the U.S.
The six-team league of PGA Tour pros competing in a fast-paced form of team golf within the custom-built SoFi Center, a 250,000-square-foot venue on the campus of Palm Beach State College in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, suffered a setback when the roof collapsed on the original tech-infused arena for golf due to a power failure, causing damage to the air-supported dome. The virtual golf league was postponed for this year.
According to a press release, SoFi Center will create an intimate and unique “greenside” fan experience with 1,500 seats wrapping around TGL’s field of play, which at 97 yards long and 50 yards wide is almost the size of a football field. New design plans for SoFi Center’s steel-supported structure have been officially unveiled.
Courtesy TGL presented by SoFi
“As we plan the 2025 launch of TGL presented by SoFi, we now have the first three Tuesdays in January circled to introduce sports fans to this new form of team golf. January is a tremendous time of year for fans looking for prime-time sports and TGL’s launch will complement the start of the PGA Tour season and take advantage of ESPN’s promotional machine across their coverage of the NFL and college football playoffs,” said Mike McCarley, founder and CEO of TMRW Sports.
The integration of the league’s technology mix starts with teams teeing off from real grass tee boxes to play custom-designed, virtual holes projected onto a 3,000-square-foot screen (64 feet by 46 feet), more than 20 times larger than a standard golf simulator screen. Once teams are inside approximately 50 yards they will transition to live action and finish each hole within TGL’s GreenZone, a 22,475-square-foot short game complex that transforms between holes. The GreenZone will use advanced technology to make each hole a unique challenge for the teams, including its 41-yard-wide turntable that rotates the green and three bunkers to change approach angles and using nearly 600 motorized actuators as part of Full Swing’s Virtual Green technology embedded under the synthetic putting surface to morph its topography.
TGL’s technology mix allows for every shot to be broadcast live, teams playing within a 40-second shot clock, all players being mic’d, delivery of advance shot data, and other broadcast enhancements.
So far, three of the team rosters have been announced:
Atlanta Drive GC:Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel, and Lucas Glover.
Boston Common Golf:Rory McIlroy, Keegan Bradley,Adam Scott and fourth team member to be announced.
Los Angeles GC:Tommy Fleetwood, Sahith Theegala, Collin Morikawa, and Justin Rose.
Jupiter Links GC:Tiger Woods and remaining roster to be announced.
TGL New York: To be announced.
TGL San Francisco:To be announced.
Additional Committed TGL Players:Wyndham Clark, Xander Schauffele, Max Homa, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tom Kim, Cameron Young, Min Woo Lee, Rickie Fowler, Shane Lowry, and Kevin Kisner.
TMRW Sports has plans to build a structure with insulated steel walls and a steel-supported roof, according to SBJ. Seating capacity isn’t expected to change, and the dimensions of the facility will also remain similar. The full footprint for SoFi Center’s plaza is 250,000 square feet, while the venue footprint itself is 150,000 square feet.
The newly built SoFi Center will be rated to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, whereas the air-supported venue that was damaged in November was only rated to withstand a Category 4.
“TMRW Sports was pleased to have the opportunity to provide an update on its plan for constructing the upgraded venue using improved design elements and materials,” a TMRW Sports spokesperson said in a statement to Golfweek. “The College is performing their duty and asking the right questions as part of a standard due diligence process.
“Our aim is to create a venue that the College and Palm Beach communities, as well as our fans and partners, will enjoy visiting for years to come. This is part of the process, and we are appreciative of both our wide-ranging partnership with Palm Beach State College and their agreement to create a special March meeting date ahead of their regularly scheduled meeting on April 16.”
SBJ reported TMRW Sports co-founder Mike McCarley made a presentation to Palm Beach State College’s Board of Trustees in February looking for an amendment to the lease for the facility, and the group is scheduled to vote on it next Tuesday or Friday, according to its website.
Construction on the venue could begin as soon as the college’s BOT approves the plan. Construction on the venue is not expected to impact TGL’s planned launch date of January 2025.
“The postponement brings mixed feelings of disappointment and excitement,” said Rory McIlroy.
Just 50 days before the first TGL event was scheduled to be played the new tech-infused golf league led by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy has announced play will be postponed until early 2025.
According to the league, a temporary power system and its backup system caused the SoFi Center dome – the host venue that was still under construction for TGL matches on the campus of Palm Beach State College – to deflate overnight on Tuesday, Nov. 14. While the air-supported dome section of the venue was damaged, there were no injuries and the league reports that most of the technology was not impacted.
A league statement noted the decision was made after the review of short-term solutions, potential construction timelines, player schedules and the primetime sports television calendar. TGL matches were slated to be broadcast by ESPN starting Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, the day after the College Football Playoff National Championship.
“The postponement brings mixed feelings of disappointment and excitement. Above all, we are happy that no one was injured. We are looking forward to the launch of TGL,” McIlroy said. “Given the circumstances, while the delay is disappointing, the postponement will allow us to regroup, refocus and return stronger.”
“I’ve been a believer in TGL, and as the momentum has built this past year, I’m even more excited about what this can become for fans of the game all around the world,” Woods added. “Although the events of last week will force us to make adjustments to our timelines, I’m fully confident that this concept will be brought to life by our great committed players.”
Jon Rahm, the first player to join co-founders Woods and McIlroy, backed out of the league in earlier this month by saying, “While I still think it’s a great opportunity, right now it would require a level of commitment that I can’t offer.”
The league will feature six teams of four PGA Tour players who will compete in 15 regular season matches followed by semifinal and final matches.
ESPN released a statement from Rosalyn Durant, ESPN Executive Vice President, Programming and Acquisitions: “We are partners with TGL and fully support their decision. We have believed in them and their vision from the beginning, and that has not changed. The additional time to plan, test and rehearse will only make it better. We look forward to launching the inaugural season on ESPN.”
“An overnight failure to the temporary power system used during the construction phase caused partial deflation and limited damage to the air-supported dome section of the site,” according to a statement from TMRW Sports. “The dome section has been further deflated by our crew and will remain down while they work to remedy the situation. There were no injuries, and no technology was impacted. Other work on site will continue.”
The SoFi Center will be a 250,000-square-foot venue that will accommodate approximately 1,600 people on match nights. Players will hit off of real grass into a 64×46-foot screen. For shots within 50 yards, players will transition to a custom-built “Green Zone” that is larger than four basketball courts and includes three 15×27-foot Virtual Greens. Each green features 189 actuators and jacks that change the slope of the green to create a variety of play on every TGL hole.
The dome of the SoFi Center — the future home of the TGL — has collapsed.
The new stadium is being constructed on the campus of Palm Beach State College in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and will host the league’s first match on Jan. 9.
The SoFi Center will be a 250,000-square-foot venue that will accommodate approximately 1,600 people on match nights. Players will hit off of real grass into a 64×46-foot screen. For shots within 50 yards, players will transition to a custom-built “Green Zone” that is larger than four basketball courts and includes three 15×27-foot Virtual Greens. Each green features 189 actuators and jacks that change the slope of the green to create a variety of play on every TGL hole.
🚨😦❌ #NEW: The dome structure has collapsed at the SoFi Stadium where TGL matches are slated to be played early next year. Unclear how this will affect preparations for the league. (📸: @luckiestgolfer via @flushingitgolf) pic.twitter.com/I4APp249PU
“An overnight failure to the temporary power system used during the construction phase caused partial deflation and limited damage to the air-supported dome section of the site,” according to a statement from TMRW Sports. “The dome section has been further deflated by our crew and will remain down while they work to remedy the situation. There were no injuries, and no technology was impacted. Other work on site will continue.”
Here’s what you need to know about the format for TGL.
Over the last year, TGL has continuously announced player signings and team owners to build anticipation for the new tech-infused golf league led by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
Golf fans knew the basics – six teams of four PGA Tour players competing in 15 regular season matches, followed by semifinals and finals matches all at a high-tech short-game complex – but we didn’t know what an actual competition would look like. On Tuesday the competition format, regular-season points system and postseason details were all released as the first match on Tuesday, Jan. 9, approaches.
Here’s what you need to know about the format for TGL.
Each match will feature two sessions with different formats. Session 1 will be 9 holes of “Triples,” three vs. three team alternate shot. Session 2 is 6 holes of “Singles,” a head-to-head competition where each competitor plays two holes.
Holes are worth 1 point and the team with the fewest shots on a hole wins the point. Ties are worth 0 points. If a match is all square at the end of the 15 holes, players will compete head-to-head until a team hits two shots closer to the pin than its competitors.
It’s a unique format to say the least, and the Triples session could provide some entertainment. That said, the Singles session may confuse viewers with a revolving door of players, and the closest-to-the-pin overtime tiebreaker has the potential to drag out (remember the first Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson match?).
Points system and postseason
The TGL regular season points system resembles the NHL: A win in regulation or overtime is worth 2 points, a loss in overtime is good for 1 point, and of course, a loss in regulation is worth 0 points.
At the end of the regular season, the top four teams on the points list advance to the playoffs. The semifinals will be single elimination and the finale, the Championship Series, will be a best-of-three competition. More details will be released on the postseason.
Venue
SoFi Center at Palm Beach State College in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, is a nearly 250,000-square-foot venue that will accommodate approximately 1,600 people on match nights during TGL’s inaugural season. The tech-infused course is roughly the size of a football field.
Players will hit tee and approach shots from real grass tee boxes, fairway surfaces, rough, and sand on long shots into a 64×46-foot screen (roughly 20 times a standard simulator) powered by Full Swing technology.
For shots within 50 yards or less, players will transition from Screenplay to Greenplay to a custom-built “Green Zone” that is larger than four basketball courts and includes three 15×27 foot Virtual Greens, also by Full Swing. Each green features 189 actuators and jacks that change the slope of the green to create a variety of play on every TGL hole.
Weekly fields and teams
The league is comprised of six teams of four players. The two competing teams will name their three players ahead of each match, and all six will be mic’d up during the competition.
Team names, brands, front office staff and players will all be announced later this year. All 24 players have already been announced, same with five of the six team ownership groups:
Atlanta Drive GC: led by Arthur M. Blank, AMB Sports and Entertainment (Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, PGA Tour Superstores)
TGL Boston: led by John Henry, Tom Werner, Mike Gordon, and Fenway Sports Group (Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC, Pittsburgh Penguins, RFK Racing)
Los Angeles Golf Club: led by Alexis Ohanian (Angel City FC), Seven Seven Six, Serena Williams and Venus Williams; as well as limited partners the Antetokounmpo brothers, Alex Morgan, Servando Carrasco and Michelle Wie West
TGL New York: led by Steven A. Cohen (New York Mets), Cohen Private Ventures
TGL San Francisco: a group led by Avenue Sports Fund’s Marc Lasry, Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson
The TGL, a tech-infused startup golf league spearheaded by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and TMRW Sports, is set to debut in January 2024. On Wednesday, TGL announced the three latest additions to the league: Sahith Theegala, Cam Young and Keegan Bradley.
There are now 19 players associated with TGL, with five more needed to fill out the complete lineup. The Sports Business Journal reported Wednesday that each of the six teams will have four players while only three will play in matches. This move allows each team to give players weeks off.
