Three of the top 10 ranked golfers in the world and six of the top 100 came together Tuesday night in an “arena” in Florida to play indoor golf — in an event that could change the sport forever.
That’s a significant proclamation, but given the direction of professional golf in recent years, it’s almost impossible to project the sport’s future. However, the debut of TGL, a new tech-infused golf league headed by the two most popular golfers in the world, went off without a relative hitch and inspired no shortage of reaction from sports fans everywhere.
The Bay Golf Club won the inaugural match, walking all over New York GC in the first match held at the SoFi Center in Florida. With all due respect to the star-studded field, no one will remember the result, and that is kind of the point in some regards — or so it seems.
Here are some opening-night takeaways following the official launch of the TGL.
Things went off without a hitch
There’s no way the TGL didn’t look at Night 1 as anything other than a rousing success. The Duke-Pitt college basketball game was a strong lead-in but didn’t run over. The broadcast looked and sounded good. The tech all seemed up to par (no pun intended). And for hardcore golf fans, it still felt like it was something resembling the real thing in way that wasn’t a complete turn-off (at least for most). The hard work paid off, and everyone involved clearly made the most of the extra year of prep that looks like a blessing in disguise in hindsight.
The need for speed
Anyone who has spent a lazy Sunday afternoon in the summer watching the John Deere Classic can tell you golf has a pace-of-play problem. That made the TGL’s 40-second shot clock almost jarring. But it largely worked. All golf fans — or fans of any sport — is to actualyl watch the sports they love. No sport traditionally struggles with that as much as golf, so there are no complaints on that end, either. The challenge facing the sport’s power brokers moving forward is how to get all of that to transfer to the sport’s outdoor version at the highest levels.
Identity crisis?
The best parts of the first match were when viewers were given unfettered access to the mic’d-up golfers playing golf. It wasn’t the over-the-top intros, the borderline uncomfortable pregame handshake, and it for most, we assume, it wasn’t anything with DJ Khaled. When it felt like we were given inside access to the world’s best golfers doing cool golf things with some light-hearted banter mixed in, that was the good stuff. That was legitimately fun. Hopefully, that’s what the league leans into. Pro golf takes itself seriously, and that’s cool and understandable when there’s $25 million prize pools on the line. But this is a massive screen with golf holes into volcanoes and whatnot. Lean into that and get a little weirder.
The pilot problem
The broadcast generally speaking was … fine. ESPN is ESPN, and just the exposure alone is good for the sport. However, the broadcast left a little to be desired for reasons that are difficult to fully articulate. Part of that might be the relative break-neck pace. It’s hard to tell any sort of story at that speed. The broadcast also took itself a little too seriously sometimes. But here’s the thing: Pilots aren’t always the best version of a TV show. This thing is going to probably look and sound different as soon as next week, and that’s probably a good thing.
More data, please
One great thing about the ESPN telecast was the top-level production the network is known for with no shortage of cameras and angles and the like. One small request? Give us some more information about the actual golf shots, whether that’s yardages on the screen or swing-speed data (with context). That might be the sort of thing that’s especially difficult with the speed of the game, but a little more would be great for the diehards.
But … it’s also not about us
There was a running joke on X during the telecast about dudes who wives were seeing Ludvig Aberg for the first time, and well, becoming smitten with the 25-year-old Swede. Perhaps not so coincidentally, Van Pelt interviewed Aberg on “SportsCenter” after the match. That’s one small aspect, but it’s important for golf diehards to remember this isn’t necessarily catered to them (us). That’s OK. Maybe that makes DJ Khaled necessary (up for debate). But that also makes it more important to lean into the weird stuff, too.
Where we go from here
Just one golf fan’s opinion, but the long-term success of TGL will be defined by two things: The first is how much it can actually grow the game with new, diverse audiences by offering the sport in a new way. The second is how its innovations can impact and improve green-grass golf at the professional level with needed evolution. On the league’s first night, the potential to do both of those things was there.
