3/26/24
The inaugural season of TGL, for the most part, was a success. Anytime there’s a new league or, in this case, a new product, there are some hiccups to be expected. The hiccups were minor things that surely, over time, can be ironed out. The players bought in, and it showed in the finals there was true competition. Hats off to TGL, after a year delay due to a questionable decision of building a large tent in Florida, had a really good inaugural season.
Atlanta Drive GC, comprised of Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas, Bully Horschel, and Lucas Glover, won the SoFi Cup with a 2-0 series win over New York Golf Club. Atlanta Drive seemed to have the team aspect of TGL down from their very first match. They were more in unison than the other teams, and even though it’s screen golf, it probably gave them a slight advantage, rather than a team like Jupiter Links Hit And Giggle GC. Atlanta Drive came into the playoffs as the three-seed, defeating The Bay Golf Club 9-3 in the semifinals.
The finals were very competitive, as the first match came down to hammer strategy and an Atlanta comeback, where Atlanta Drive GC won the last two holes to win 6-5. Last night, NYGC held a 3-0 lead through 11 holes, but Atlanta stormed back again, winning the 12th, 13th, and 14th holes, using the hammer on all three holes to force NYGC to decline the hammer on the 12th and 13th holes, while accepting on the 14th. It was there that Billy Horschel drained an eagle putt and launched a nuclear celebration, claiming that the SoFi Center was “his house,” plus a few expletives. The teams tied on the 15th hole, where Cameron Young had a chip to win the hole and the match, but it rolled just wide of the cup, giving Atlanta Drive the victory in the match and the SoFi Cup.
Is TGL perfect? Absolutely not. Even though the last two nights were near-perfect matches, there are still a lot of changes that need to be made to enhance the product. The building blocks of the league are very sturdy. Some of the format could use slight changes, like playing holes after the match has already been decided. Those felt extremely dull, and there needs to be the chance of an exciting shot, or something that the teams can play for that carries significance. They attempted to have holes won be a tiebreaker, but that didn’t come to fruition and seems like a more desperate grasp at filling time.
The broadcast is not good. Matt Barrie and Marty Smith are talented people but aren’t a fit for this. People like Colt Knost, and Smiley Kaufman, or others who are very well-connected with golf and with the players would be better fits. They each have good personalities and can bring some analysis while making it fun for the casual fan. The lack of analysis did hurt some aspects because the audience was in the dark about why players did certain things, chose certain clubs, or aimed in specific positions. Some of the basic analysis would help TGL moving forward. It isn’t just them that is the issue, the awkward, forced interviews in between some holes were more cringy than productive. As there are more iterations of TGL, stats will become more relevant to also add another element to the broadcast and that will take time. Being on ESPN does give TGL some legitimacy, and the players being mic’d up was a home run. Hearing them in real-time discuss strategies, where to aim, and what went right or wrong on shots was phenomenal.
The players really bought into the product, which is the most important aspect of starting up the new league. If the players aren’t all in, why would your fans? That also showed during the finals, where Justin Thomas and Billy Horschel were engaging with the NYGC fans, creating a tense yet playful atmosphere. Seeing Tiger Woods laugh so hard that tears streamed down his face was another aspect of the league that carried throughout the season. Players were having fun. They took it seriously but mixed in a healthy amount of fun to showcase their personalities. Overall, the players made TGL successful, and deserve a lot of credit for buying in, and enhancing the product, rather than not taking it seriously.
TGL should be proud of the inaugural season. It blew a lot of people away and scratched an itch most people didn’t know they had. Next season, some small improvements should be expected, but there aren’t drastic changes that need to be made. If they are playing the long game, fitting TGL into this part of the schedule is brilliant. No direct competition with the NFL, no complications with any of the majors, and provides golf fans in snowed-in areas of the country more golf to watch, even if it’s screen golf.
Who’d have thought, six years ago, when Tiger Woods received his fifth green jacket, he and Rory McIlroy would own a screen golf league, broadcasted on ESPN, on a college campus in Florida, and it worked with the fans? The game is rapidly evolving and is another reminder to expect the unexpected.
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