Talk of the town, or you can call it TGL. That was not an exaggeration by any means, and you know that as well. I mean, the new tech-infused golf league fronted by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy is finally here, and well, I am flabbergasted, but am I the only one? That would be a big no. After a year-long delay, the league kicked off its inaugural season with a bang with an exciting venue and a ton of cool stuff to see and do. But was it received with the same enthusiasm?
Let’s start with the matches, I mean, these matches are designed to be fast-paced and exciting, with each team playing 15 holes, split into two sessions, nine holes of alternate shots, and six holes of singles. There’s even a shot clock to keep things moving, and teams can use timeouts to strategize. The league also features a unique twist called “The Hammer,” which allows teams to increase the value of a hole by one point. It’s a high-stakes, high-reward format that’s sure to keep fans on the edge of their seats. Talk about being amazing, but how did it really hold up?
According to Josh Carpenter, who attended the first match, the experience was a mixed bag of emotions. Carpenter revealed on Twitter that he had “a lot of FOMO being in the venue last night” due to the layout, which made him feel like he was missing out on some of the action. He also noted that the atmosphere felt “disconnected at times” and that there were “dead periods” during the match. “I had a lot of FOMO being in the venue last night. There was a ton of cool stuff being there, but it felt disconnected at times and there were dead periods,” he wrote. Perhaps most frustratingly, Carpenter pointed out that spectators in the venue couldn’t hear what the players were saying, which, according to him and many fans, was a major drawback.
I had a lot of FOMO being in the venue last night. There was a ton of cool stuff being there, but it felt disconnected at times and there were dead periods.
There was not a way for people in the venue (aside from media) to hear what was being said by players, etc.
— Josh Carpenter (@JoshACarpenter) January 8, 2025
However, the insider went on to write, “Feels like I need to catch up on what happened. I’d rather sit on my couch, watch and scroll Golf Twitter, which had a great night.” Ouch, that has got to hurt. But, if you think about it, all the live updates and reactions from the league opening night were anyway available on the X account of Tomorrow Golf League. So, was a trip to SoFi Center worth it?
Sadly, Carpenter is not the only one as Woods’ brainchild is just not doing it for many golf enthusiasts.TGL is falling flat for many
According to Mike D. Sykes of USA Today, TGL, the new golf league created by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, is off to a rough start. Sykes recently watched a two-hour match and was left feeling underwhelmed by the whole experience. I mean, the match itself was a blowout, with Bay winning 9-2, and the golfers just didn’t seem that into it.
The lack of competitiveness and energy from the players made for a pretty dull viewing experience. You’d think that with names like Tiger and Rory attached, the excitement would be palpable, but unfortunately, that just wasn’t the case.
So, what went wrong? Well, for starters, the concept of TGL, while cool in theory, didn’t quite translate to an exciting viewing experience. After all, the idea of two teams of four golfers competing against each other on virtual golf courses, with a mix of virtual driving and real-life putting on a changing surface in the arena, sounds awesome. But in practice, it just felt a bit… flat. And then there was the crowd, which seemed more like a bunch of tech bros following applause prompts rather than genuine fans. It was all just a bit too try-hard, you know? All in all, TGL needs to step up its game if it wants to win over viewers like Sykes.
