Tonight, (7th January) marks the dawn of a new era in golf with the debut of the Tech Golf League (TGL). Created by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, in partnership with the PGA Tour, this innovative league blends cutting-edge technology with elite competition, featuring teams of top PGA Tour players.
Six teams, each representing a different city in the United States, will compete throughout the season at the SoFi Centre—a state-of-the-art venue purpose-built for TGL on the campus of Palm Beach State College in Florida.
TGL Explained
In TGL, playing a hole mirrors the demands of a traditional golf course. Teams begin on a real grass tee box, hitting shots into a massive simulator screen. The result of each tee shot determines the lie for subsequent strokes, with players continuing from the fairway, rough, or sand, just as they would on an actual course.
Once teams reach the green zone displayed on the screen, the action shifts to a high-tech short-game area. Players will utilise advanced chipping and putting facilities to complete the hole, combining skill and precision until the ball finds the cup.
The Teams
Atlanta Drive GC
- Justin Thomas
- Patrick Cantlay
- Billy Horschel
- Lucas Glover
Boston Common Golf
- Rory McIlroy
- Hideki Matsuyama
- Keegan Bradley
- Adam Scott
Jupiter Links Golf Club
- Tiger Woods
- Max Homa
- Tom Kim
- Kevin Kisner
Los Angeles Golf Club
- Colin Morikawa
- Sahith Theegala
- Justin Rose
- Tommy Fleetwood
New York Golf Club
- Matt Fitzpatrick
- Rickie Fowler
- Xander Schauffele
- Cameron Young
The Bay Golf Club
- Ludvig Åberg
- Wyndham Clark
- Min Woo Lee
- Shane Lowry
There’s no denying that the six teams in the Tech Golf League boast some of the finest talent the PGA Tour has to offer. However, there are some noticeable absentees, including former major champions Jordan Spieth and Brian Harman, PGA Tour winners Viktor Hovland and Robert MacIntyre, and most notably, the current world number one, Scottie Scheffler. Reports suggest that Scheffler’s absence is partly due to his recent transition to fatherhood over the past year, as well as a hand injury that has sidelined him from competition.
The Season
Each team will compete in five regular-season matches, with three players from each side selected to play ahead of each match.
A TGL regular-season match consists of 15 holes, played in a 3-on-3 format, and is divided into two distinct stages.
The first nine holes, known as “Triples,” are played in an alternate-shot format. All three players from each team take turns teeing off on different holes, with the group then alternating shots until the hole is completed.
The final six holes, referred to as “Singles,” feature a rotating head-to-head format. Each player competes in two holes: Player 1 takes on holes 10 and 13, Player 2 plays holes 11 and 14, and Player 3 handles holes 12 and 15.
Each hole is worth one point, awarded to the team that completes it in the fewest strokes.
In the event of a tie, the match goes to a tiebreaker—a 3-on-3 closest-to-the-pin challenge. The team that hits two shots closer to the pin than their opponents wins the tiebreaker and the match.
The top four teams from the regular-season standings will progress to the semi-finals, with the two winning teams advancing to a best-of-three championship series.
In the event of a tie for a place at the end of the regular season, the tiebreaker will be determined by the total number of holes won. As a result, all 15 holes will be played in every match, even if the winner is decided before the final hole.
“The first thing I would like to have people know is it’s golf, but it’s reimagined, sort of trying to take golf into the 21st century,” McIlroy told ESPN.
“Every time I step in here I’m just blown away by the size of the screen, the fact that we’re able to put something that looks like golf on a stage like this,” added McIlroy.
“It’s really cool and we’re obviously really excited about it within the game of golf.”
“[We’re] trying to appeal to that bigger sports audience out there,” added McIlroy.
The Course
Three world-class golf course design firms have created 30 original holes that begin in the virtual realm, with shots into a simulator screen, and conclude on a real green within the SoFi Center. For each match, 15 of these holes are selected and arranged in a unique order to create the course for that evening.
You can view the rest of the holes created for the TGL here.
The Future
Golf has undergone significant changes in recent years, and this new venture is certainly no exception. Whether it will prove to be a success remains to be seen. Could this be the PGA Tour’s way of once again going head-to-head with LIV Golf, particularly with its focus on the team element of the competition? Only time will tell.
What deserves recognition, however, is the widespread use of simulator technology in the sport. This innovation is already commonplace, even at smaller golf clubs and ranges around the world, and its incorporation into a high-profile competition like this highlights its growing influence in modern golf.
What sets this initiative apart is its ability to bring golf into an entirely new environment, blending the virtual and real worlds to create a fresh and dynamic spectator experience. By doing so, the TGL has the potential to engage a younger, tech-savvy audience while maintaining the competitive integrity that traditional fans expect. It’s a bold move that could redefine how the sport is consumed and enjoyed.
As the TGL kicks off, all eyes will be on how this new format unfolds and whether it can establish itself as a legitimate force in the golfing world. Whether it can stand alongside the rich traditions of the game or carve out its own niche remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: it’s a fascinating step into the future of golf, and its impact will surely be felt for years to come.
Sky Sports will be broadcasting the TGL in the UK, but it might be worth setting your TV boxes to record, as tonight’s match between New York Golf Club and The Bay Golf Club won’t begin until 2am.
Swing and Hope 
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