The past 12 months had a little of everything — a career Grand Slam, Ryder Cup chaos and so much more. With 2026 on the horizon, our writers look back at the most memorable moments from 2025 and explain why they mattered.
No. 15 — The zero-torque putter movement | No. 14 — ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ takes golf world by storm | No. 13 — Joaquin Niemann’s big 2025 (and crucial 2026) | No. 12 — J.J. Spaun slays Oakmont | No. 11 — The Internet Invitational | No. 10 — Jeeno Thitikul’s record year | No. 9 — Tiger Woods’ next role | No. 8 — Tommy Fleetwood breaks through
Biggest golf moments of 2025 No. 7: TGL debuts
I will never forget the secondhand anxiety I felt the night of January 7, standing on the synthetic turf inside SoFi Center, watching Ludvig Aberg warm up for the opening match of TGL. I was surrounded by various golf influencers, all about 40 feet from Aberg, with music blasting and TGL participants mulling about.
I wasn’t nervous for Aberg’s involvement in this upstart, mixed-reality league — he seems hand-crafted for it, with his sky-high ball-flight, rapid pace of play and robotically-perfect swing. I was more nervous about what was behind him. Standing 20 feet back from Aberg, in sneakers and a hoodie, all alone with his arms crossed, was an extremely contemplative Tiger Woods. The golf GOAT could look around at any of the wackiness inside the then-still-under-construction facility, but he chose to watch Aberg. Swing after swing after swing.
Maybe it makes sense that Woods would rather narrow his focus amid the hoopla that was TGL’s launch night. There was so much newness that it was hard to grasp hold of it all. The opening introductions, the lights, cameras and action, the THWACK then THUD cadence of play. This was golf as we’ve never seen it before, and it was a treat to be there in person, among billionaire franchise owners and pro athlete VIPS. We learned quickly what the Screen Zone was and how it differed from the Green Zone. We learned what The Hammer was and why a pulsating heartbeat blared over the speakers during some putts. The rapidity of gameplay forced you to speak the same language as Matthew Barrie, ESPN’s play-by-play announcer, explaining TGL’s quirks to everyone at home.
After being introduced to a Lil’ Jon song, Shane Lowry hit the opening tee shot, which felt much less like the start of something and more like the end of a long, perilous journey. Remember the initial announcement of TGL? That was in the summer of 2022. Remember the temporary structure built for TGL? That was ripped apart during hurricane-force winds in the winter of 2023, forcing a 12-month delay. The people behind TGL called it a blessing in disguise because it cleared the way to build a permanent, fantasy factory that will only continue to increase in use over time.
The 2025 TGL season felt like the massive simulator was for Pros Only. Maybe an influencer or two. NFL MVP Josh Allen got to bring his bachlor party in for some swings. But now, the march to its upcoming second season has seen all number of media using the facility, not to mention test matches happening weekly to make sure the new-and-improved tech is ready for its December 28 restart. One can only dream about the corporate outings that will fill the space in years to come.
But it’s here, on December 23, that feels worthy of a look back at what it TGL looked and felt like just 11.5 months ago — particularly when two intrepid GOLF.com staffers flew down to document the good, bad and ugly of it. There was that Tiger-gazing-upon-Aberg moment, sure. But there was a greater assessment of what was possible in the mixed-reality, made-for-TV golf future. We had to see it for our own eyes to understand why 24 of the best golfers in the world were interested in taking part.
There were some bumps and bruises along the way, no doubt. Like getting the live insights from mic’d up players to the actual fans in the stands, not just the people watching at home. TGL likes to think they’ve made important adjustments to make Season 2 even better than the first. We’ll watch to see if they can live up to those claims. For now, here’s a good reminder of what launch night was like:
