Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s indoor golf league is starting to take shape.
Following a failed launch earlier this year (thanks in part to a collapse of the dome housing the league), TGL officially has a target start date for 2025, the league announced Monday morning. Additionally, TGL shared a few of the rules that will be used for the first-of-its-kind simulator league.
Here’s everything we know:
TGL launch date
TGL will make its debut just after the new year with the first competition scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 7. The competition will air on ESPN and ESPN+ in primetime in the U.S. with six teams led by PGA Tour stars. The league has matches scheduled for the first three Tuesdays of January during ESPN’s busiest month of the year.
“January is a tremendous time of year for fans looking for prime-time sports and TGL’s launch will complement the start of the PGA Tour season and take advantage of ESPN’s promotional machine across their coverage of the NFL and college football playoffs,” said Mike McCarley, founder and CEO of TMRW Sports. “We’re eager to introduce sports fans to TGL as we focus on the league’s debut this coming January.”
Unique rules
TGL is the first simulator golf league of its kind, and it’ll have a unique set of rules to govern play. Below are a few the league will feature.
—Shot clock
Pace-of-play police rejoice — TGL will feature a shot clock. Each player will have 40 seconds to hit each shot; if they fail to do so within the allotted time, they will receive a one-stroke penalty. The shot clock will be enforced by a referee (more on that below) and will reset after each turn.
—Timeouts
TGL will also have timeouts. Each team will have four timeouts per match, and can use a maximum of two per session. When timeouts are called, they will reset the shot clock with no penalty. Oh, and timeouts can be called when an opposing player is readying to hit a shot. Think Tiger can be iced before hitting a big putt? We’re about to find out.
—Referee
Just like any other team sport, TGL will have an official to referee the action. The ref will be on the “field of play” as the golfers compete, and there will also be a booth referee to monitor the action via video feed.
Basics of competition
TGL also has updated its website with a breakdown of its competition, which you can see below.
Match format
Each match will be 15 holes, which will be played over two sessions — triples and singles. Triples, an alternate-shot format with three players per team, will be nine holes, while singles will be six holes. Players will play two holes a piece during the singles session. If matches are tied after the 15 holes, a closest-to-the-pin competition will be used to decide a winner in overtime.
League format
TGL will use a points-based format, similar to what is used in soccer or hockey. Teams will receive two points for winning in regulation or overtime, one point for losing in overtime, and zero points for losing in regulation.
Postseason
Just like any other team sport, the TGL will have postseason playoffs. The top four teams will advance to the playoffs, which will feature a single-elimination semifinal round and best-of-three championship series.
Technology
Here’s how technology will be featured in TGL gameplay.
—Screenplay
Each hole will start like any outdoor hole would — from a tee box. The SoFi Center will have natural turf tee boxes, as well as real fairway, rough and sand. Players will hit into the massive 64 x 46-foot screen for all shots outside of 50 yards.
—Greenplay
For all shots inside 50 yards, golfers will play on the custom-built “GreenZone.” This custom-built 22,475-square-foot short game area has a a 41-yard-wide turntable that will rotate the green to change approach angles on every hole. The 15 x 27-foot green will also be able to manipulate its topography using nearly 600 actuators.
Arena update
TGL was initially slated to begin in early 2024 — until Mother Nature foiled their plans. When a violent storm ripped through the Palm Beach, Fla., area last November, the weather ripped through the membrane of the league’s cloth dome roof. Images of the damage circulated on social media in the days to come, and league organizers pushed back the TGL start date by 12 months.
Weather shouldn’t be a concern with the new arena, though. As a part of their latest announcement, TGL revealed that the arena — the SoFi Center — will be a steel-supported structure. According to a previous report from Sports Business Journal, the arena will be able to withstand a Category 5 hurricane.
The announcement included new renderings for the SoFi Center as well.
The SoFi Center will seat 1,500 fans with stands wrapping around the 97 x 50-yard field of play. The arena will have real turf tee boxes where players will tee off into a 3,000-square-foot simulator screen. For greenside play, TGL will feature a short game complex that transforms between holes with a 41-yard-wide turntable that rotates the green and bunkers between holes.
