THE TAGLINE IS “GOLF REIMAGINED” AND IT CERTAINLY IS DIFFERENT.
“TGL” IS A NEW GOLF LEAGUE, MADE UP OF 6 TEAMS THAT BEGIN PLAY TONIGHT IN PRIME TIME ON ESPN… WITH MATCHES TAKING PLACE IN A MASSIVE INDOOR ARENA IN PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLORIDA.
“This could be the future of golf. This could be one of the coolest things on Monday nights after football. That’s the hope and I just wanted to be a part of it. And so, I’m really excited”
TEAMS OF THREE PLAYERS EACH WILL PAIR UP SOME OF THE TOP NAMES ON THE PGA TOUR. JUSTIN THOMAS, RICKY FOWLER, COLIN MORIKAWA, BILLY HORSCHEL AND OF COURSE, RORY MCILROY AND TIGER WOODS WHO PUT THEIR STAR POWER BEHIND THIS VENTURE MORE THAN TWO YEARS AGO.
THE IDEA, TAKE GOLF INTO THE 21ST CENTURY AND MAKE THE BIG MOMENTS MORE ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE, SAYS CEO MIKE MCCARLEY.
“It’s going to send a message that if you play golf in bare feet at a ‘Top Golf’ at 8am, you’re a golfer. You don’t have to play at 8am on the first tee in a pair of spikes. You can play the same game these guys are playing and it doesn’t have to be the game your grandfather played or your father played”
PICTURE A WWE OR MAJOR BOXING ARENA SETTING WITH A LIVE AUDIENCE FOR THE 2 HOUR MATCHES. THE PLAYERS WILL HIT GOLF BALLS INTO A MASSIVE 5 STORY SCREEN AND PLAY SHORT GAME SHOTS ON A ROTATING GREEN. THERE’S A SHOT CLOCK AND MICS ON THE PLAYERS. ALL TO KEEP THINGS MOVING FOR AN AUDIENCE WITH A SHORT ATTENTION SPAN.
“so we can have every shot live, so we can put it in prime time so we can have lights, music player introductions, everything you have in an NBA courtside experience but do it for golf.
THE GOLF HOLES ARE ALL COMPUTER GENERATED BY REAL GOLF COURSE ARCHITECTS. SOME SHOTS WILL BE HIT OFF GRASS, OTHERS SYNTHETIC TURF. IT’S INDOOR SIMULATOR GOLF ON STEROIDS.
“You can hit a shot perfectly you turn around they point to exactly where you are on the green, the green rotates, all that stuff, it’s just amazing where we are with technology.”
THE MATCHES WILL BE PLAYED ON MONDAY OR TUESDAY NIGHTS – THE DAYS IN BETWEEN PGA TOUR EVENTS – UNTIL EARLY MARCH. THE QUESTION IS HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL WATCH? ESPECIALLY AFTER THE NOVELITY WEARS OFF. FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M CHRIS FRANCIS