TGL finally arrived Tuesday night.
It was worth the wait.
The new tech-infused simulator league, which features 24 PGA Tour players across six teams, got off to a strong start and exceeded my expectations.
There was a long list of things TGL got right on opening night.
The breakneck pace of the action was startling and refreshing. The first hole between New York Golf Club and The Bay Golf Club took all of four minutes. The 40-second shot clock—which rarely got down under 10 seconds—pushed the players to move things along quickly.
I can’t believe I’m saying this but the pace was almost too fast at certain points. I said “almost.” The first 30-45 minutes of the broadcast were electric from a pacing perspective.
Because of that pace, banter between the players wasn’t as forced as we’ve seen in other made-for-TV matches. They seemed to be genuinely having fun without thinking much about it and the shot-after-shot rhythm eliminated a lot of the dreaded dead space.
The technology worked—functionally and entertainment-wise—as every full shot came with the allure of following the ball from a point of view we’re not used to seeing in traditional golf. The spinning green complex proved to be tricky as players were struggling to get up and down from awkward positions.
The format of triples—alternate shot between three guys—was perfect for the opening nine holes. Everyone was involved and engaged. It felt more like we were watching a guys’ bowling night instead of a Tour event.
Unexpectedly, some of the fans were booing bad shots and doing fake countdowns of the shot clock (like you would see in college basketball). While the crowd got stagnant later in the match, it was a bonus to get some involvement from them.
I also came away with high grades for the ESPN broadcast. There was some gravitas with Scott Van Pelt setting the stage early. ESPN would occasionally “flashback” to a hot-mic moment between the players, a great way to capture their interactions without being forced. The first commercial did not come until 34 minutes into the proceedings so we all got into a groove as viewers—a distinct change from the typical feeling of watching a golf tournament.
There are improvements to be made with the broadcast but I came away impressed by the look and feel of everything. It felt rehearsed—in a good way.
Overall, I would give TGL a B+ for opening night. I will be watching next week.
It is the dead of winter here in my hometown of Nashville (seven inches of snow coming!) and most of the country isn’t playing golf. This is a harmless, creative idea that has people watching golf on ESPN.
Viewership was very encouraging—an average of more than 1.2 million tuned in, which was higher than expected. That is more than double any LIV broadcast the past three years.
Consider that a big win for golf so far.
I don’t want to hear anything from the crowd who is saying that people can’t criticize LIV and then support TGL. That is nonsense. LIV is basically the same exact thing as the Tour—it looks and feels roughly the same—while TGL is a completely different product that reimagines golf in a creative way.
Whether TGL becomes the next big thing or eventually falls flat, this concept has little relationship to LIV.
Honestly, LIV could have done way more damage as a simulator league or venturing into the alternate golf category.
Areas TGL can get better
With any endeavor like this, lessons will be learned and adjustments will be made.
In no particular order, here are five ways TGL can improve for the second week.
1. Cut down player introductions/interviews
The debut TGL broadcast came on air right at 9 p.m. ET as Duke mercifully finished off a rout of Pitt in men’s college basketball (the timing was a question given how basketball games tend to run long).
But the first 15 minutes of the broadcast were too “fluffy” as my high-school English teacher would say. A couple of boring player interviews were followed by player introductions that came off a little gratuitous.
We can cut out some of that. The way I imagine it, the broadcast could start with the players already out in the arena. Maybe SVP hits them with a couple of questions and then the golf starts. We don’t need any more than five minutes from the start of the broadcast and the actual golf.
There were also a couple of random interviews that were unnecessary. For the love of God, can we please keep DJ Khaled off the broadcast? Nobody is asking for this.
2. Show shot data after every full swing
I think this one is an absolute no-brainer.
We’re in a tech-infused simulator league so let’s show off all the tech.
We got to see shot analytics a handful of times throughout the night but why not throw it up on the screen after every full swing? Junkies want to see the carry yardage, ball speed and all the other metrics.
There was a cool moment in the match where Ludvig Aberg crushed a driver and his teammates were guessing what his ball speed was going to be. That is where this league can really shine. This should feel like a bachelor party activity where the best players in the world are messing around and talking golf.
The shot data is something that draws viewers into the moment. How far did that go? How does Rickie Fowler’s spin rate with a driver compare to mine? It’s almost addictive to watch it pop up on the screen.
3. Let the player audio carry more of the action
A couple of things here.
The player audio was a little difficult to hear in certain spots because of the music blaring (a wider variation of music would also be appreciated). It worked well without background noise but you couldn’t hear the banter much beyond that.
And then ESPN had Matt Barrie—totally fine but not particularly memorable—trying to narrate the action and interject with questions for players. Barrie was having to carry a little too much at points, forcing in conversation in some of the dead space.
I think they could dial Barrie back and let the player interaction speak louder. Just have Barrie explain what is happening from a golf perspective and then let the players talk to each other.
I was concerned the players would be too awkward—and that could still be a problem—but the fast pace makes it easier on these guys. Some of the pressure is alleviated when you are hitting a lot of golf shots. The production could lean more on the players because of this.
Along this same line of thinking, ESPN could hit those “hot mic flashback” moments way more. One they had on Tuesday night was Shane Lowry saying he wants to be the Scottie Scheffler of indoor golf. That is good stuff!
The more this is led by the players having a good time, the better the product will be.
4. Modify the intermission so the pace doesn’t bog down
A little over an hour into the broadcast, we got a 12-minute intermission prior to the singles format for the final six holes.
That sucked the energy out of the broadcast. We had a blowout match and the singles didn’t hit because only two of the six players were competing on each hole.
It’s a wait-and-see approach for the singles. Would that be more entertaining in a closer match? I’m not sure yet.
As for the intermission and the 15-hole match lingering to reach the two-hour mark … it was too much. I’m guessing the TV slots can’t be changed now but this would work better as a 90-minute show than two hours.
I didn’t mind the few commercials we got because the pace of action was so fast—but stopping for 12 minutes in the middle of the round probably got a few people to change the channel.
Maybe skip the intermission but have a quick SVP player interview to reset everything going into the last six holes?
5. The course needs to get a little whackier/firmer
While some of the TGL hole designs are cool—this hole called “Pick Yer’ Plunder” is the perfect example—I came away disappointed in how they played.
It didn’t seem like the players had a hard time with decision making. These are the best golfers in the world and TGL can make any design it wants. There should be ridiculous holes that are more Mario Golf than what we see on the Tour.
If the designs are going to be more conservative, the turf firmness dial should be turned way up so we see balls bouncing.
Make these guys really think out there!
Despite some of these grievances, I’m encouraged by what I saw from Night One of TGL. I’m assuming it will only get better from a production standpoint.
With Tiger Woods playing the next two weeks, I’ll definitely be watching.
What did you think of TGL’s first night? Will you be watching again?
Let me know below in the comments.
Top Photo Caption: The massive screen at SoFi Arena is five stories tall. (GETTY IMAGES/Mike Ehrmann)
Steve Waldo
1 week ago
I loved TGL! I was skeptical when I tuned in, but it was fast, fun, and had good banter between the players. Comments for consideration: 1) Keep the “Chicago Bulls” like introduction. Each team needs a theme song – fight song; 2) Get rid of the Olympic style player profiles; 3) Get rid of DJ Khaled; 4) Show lots of shot data; even compare the players as they compete with one another (e.g. Tiger’s drive stats v. Rory’s drive stats); 5) Turn up the player audio between shots and turn down the background music; 6) Shorten or get rid of the intermission; 7) Feature some historic golf holes and provide a brief history on its significance; 8) Provide a couple creative Grand Canyon/Mario type holes per round, but not too many — this is competitive golf and we want the players and the golf game to be taken seriously.
Also, this is a bit off the wall, but maybe you have cheerleaders who are good at golf on the sidelines. First, they get the crowd going. Second, one or two of the cheerleaders gets interviewed and provides commentary between shots (maybe this replaces the intermission). Third, as an added twist the players have the option of the “cheerleader challenge”: Our cheerleader could hit that shot better than you. If she does hit a better shot your team gets an extra two points for that hole. Or something like that.