The Inaugural TGL Season

🗣️ Hello Friends,

It has been two weeks since we posted a Future of Golf newsletter. I took some time to recharge over the holidays to hangout with family and longtime friends. I hope you all did too!

I made sure to use the rest of my PTO balance to set time aside to come up with new and creative ideas for this newsletter. 

We are debuting a new style and incorporating some of my brother Justin’s writing and his takes on the golf world. 

This week’s newsletter is about the Tomorrow's Golf League (aka TGL). The TGL is a simulator golf league, founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIIroy, that debuts tonight at 9pm EST, on ESPN. 

The league consists of six teams of four PGA Tour players per roster. The season runs until early March with a match airing on ESPN or ESPN2 every Monday or Tuesday. 

If you want to read about the rules, click the link here.

Justin and I decided to come up for a couple of questions that we will both answer regarding the first TGL season:

• What are you most looking forward to about the TGL?

• What are you pessimistic about?

• Who wins the inaugural season?

Finally, the last column is some news that I announced a couple of weeks ago on social media, but not here yet parlayed with some advice I believe in.

What are you most looking forward to about the TGL?

TV Production

I am most looking forward to the TV production side of the TGL because the majority of fans will be consuming the matches from their living room. 

One of the interesting draws about the TGL is its investment in advanced technology and analytics. Players will hit shots into a massive 64 x 53 foot simulator, created by Full Swing, for all shots greater than 50 yards. 

For short game shots and putts, TGL partnered with a company called Greenzone, who created a state of the art green that rotates based on the undulations of the specific green being played. There are also neighboring bunkers with real sand to hit out of if a player’s ball finds the beach. 

Here is an example of Rickie Fowler and Wyndham Clark hitting into the simulator:

After watching numerous behind the scene videos and watching players practice the holes, it will be important to see how everything is broadcasted on TV in a two hour window. 

If the producers of the TGL can create a stellar broadcast product that is digestible and easy to follow at home, then the TGL will be a great watch. If the TGL isn't compelling enough and not showcasing the technology the proper way, the future of TGL might be in trouble from a viewership standpoint. 

All in all, I believe that the TV production of how the matches are broadcasted will be a significant reason why either the TGL strives or crumbles.

Jumbo Simulator Screen

All I’ve heard on Twitter in the lead up to the inaugural TGL season is “simulator golf is not real golf”. This is not apples to apples with your local simulator center. The jumbo 64 x 53 foot simulator will be awesome to watch.

I love how far away the players hit from into the screen. This will allow for viewers to see their ball flights after impact which should be a nice wrinkle about the innovative golf league. 

Players will be hitting out of grass tee boxes, fairway, rough and sand into the screen, another factor that separates the TGL from a regular golf simulator. This should make the league more realistic, still separating the really good golfers from the elite ones.

What are you pessimistic about the TGL?

Player Banter

One of my favorite aspects about playing a golf match at home is the friendly banter with your opponents, even throwing some jabs at your partner. This is something that the TGL is leaning into make their matches exciting. 

I’m worried with a 40 second shot clock that there won’t be enough downtime for this friendly banter to be exchanged at the rate the TGL is likely hoping for.

We have had some viral moments during “The Match” series over the years, most notably in the Tiger, Phil, Tom Brady, and Peyton Manning match in 2020. However, in these televised live matches, there is a ton of downtime between shots and on the greens. 

At the end of the day, it takes buy-in from the players to deliver on this aspect of the TGL. But the question is, how much time will the players realistically have as they prepare for their own shots in under 40 seconds?

Putting & Hole Layout

I understand that the TGL is able to contour and shape the green differently, but I have to see it for a few matches to fully grasp how differently it will change the putting.

I just have a feeling the putting will be easier than playing on a regular golf course, due to it still being the same green with common pin locations. I’m just a little pessimistic on this one, and hope I’m wrong on this take.

Josh inserted a tweet earlier in this newsletter showcasing Wyndham Clark and Rickie Fowler driving on a hole. They were driving into a fairway that if you miss you’re in the middle of a canyon. I’m not sure how the holes will be laid out, but if it’s a lot of unrealistic holes, I would be a little disappointed.

I’m hoping for holes that will be as representative as a PGA Tour golf course as possible, as making this league as realistic as possible will create the best product for the viewers.

Who wins the inaugural season?

New York Golf Club

It is disappointing that the city of Philadelphia doesn’t have a TGL team. I might be a little biased here as I live in NYC, but my official pick to win TGL is New York Golf Club. 

The roster is headlined by the winner of last year’s PGA Championship and Open Championship, Xander Schauffele. His fellow teammates are Rickie Fowler, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Cam Young. Here are a couple of fun reasons why I think New York Golf Club is destined for greatness from the jump:

Xander is arguably the best golfer in the league with no Scottie Scheffler. 

Matt Fitzpatrick will be a huge fan of the shot clock as he is one of the fastest players on tour. 

Rickie Fowler is a fan favorite and will want to show out for the fans. 

Cam Young’s game is meant for simulator or “trackman golf” as many people in the golf community say because of how fast he swings the golf club. 

I will be at the parade in Times Square if my boys can take home a championship for the city of New York, who desperately need something to go their way besides signing big free agents.

Boston Common Golf

This pick is largely due to Rory and how invested and motivated he will be to win the first championship as one of the founders of the league. Oh, and also because he’s Rory McIlroy and is one of the best golfers on the planet.

His three teammates are Hideki Matsuyama, Adam Scott, and Keegan Bradley.

Matsyuama just notched a victory at the Sentry this past weekend, and he’s been playing some great golf since the end of last season. I believe he will take it very seriously and try his hardest to will Boston to a title.

Scott finished top five in the final standings for the FedEx Cup last season. All-around golfers will be key for this format due to the heavy alternate shot format. Scott is a steady, consistent golfer that you know what to expect whenever he plays.

Bradley will be so into the TGL, playing for his home area of New England. Bradley, along with McIlroy, will be getting the Boston team sparked all season long, and his energy is contagious. 

Boston winning another title would be, well, disappointing, but they are my selection to hoist the first TGL trophy as the confetti falls from the SoFi Center!

Exciting Announcement

In case you missed it, I recently joined a new golf startup called “Inside Sports Network”. 

ISN is a community and data information company designed to help members find an edge in golf betting and daily fantasy. 

For ISN, I am running our weekly newsletter that comes out every Wednesday morning (it’s also free) and I give my analysis on the given PGA tournament that week in our discord.

You might ask, Josh, you are running two newsletters now? Yes, that is correct! I never would have thought I would be, but I couldn’t pass on the opportunity. 

For years, I have been following and listening to a well respected golf analyst named Andy Lack, who has a weekly podcast and writes for many websites, notably Golf Digest. I had the chance to interview Andy on my podcast in July to talk about the Open Championship. 

Ever since his appearance, we kept in touch. Andy mentioned that he was starting his own golf media company, shooting to launch January 1st. 

I decided to muster up the courage and ask if he needed any additional help behind the scenes with his new venture. 

Funny enough, he asked if I knew anything about newsletters. This came a week later after I launched Future Of Golf. I pounced on the opportunity. 

It has been a blast helping get the company started in time for the 2025 PGA Tour season. Last week was the first tournament and we already met some of our initial goals with the company. 

I can’t emphasize this enough:

• Put yourself out there.

• Send that DM.

• Make that connection.

• Ask to hop on a phone call.

• Make valuable relationships. 

• Be a nice person. 

• And something will eventually go your way.

• You won’t regret it. 

Let’s make 2025 our year! 

Talk soon!