Walkout songs, mic’d-up trash talk, shot clocks and simulators: Inside TGL and Tiger Woods’ new world of golf

“Hello, new world,” were the words Tiger Woods made famous when he ushered in a new era of golf with the now iconic 1996 Nike ad. It’s only fitting, 29 years later, that it’s the same man pulling back the curtain for the next big thing in sports.

On Tuesday, under the bright lights of the SoFi Center in Palm Beach, Woods and his business partner Rory McIlroy finally launched their TGL project, dragging golf into the 21st century. But there was no waterway in sight. Instead, the latest innovative venture to turn the sport on its head combines virtual golf with real-world competition.

And when Shane Lowry hit the first shot of the opening match onto a screen 20 meters wide and 17 meters high, from square turf in an intimate 1,500-seat indoor arena, things got very fast clearly this was not the case. golf as we know it.

Walkout songs, trash talk into the microphone, the constantly blaring soundtrack of an in-house DJ, a 40-second shot clock and simulator golf. This wasn’t your average golf event, it was a primetime TV show.

Woods and McIlroy were both in the building to witness their “tech-infused” brainchild begin its quest to capture a new audience of golf fans. They were captured before the match taking in the fruits of their labor, chatting with players and discussing aspects of their multi-million dollar venue.

But on Tuesday night, it wasn’t the duo carrying the weight of the business on their backs.

Billy Horschel had said in December that the responsibility for success rested on the shoulders of the players. On Tuesday night, it was Lowry, Wyndham Clark, Ludvig Aberg, Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler and Matt Fitzpatrick carrying that pressure.

The six PGA Tour superstars were the first to be put to the test in a distinctive blend of virtual golf and reality on TGL’s innovative stage as members of The Bay and New York Golf Club – the debut teams in the competition’s premiere.

In TGL, professionals hit from grass fields or sand to the simulator screen that records their distance and position.

After reaching the green zone, they switch to the short game area, about the size of four basketball courts, to hole out, either walking away with the hole and a point or nothing at all.

The showdown between the Bay and New York marked the first of fifteen fast-paced, three-on-three, two-hour regular-season matches in the long battle for the SoFi Cup.

The two teams are joined by Atlanta Drive, Los Angeles, Boston Common and Jupiter Links in the battle for the SoFi Cup and $21 million in prize money, and that team spirit was already on display Tuesday night.

Proud Irishman Lowry came to the SoFi Center in a San Francisco Giants jersey in honor of The Bay and added tunnel fits to the list of new things TGL is introducing to golf.

And it was the San Francisco team that drew first blood, pummeling New York 9-2. But while it was a bloodbath, it was by no means a one-sided nap.

Early on, some of the pressure to perform seemed to get to them. Lowry admitted midway through the first hole that he had been so nervous he had forgotten to bring a tee for his first shot, prompting a hilarious piece of insider commentary.

And that wasn’t the only one-liner the Irishman delivered. “I’m going to be the Scottie Scheffler of indoor golf,” he joked. ‘A bit like me. A bit thick,” said another, missing a shot.

And that turned out to be the key to TGL’s first success: Mic’d up players. Clips of the professionals’ banter, nonsense and celebrations were captured for the fans’ entertainment.

Schauffele in particular delivered on the comedy front. The New York captain tried to steal Clark’s hammer in an attempt to force The Bay to throw it.

The Hammer, like the shot clock, was one of TGL’s unique rules that brought the crowd to life. It’s a risky innovation that allows one team currently in possession of the ball to throw it down and double the points for that hole.

As it turned out, Lowry had nothing to worry about. He and teammates Clark and Aberg proved to be a well-oiled machine. They grabbed the first gap, thanks to Aberg’s clutch shot, and never looked back.

“The last time I had this much fun was probably last September,” Lowry said, keeping the nonsense alive even in his post-match press conference, referring to he and Aberg as Ryder Cup-winning members of Team Europe, instead of Clark and the US.

The atmosphere of the crowd at the SoFi Center wasn’t much different from Marco Simone’s raucous, hat-waving environment, just with a fast-paced, nightclub twist.

Clark had hoped for an NBA atmosphere on the court before TGL’s debut. He got his wish.

The crowd at the SoFi Center was downright rowdy. They were completely engrossed in the experience, standing on their feet waving free towels around for holes in the putts, letting out exasperated groans and outright booing the bad shots.

It was everything you wouldn’t expect from a golf event. In fact, the entire experience was completely at odds with the calm, relaxed nature of golf – in all the right ways.

From the outside, SoFi Center looks like an airplane hangar. Inside, “a glorified man cave,” as Fowler later put it.

Upon arrival at the 250,000-square-foot building, tucked off PGA Boulevard, strobe lights beamed into the Palm Beach night sky. The flashing lights continued throughout the arena, creating the sensation of a caffeinated stroll through Times Square. Electric boards showing the score, yardages and player names were beacons across the expansive playing field, which measures the size of an NFL field.

DJ Khaled paraded around the court as the players warmed up, while Mets owners and New York GC investor Steve Cohen and NBA legend Andre Iguodala headlined the VIP team boxes.

The internal DJ played constant thumping music, while the presenter demanded: ‘Ladies, let’s hear it.’

But if the players were bothered by Taylor Swift telling them to “Shake It Off,” or DMX claiming “X Gon’ Give It To Ya,” they didn’t show it. In fact, they embraced it.

“I’m always so jealous of basketball and football players that they get to do this so much more than we do,” Aberg admitted. ‘It’s cool to play in a stadium. The crowd gets a little more active. It’s so much fun and it makes you go a little further.’

TGL’s debut delivered on its promise. It presented pulse, pace and passion, packed into a two-hour TV show. The most important thing was that it was fun.

The excitement that engulfed the golf world in the run-up to the final chapter did not wane the moment the first tee shot was hit, but surged during The Bay’s formidable victory.

TGL has made no secret of its desire to target a new, younger audience and its debut delivered on its promise to entertain existing fans with a fresh, innovative twist on a game they already love and create intrigue for a new target group by rebranding golf as an energetic, engaging sport.

The only question that remains is: can this last? The explosive premiere has undoubtedly captured fans’ attention, but can it keep it?

Lowry had a quick solution when faced with the same dilemma: Tiger Woods.

The 15-time Major winner is next to step into the spotlight when his Jupiter Links takes on Los Angeles on January 14 in one of the most highly anticipated golf events of the calendar year, let alone TGL alone.

No matter what he does, the Big Cat has a magnetic pull that means even when the excitement of this week’s premiere wears off, fans will come back for more — at least for another week.