Is golf now an arena sport? How TGL Golf is transforming the spectator experience through innovative technology

Backed by golfing superstars Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, indoor golf league TGL Golf is seemingly breathing new life into a sport that has recently been through a tumultuous time. 

Having turned to technology to try and attract a new generation of fans, its debut TV broadcast was watched by more than one million people on ESPN — eclipsing the college basketball game that preceded it and the 89,000 viewers who watched Jon Rahm clinch the LIV Tour Championship a few months prior.

Here, William Hardwick and Morgan Lewis explore how TGL has created an immersive experience capable of transforming golf into an arena sport that can capture the attention of millions of new fans.

What is TGL golf?

TGL Golf employs a combination of traditional golf play and advanced simulation technology to bring live golf to indoor arenas. 

Partly launched as a response to the exodus of players following the emergence of LIV Golf (financed by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia), this innovative venture aims to reduce the time it takes to play rounds and introduce new features like mic’d up players and ‘fantasy’ environments like lava and moving holes — transforming the spectator experience and making golf a more attractive product for broadcasting.

“This is golf. But not traditional golf” was how Tiger Woods described his new venture and its debut broadcast averaged 402,270 viewers in the 18 to 49 age range — a promising statistic made even more impressive when considering that Woods and fellow TGL backer Rory McIlroy weren’t even competing in the event. 

Cutting-edge technology

The TGL partnered with Full Swing to provide the screen, monitors and putting green for the competition. The SoFi Center now has a 64’ by 53’ screen into which the players hit their shots. The screen also has a digital caddie to help the players plan out their ‘yardage’ for each shot. 

There are 18 radar-based monitors for both left- and right-handed swings positioned at the back and in front of the tee boxes. These coordinate with one another to track clubhead speed, ball speed, swing tempo and spin rate — enabling an accurate shot to be brought to life on-screen.

Once a player reaches within 50 yards of the pin, they move into the ‘Greenzone’. This is a 22,475 square foot short game area with a 41-yard turntable that rotates the green to change the players’ approach. It also has 600 actuators underneath it that are able to vary the green’s topography for each hole. In total, Full Swing has created 30 different landscapes for how the ‘Greenzone’ can be played.

The competition is also played on real grass — a Tahoma 31 Bermuda blend. Each shot from outside 50 yards is therefore played off of real fairway grass, a thick cut of rough or sand. This is a huge step above the artificial surfaces that most indoor golf simulators use.

Creating an immersive experience

The competition has certainly been embraced by the players involved, with Shane Lowry describing the opening match as “the most fun two hours I’ve had on a golf course”. Ludvig Aberg enjoyed the unique feeling of playing in an arena, stating: “I’ve always been jealous of football players and basketball players who get to play in a stadium, where you can draw off the energy of the crowd”.

For the 1,500 fans in the arena, there was flashing lights, electric boards that listed the scores and showed the yardages of the shots being made, as well as loud music thumping throughout (courtesy of DJ Khaled). Fans weren’t scolded for booing or cheering shots as they might be during traditional golf tournaments and were all handed ‘Mjolnir’ towels to wave to encourage teams to play their ‘Hammer’. This gives the hole an extra point in value and only one Hammer can be played per match — adding a sense of audience participation and helping to build a brilliant atmosphere in the arena. Each player also had their own walkout music, similar to that in a boxing or darts event.

For those watching at home, having mic’d up players gave fans an insight into the trash talking, humour and celebrations throughout the event.

Sports tech continues to evolve

This is just the latest example of sport’s fascinating digital transformation journey, which is reimagining what it means to play and watch sport. 

TGL Golf’s innovative use of technology is certainly attempting to move golf forward and live up to its name of Tomorrow’s Golf League. 

If you’re involved in this technological revolution, our dedicated sports technology team is on-hand to help you navigate the legal complexities and deliver bold change quickly and safely.

Our unique position at the intersection of sport, technology and law enables us to drive agility, competitive advantage and commercial success to unlock the full power of innovation in the governance, regulation and commercialisation of sport.

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