TGL’s second season opened Sunday with a rematch of final yr’s SoFi Cup finals, the place Atlanta Drive GC defeated New York Golf Membership in two one-point matches on the ultimate gap to win the inaugural title within the technology-intensive indoor golf league.
The six-team roster stays unchanged from the primary yr, however 15-time main champion Tiger Woods and two-time PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas won’t compete, not less than at the start of the TGL season, as they proceed to get better from again surgical procedure.
Woods, who turns 50 on Dec. 30, will attend video games at Jupiter Hyperlinks Golf Membership and can put on a microphone when interacting with teammates and rivals. All video games will probably be broadcast on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and/or ESPN+.
Final season, the one groups that did not make the playoffs have been Jupiter Hyperlinks GC and Rory McIlroy’s Boston Widespread Golf. In truth, these groups mixed solely received one out of ten video games.
“I believe we’re all prepared for it to not get any worse,” stated Tom Kim, a member of the Jupiter Lynx GC. “We’re able to win, particularly for a man who’s probably not used to dropping. And he is dedicated to creating the playoffs.”
So what’s new in a six-team league with 5 video games every, with a daily season that begins Sunday and ends March 3?
Bigger GreenZone placing inexperienced
Based on TGL, GreenZone’s placing floor is even bigger, 38% bigger than final season. The footprint has elevated from 3,800 sq. toes to five,270 sq. toes, and the variety of holes has elevated to 12 (beforehand 7).
TGL stated 608 actuators have been used to remodel the placing floor, and the 2 bigger full-swing digital greens beneath the turf now span 1,250 sq. toes, a rise of 60 sq. toes over final season.
“Clearly, the greens are nearly twice as large,” stated Windham Clark, 2023 U.S. Open champion and member of The Bay Golf Membership. “I’ve heard it is simpler to learn and just a little bit extra constant. I believe that is nice for us, however particularly for guys who pleasure themselves on being good putters.”
TMRW Sports activities chief know-how officer Andrew Macaulay stated the higher greens have fastened terrain and don’t transfer. To provide followers inside the sector a greater view of the sport, the massive hill within the heart of the higher tier has been lowered by about 1.5 toes. Small bunkers have been additionally eliminated to extend the placing floor.
“We made the opposite two bunkers bigger and riveted the sides round them so it seems to be higher and makes the transition from sand to fairway simpler,” Macaulay stated.
One other large change is that the grass has been unfold nearer to the middle, eliminating the tough grass photographs that baffled gamers final season. Lengthy iron photographs on par-5 holes might have stalled final season, however now they’re extra more likely to bounce onto the inexperienced or towards the outlet.
“Now that every one the chips are finer grained, I believe it creates much more pleasure for viewers as a result of they’ll do no matter they need with the golf ball,” Clark stated.
Attribute holes for every workforce
Six of the holes have been up to date to be every workforce’s signature gap, with a number of new holes created by golf course architects Gil Hanse, Beau Welling Design, Pizza Golf and Nicklaus Design.
For instance, The Bay Golf Membership’s “Bay Breaker” gap options towering redwoods and fog. Alcatraz Island and the San Francisco skyline will be seen within the distance. Macaulay stated the outlet was impressed by Pebble Seaside Golf Hyperlinks, TPC Harding Park and Lincoln Park golf programs within the Bay Space.
“Each workforce has their very own gap, and naturally in a match between two groups, these two holes will probably be performed,” Macaulay stated. “For the workforce, it is a bonus to have the ability to play in your individual gap each recreation, whereas your opponents can solely play of their gap in the course of the common season, for instance, once they play towards The Bay.”
Along with the distinctive holes, there are various new holes added.
Hanse’s first gap at TGL is a par 5 referred to as “Stone & Steeple” with a Saharan-style cross bunker off the tee and a stone wall to the left that separates the taking part in space from a cemetery subsequent to a New England-style church.
“Gamers have to be exact of their method, and the church is a solemn reminder {that a} shot too far to the left will not final lengthy on this world,” TGL’s caption reads.
The par-4 gap, referred to as the “Stinger,” was impressed by Tiger’s signature stinger shot. Pure rock formations permit golfers to hit stinger photographs as excessive as 50 toes from the tee.
The TGL description reads: “These courageous sufficient to tackle the problem effectively will probably be rewarded with an additional roll over 260 yards to place A on this double dogleg gap.” “There’s another choice, which is a brief draw with medium to excessive peak to keep away from rock formations off the tee. However the place’s the enjoyable in that?”
The brand new par-3 gap takes its identify from a pure limestone sinkhole within the Yucatan Peninsula, which was a sacred web site to the Mayans.
“We’ll nonetheless have some conventional holes, however we would even have some holes that you simply see in video video games,” stated Atlanta Drive GC member Billy Horschel. “As a result of in some methods (in some methods) that is the online game we’re taking part in. In some methods, we’re taking part in a high-tech online game.”
New graphics and know-how
TGL is touting new shot comparability graphics that use Digital Eye know-how to trace golfers’ photographs on the golf green and inexperienced. “Knowledge-rich augmented actuality graphics overlaid on the greens may present the standard of photographs at key moments by evaluating them to a workforce’s common and best-ever method on that gap,” the league stated.
“Reside shot tracing tracks the ball in flight earlier than it hits the large display screen in TGL, the biggest simulator in golf,” TGL stated in a information launch.
Moreover, SoFi Heart now has 79 cameras that seize each angle of the sport, “together with the return of the award-winning SmartPin Cam, offering a 360-degree reside view from a pin flag perspective,” and “new digital camera angles equivalent to a reverse shot from the golf green again to the tee and a hovering perspective above the inexperienced.”
Who’s on which workforce?
Atlanta Drive GC
Justin Thomas
Patrick Cantlay
billy horschel
lucas glover
boston widespread golf
Rory McIlroy
keegan bradley
adam scott
Hideki Matsuyama
Jupiter Hyperlinks GC
tiger woods
Max Homa
tom kim
kevin kissner
Los Angeles Golf Membership
Collin Morikawa
tommy fleetwood
Justin Rose
sahis segara
big apple golf membership
matt fitzpatrick
Rickie Fowler
Xander Schauffele
Cameron Younger
The Bay Golf Membership
Ludwig Oberg
Wyndham Clark
troublesome
Shane Lowry
2025-26 schedule
Sunday, Dec. 28: New York Golf Membership vs. Atlanta Drive GC, 3 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN+
Friday, Jan. 2: Boston Widespread Golf vs. Los Angeles Golf Membership, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPN+
Tuesday, January sixth: The Bay Golf Membership vs. Atlanta Drive GC, 5pm ET, ESPN/ESPN+
Tuesday, January 13: Jupiter Hyperlinks GC vs. New York Golf Membership, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+
Tuesday, Jan. 20: Jupiter Hyperlinks GC vs. Los Angeles Golf Membership, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+
Monday, January 26: Boston Widespread Golf vs. The Bay Golf Membership, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPN+
Monday, February 2: Atlanta Drive GC vs. Jupiter Lynx GC, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+
Monday, February 9: The Bay Golf Membership vs. Los Angeles Golf Membership, 7pm ET, ESPN2/ESPN+
Monday, February 23: Atlanta Drive GC vs. Boston Widespread Golf, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+
Monday, February 23: Los Angeles Golf Membership vs. Atlanta Drive GC, 9pm ET, ESPN2/ESPN+
Tuesday, February 24: New York Golf Membership vs. The Bay Golf Membership, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+
Tuesday, February 24: Boston Widespread Golf vs. New York Golf Membership, 9pm ET, ESPN/ESPN+
Sunday, March 1: Jupiter Lynx GC vs. Boston Widespread Golf, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+
Monday, March 2: Los Angeles Golf Membership vs. New York Golf Membership, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPN+
Tuesday, March 3: The Bay Golf Membership vs. Jupiter Hyperlinks GC, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+
SoFi Cup Playoffs
March 17: Semifinal recreation, 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
March 17: Semifinal Sport, 9pm ET, ESPN
last sequence
Match 1: Monday, March 23, 9pm ET, ESPN2
Match 2: Tuesday, March twenty fourth, 7pm ET, ESPN
Match 3 (if required): Tuesday, March twenty fourth at 9:00 PM ET, ESPN
