LIV was launched three years ago, and it was the first time the PGA Tour had a rival league for the first time. Several stars like Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, and many more deflected to the league. This led to many PGA Tour Pros being more detested of the breakaway league. The one to not hold back his thoughts was Rory McIlroy.
via Imago
He expressed his firm belief that LIV Golf had no future. “There’s no one [who will join],” McIlroy said. “It’s dead in the water, in my opinion. I just can’t see any reason why anyone would go.” This was all because the league broke the conventional rules. Team format. 54-Holes. Vision to expand the game. The irony now is that three years later, the Northern Irishman is set to break the stereotypes of the golf world in his collaboration with Tiger Woods.
Their brain𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥, TGL is a tech-based league and is all set to begin on January 7, and well, it goes beyond the greens. The players will play in an unprecedented, tech-powered venue designed specifically for golf, the SoFi Center in Florida. It will also have a simulator screen, mimicking the actual course. A few hours before, 4x major winner was interviewed by ESPN, which is also TGL’s broadcast partner, and was asked what the audience should be expecting from the league.
To which he said, “I think the first thing that I would like people to know is it’s golf, but it’s reimagined. Sort of trying to take golf into the 21st century. And we have teams where there’s a lot of Technology involved trying to bring it into the digital era, a lot of things that we’ve taken from other sports. Um like a shock clock at times. All things you don’t see in regular golf so you know trying to appeal to that. You know, that bigger sports audience right there?”
The league will be featuring six different teams, each having four PGA Tour pros. Three players from each team will be competing every week, and all three will be appearing in the nine holes of the triples session, which has an alternate shot format. The next six holes will be played in the form of singles, where each of the players from the same team will be going one-on-one against their opponent.
The golf community is excited to witness another new format through the TGL after LIV Golf. Honestly, TGL brings something to the table that LIV has not so far, but in a way may hope to.
The re-imagined technology used in TGL
The simulator screen is a rather pivotal part of the venue since the golfers will be teeing up against it. The entire golf world has shown their buzz around it, including the pros. “I believe there is an opportunity to push the envelope for golf fans’ viewing experience,” said Max Homa.
Players will hit golf balls into an IMAX-sized screen – a massive 64 feet wide and 53 feet tall, roughly 24 times larger than a standard golf simulator screen. Well, that is not all for the essence of the venue. It also has a 41-yard-wide green complex that rotates 360 degrees, simulating various approach angles depending on the hole. After hitting their approach shots into the simulator screen, players will move to the short game area, where they’ll finish each hole (from 50 yards or less).
Taking to this, McIlroy also added, “I think the scale of the thing is the thing for me. That blows my mind every time I step in here, I’m just blown away by the size of the screen. The fact that we’re able to put something that looks like golf on a stage like this. It’s really cool. And, we’re obviously very excited about it within the game of golf and I think a lot of you know, other people outside of the game are going to see this and hopefully get excited about it as well”.
Above, LED beams of light – each colored differently for the teams – will guide players to the correct spot on the putting surface, acting as a virtual caddie. The green itself is equipped with 600 motorized actuators beneath the synthetic surface, creating unique undulations, contours, and slopes for each hole.
It is indeed going to be a whole new experience, but whether it’s a hit or not, it is yet to find out!
