TGL winners and losers — and did the simulator league actually work?

Tuesday night, Atlanta Drive GC defeated New York Golf Club in a best-of-three series, 2-0, to win the first title in TGL, the simulator-based league whose co-founders include Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. (Editor’s note: How ‘bout that Billy Horschel! What a madman!)The championship series also wrapped up a debut season that gave us highs, lows and shanks, along with a natural question: So now what? More TGL promises to be on the way. But does it have staying power? Did this season work? Trying to find some answers here are GOLF’s Dylan Dethier and Nick Piastowski. 

Nick Piastowski: Hi, Dylan! A late Tuesday night for us, so let’s jump right in. 

What is your elevator speech to describe TGL? After one season, quickly describe to me what the heck this thing is?

Dylan Dethier: It’s arena golf, Nick P! It’s golf in a stadium! Branding was always going to be a TGL challenge because “simulator golf” sounds lame as hell. But golf in an arena? Now you’re just a couple lions away from ancient Rome and the gladiators.

But when I’m droning on about the institutional failures at the heart of Jupiter Links GC at a party and somebody asks me, “Oh yeah, what is TGL, anyway,” that’s where I go: It’s golf condensed to an arena. It’s fun. The tech is nuts. It’s a chance to see top pros in a different environment. And it might not be your cup of tea.

NP: I do love some Jupiter Links talk at parties, for sure. For me, it’s golf on a Monday or a Tuesday — with a really big screen and really big names. And if you’re a golf fan, you like that — now all you need is golf on a Wednesday. But in the concept, I have some doubts. But let’s start positively. 

Where do you think year one succeeded?

DD: Excuse the vagueness here, but I’d say season one succeeded in tone. This was a challenge going in and it will remain a challenge, but I’d say they threaded the needle between “it’s just fun, we’re a bunch of pros on made-up teams in a brand-new sport playing in a state-college warehouse” and “this is serious competition, I would die for the Atlanta Drive.” Not easy. There are still kinks to work out with the teams, the travel and the PGA Tour schedule, but because it felt so different, it felt truly supplemental. What’s the buzzword — additive? I think they succeeded on “additive.”

NP: Additive. If things didn’t succeed, would they be subtractative? But I digress. I agree with you. Specifically, the format encouraged personality — Billy Horschel’s profile is at an all-time high — and that can only help the outdoor product; the “I loved him on TGL” effect could actually be a thing. What worked for me most, though, was the buy-in — from the business world. Tiger must have called up a lot of his friends because the list of investors is impressive, and there’ll be a trickle-down effect. They put their money in — and they’ll do what they do to see that it isn’t lost in one of TGL’s hazard areas. It also turns heads. Serena Williams and Mike Trout like this? Might need to see what this is about. 

Where do you think things fell short?

DD: The team-city bond just doesn’t feel real because there’s nothing tangible about it. They play in the same Florida stadium every week and there’s no real connection to the city they’re representing — even though some have tried. A few natural bonds help; Keegan Bradley and Boston Common felt legit, while Collin Morikawa and LAGC worked too. But even though half the league lives in Jupiter, somehow Jupiter Links GC ended up with an L.A. kid who lives in Scottsdale (Max Homa), a Korean kid who lives in Texas (Tom Kim) and the pride of South Carolina (Kevin Kisner). Also, if every team had a home arena that would be sweet. I don’t see that ever happening.

NP: I agree with this wholeheartedly — and I think team passion (big word) is where TGL, along with another golf league, takes off. But that doesn’t happen in a year. Or maybe even 10. So along those lines then, I had trouble with … the second hour. Once I got past Scott Van Pelt, and the music, and the tech, and how the whole thing worked, I often wondered, what’s the point of this, other than just golf? Which is fine, for me, the golf writer. But a feeling of consequence is needed. Favorite teams would do that. Or villains. 

What part of the league, be it actual play or something away from it, will you remember from this year  

DD: This may have been the lowest-rated week, so don’t take this as “evidence” that it’s the ultimate answer for anything. But I’ll remember Ludvig Åberg sipping a coffee at SoFi the day after he’d won the Genesis in San Diego, an hour or so before his TGL match. There was another one going on but a bunch of pros were there warming up and hanging out, which combined for the ideal match-day vibe. Star power. Relaxed environment. A real “my-little-league-team-is-up-next” energy, but for pro golfers. Combine that with the fact that opposing teams share space on “stage”, which leads to real inter-team interaction, and you’ve got the secret sauce.

NP: Hmm, mine, I guess, is gonna be a little sad, but it’s Tida Woods and her son’s “I promise I won’t suck” comment to her. Yeah, the cameras were on, but there was some sports mom-sports son genuineness there. And Tiger Woods, 15-time major winner, was a little relatable. That’s a win for TGL.  

What are absolute keepers from the year? Things you wouldn’t touch; they got them right. 

DD: Billy Horschel going nuts. Tom Kim going nuts. Wyndham Clark talking s—. Xander Schauffele cracking jokes. Celebrities sitting courtside. (When I went two weeks ago the crowd included Josh Allen, Sam Darnold and…Celine Dion!) Challenging short-game shots. Also? The schedule. It arrived at the right time. It’s going away at the right time. A nice addition to the sporting calendar.

NP: The more we feel like these guys are playing a cash game — the emotion, the smack talk — the better, and we got that to a degree. It’s a must-keep. The looks of the holes were very imaginative. I liked the arena vibe, too. Horschel was booed some on Monday — and I was good with that, no offense, Billy.  

And, of course, unquestionably, our colleague, Claire Rogers on the broadcast. 

What must change?

DD: More pin positions. That backstop pin is cool but TGL diehards have seen it 100 times already. Put fake fans in the fake crowds on the simulator holes. Also — we NEED these guys in matching uniforms. I get why they’re kitted out in their sponsor gear, but it looks ridiculous.

NP: More golf — outside of the screen. Gimme wind. Gimme rain. Gimme 100 degrees. Gimme 30 degrees. Gimme thick rough. Gimme a tree. And gimme SoFi Centers in various cities. And gimme Bryson DeChambeau (hat tip to our colleague Sean Zak). Gimme a 14-handicap penalty shot. (I know a guy.)

Gimme a winner and a loser. 

DD: Winner: The entire league, I suppose. This was a win for the TGL just because it felt like this could absolutely fall on its face and instead it…didn’t. That’s massive.

Loser: The league founders! Tiger and Rory built this thing, watched it nearly destruct, resurrected it and then combined to win literally zero matches (other than when their teams played each other).

NP: Winner: I agree here with Dylan — it’s the league. I honestly thought this was sunk when the original dome collapsed. But here we are. And whoever landed the ESPN deal. This might have died after two weeks if it were on lesser-known sports channels.  

Loser: The fact that TGL is bringing in some viewership without Tiger and Rory says something. My loser is whoever didn’t failed in getting Jordan Spieth aboard, at least for a cameo. TGL would have had its signature moment with him somehow hitting out of the lava area. 

Let’s go deeper. Am I right in thinking that there’s a novelty to this, but once you get into it, it’s golf into a screen and the pace slows? If you believe me, how does that adjust? If you don’t, convince me otherwise!

DD: First of all, it’s not JUST golf into a screen. If it was I’d be way, way out. The screen is huge and awesome, which helps. But the greenside stuff makes it engaging. Three teammates against three teammates, all reading the same putts and sharing the same green, talking some s—, throwing some hammers? That’s the good stuff.

Still, you’ve got a point. You risk the shine wearing off after Season 1. (Ratings already seemed to slow near the end of the year.) The solve could be to quintuple down on this entire concept, building more arenas in different cities, adding expansion teams, etc. They’ll need to find a way to build in some additional variety, likely through simpler technological developments. But if I’m an optimist I’d say they’ll keep pushing boundaries in the offseason. 

NP: OK, I’ll buy that it’s more, but I think there’s validity to my question — and I think it’s the biggest issue the league will face. Can you make fans care about more than just game play and a few laughs — and can you find the fan patience to do it? MLS has taken some time to draw interest. The WNBA has taken some time. On the plus side, as I mentioned, the financial commitment is there. But other leagues also started strong and fizzled so … 

How does TGL follow along the path of becoming an established brand — and avoid becoming an XFL? 

DD: Because it’s not trying to be the XFL. It’s an add-on. It’s sitting shotgun to the PGA Tour. Nobody is pretending otherwise. They built an expensive arena, sure — but it’s not like there’s endless overhead here. It’s a pretty simple concept. That may mean there’s a ceiling on the league, but it won’t end up some massive catastrophe. With that said, it’s certainly plausible this doesn’t exist in five years.

NP: I agree with you — but can something be just an “add-on” and survive? That goes back to the whole caring concern. Top player buy-in must continue — the XFL failed there; it was football for football-sake. And, as I mentioned earlier, some heat wouldn’t hurt. Packers-Bears. Lakers-Celtics. Maybe no one will be moved by Boston Common-L.A. Golf Club — but Tom Kim versus Scottie Scheffler might interest some people. 

It’s at least interesting how TGL and LIV are going at the league-building together, right?

DD: Yes, it’s interesting, and it’s always funny hearing PGA Tour guys espouse the joy of competing in a team format after their TGL matches. But look, TGL has a few clear advantages over LIV. Its team competition is baked in; you have six guys on the green versus team members playing across different groups around the course. TGL didn’t have to pay big money to get guys to defect to its league, as it’s supplemental to the PGA Tour rather than a direct competitor. It doesn’t have to keep proving its seriousness because it’s not supposed to be overly serious. It has a condensed time window. And it’s distinctly different than the existing product, which frees it from some comparisons and expectations.

NP: Yeah, it’s very interesting, and they’re in the same predicament — they’re both hoping their current fans stick around, and they’re both hoping new fans start to pay attention. You figure that a lot of people are paying attention to who succeeds best here. And how they did it, especially. 

Do you see a day where TGL becomes more than a chance to watch golf on a winter Monday or Tuesday — is there a point where folks actually care care about this? Does it ever crack through to the non-golf junkies?

DD: I have no idea. I would say people currently sort of care. I watch it in the background while I make my 1-year-old dinner, which feels like the appropriate level of investment. If they better connect the players to the teams and cities they represent, that would help. If there’s a world where this scales up in a few different ways, that would help. But I’m not sure this needs fans to care in the way that, say, you care about Marquette’s basketball team. I don’t think anybody really wants this to work to the level that it replaces actual PGA Tour golf, for example. So there’s already a ceiling there.

NP: Man, let’s talk about that Marquette basketball team. [Writes 4,000 words. Website becomes Al McGuire dot com.] I agree with you that the golf fan doesn’t need to invest in a Bay Golf Club hat — but this survives when it’s at least on in the background at the sports bar. Does it get there? It could. But something or someone needs to happen. I don’t care for some sports. But if there’s a buzz, I’m watching. If Billy Horschel continues to go wild, or a team does the incredible, that’ll assist the crack-through. 

OK, last thought: Did TGL work? 

DD: On the whole, yes. TGL has worked. I’m glad it exists and I wasn’t sure that I’d feel that way at the beginning of the season.

NP: Agree. There was golf on a Monday and Tuesday. Let’s see if it can grow from that.