Begin the ticker-tape parade down Peachtree Street! Commission the statue of Billy Horschel in mid-fist pump! For the first time in its weeks-long history, the Atlanta Drive Golf Club is the champion of the TGL! And with that, we bring to a close the latest season of TGL — which is also the first season of TGL — meaning it’s now time to ask, what went right, what went wrong, what can the tech-infused indoor golf league learn from Year One and build on for Year Two.
First off: TGL has a whole lot to be proud of, based on how the two championship nights ran. Both were competitive, both came down to the final hole, and both had their players — well, most of them — fired up and engaged. That kind of enthusiasm is both infectious and necessary; if the players don’t care, why should we? And if the players clearly get legitimately jazzed about whacking a ball into a screen, well, why not give it a chance?
So let’s run through the pluses and minuses of the league, what to keep and what to ditch for next season. And we start with the most obvious:
The players have to buy in
We , not its spectacular technology.
“We have to be entertainers,” one player said in December. “We have to take ourselves away a little bit from what we are at PGA Tour tournaments inside the ropes and we have to be different.”
That player? Billy Horschel, who just happened to be the league’s unofficial MVP thanks to his performance and his galactic-fist-pump celebrations. The man knew what he was talking about.
Horschel, the Justins Rose and Thomas, Tom Kim, Shane Lowry, Keegan Bradley, Sahith Theegala — they got what TGL ought to be, and they brought an energy and fire to their matches that was evident to the audience both in the arena and at home. Patrick Cantlay, Lucas Glover, Cameron Young and several others, on the other hand, looked like they were doing their taxes. Yes, you want to have the world’s best golfers on display … but it doesn’t hurt to have a little sauce on the roster, either.
If the choice is between a top-10 ranked player who’s a mannequin and a 50th-ranked player who’ll bring some heat, take the fiery guy every time. Golf has enough characters on Tour — and on LIV, but that’s another entry here — that there ought to be more than enough to fill out TGL rosters. Speaking of which …
More players, more teams
Atlanta Drive owner Arthur Blank hinted at this a few weeks back when he said there would likely be LPGA players on TGL rosters soon. Great! Bring in women, bring in LIV expatriates, bring in college players, bring in legends from the Champions Tour. Expand the number of teams to eight or 10 or 12. Why not? There’s room to grow here, and the technological aspect of the off-the-tee phase of the game means TGL can be adjusted for any level of player.
Speed up the matches
There came a point in every single match — usually it was at the break point between triples and singles, or during a celebrity in-the-audience interview — when the proceedings ground to a halt, momentum-wise. Yes, there’s a financial imperative for these long matches, extensive commercial breaks and pandering Q&As; ESPN has to make money on this too. But the game action is the draw here, not the Celine Dion or David Ortiz interviews. Chop three holes out of triples, knock out a match in 90 minutes, and you can run two back-to-back. And when you do run them …
Consistent days and times
As a new league at the mercy of existing contracts, TGL had to fit in on the ESPN slate where it could … which meant that over the course of its two-month season, TGL ran on two different channels, on two different nights, with seven different start times. That’s not the way to build long-term loyalty over a season. TGL works best when it’s kick-back-in-the-evening entertainment for golf-starved fans; if they know where and when to find it every week, they will.
Wrap it up
The matches run too long, and so does the season. By the time The Players Championship rolls around, golf is in full major-anticipation mode. Spring has sprung around most of the country, and the allure of indoor golf when there’s outdoor golf to be played diminishes quickly. Granted, TGL is facing some serious constraints — the holidays, players’ personal schedules, playoff football — but tightening up the slate (and perhaps running more matches each week) could help alleviate the sense of “wait, this is still going on?” that surfaces once we hit mid-March.
Keep the hype realistic
Every time TGL broadcasts featured swooping drone shots through a flashing SoFi Center, you marveled at the technology. And every time ESPN’s Marty Smith and Matt Barrie tried to compare TGL to a Stanley Cup playoff or a night game at Baton Rouge, you could injure yourself rolling your eyes. There’s no need for artificial hype here; no, Boston Common vs. LA Golf Club is not part of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry. Fans aren’t going to tune in to see who will win a trophy they didn’t even know existed the last time they had Thanksgiving dinner. All too often, ESPN tried to force gravitas on an event that most certainly does not need it; no need to act like this is a green jacket we’re talking about here.
Keep innovating
One of the wisest moves TGL could have made was the improvement of the hammer deployment at mid-season. The strategy involved in hammer throws completely changed the game — and, not incidentally, shaped Atlanta’s title-winning approach. Apply that willingness to change to the entire league — format, golf holes, rosters, everything — and see where the potential for improvement lies.
The tech must improve
We used the phrase “tech-infused golf league” more than our own byline in describing TGL this year, and while the tech behind TGL is spectacular, there were a few serious quirks — balls rocketing forward unexpectedly, or hanging impossibly on vertical slopes, or stopping dead as if they’d landed in maple syrup instead of virtual “grass.” Players who know to the yard how far they can hit a certain club often appeared perplexed at the way the ball reacted in both virtual and real settings. Chips and putts were an unexpected adventure on the real-world green, too. TGL has a balance to walk — we know this isn’t real golf, but we want it to feel real — and little tech tweaks will help that balance.
Stay salty
It took quite a while, but we finally got to see some of the true faces of several TGL players. Xander Schauffele got under Justin Thomas’ skin on Tuesday night, and that’s exactly what we want to see. Granted, all of these players are professional enough that they won’t boil over at an indoor golf match. But golf reveals personality, and that’s what we need to see. And in order to do that …
Put more at stake for the players
This is the key. Some players, like Horschel, could get fired up making a Starbucks run. Others need more incentive. And since you can’t get these guys out of their gated community for less than an eight-figure paycheck, TGL ought to use something more devious: reputation.
Grade every single player relative to his team, his opponent and his league. Put the paychecks on the line every single hole, every single match, and let players take each other’s money. Getting your metaphorical pants pulled down on national TV will make a whole lot of players more invested … and hey, if they don’t want to participate in a venture where that’s a possibility, then that says a lot about their fitness for TGL.
We can declare the TGL’s inaugural season a success in the way a 290-yard drive in the fairway is a success — a nice enough start, but there’s plenty of room to improve, and plenty of work yet to do. But golf could use all the success stories it can get right about now … and thanks to Horschel, golf has a new face to watch heading into majors season. That’s a strong result for a debut league.
