Golf fans are still getting used to TGL and all its quirks.
The indoor simulator league, created by Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods with the help of golf executive Mike McCarley, has split opinion since its launch in January.
Besides the overarching debate around professional golf being played into a giant screen, one point of contention has been the project’s flagship rule: the Hammer.
Like most elements of TGL, the Hammer is designed to create maximum entertainment value – but on the first five nights, it did the complete opposite.
So officials have changed the rule mid-season.
Here’s how it previously worked: both teams shared one Hammer in the form of an orange cloth.
The team in possession of the Hammer could throw it at any point on any given hole.
If accepted by the other team, that hole was then worth two points instead of one.
If rejected, the team making that decision would automatically forfeit the hole and lose one point.
In both instances, the Hammer would then change hands, starting from the next hole.
But curiously, the Hammer went unused in two of the opening five weeks, and TGL struggled with a run of one-sided affairs.
Teams had already found a loophole which became known as ‘Hammer hoarding’.
It quickly became apparent that if the team with the Hammer had a comfortable lead, there was no incentive to use it.
The reward of double points on a favourable hole was not worth losing possession of the Hammer – which the opposing team could then use to catch up.
It also presented the risk of conceding double points after throwing the Hammer – and the jeopardy never really made sense for a team with a comfortable lead.
Officials announced a new version of the Hammer rule last week.
Now, each team will get three Hammers, which can be used at any point in the match.
The idea is that both sides will have access to the Hammer when they need it most – and they can develop their own strategies and tactics, rather than relying on other teams’ decisions.
Andrew Macaulay, TGL Chief Technical Officer, said: “With the change of possession if the leading team threw it, they’d make the hole worth two points, but then the trailing team had possession of the Hammer.
“It’s why in two out of our five matches, not a single Hammer was thrown in it.”
Macaulay added: “It’s like timeouts. Each team has three. There’s strategy to when you use them. When you used all three, you don’t have any left, you’re done.
“The Hammer is a hot topic, and it’s been an awesome thing. Fans want to see teams throw the Hammer, and we think this change will help increase fan excitement.”
This decision immediately paid off on Monday night as TGL hosted a historic triple-header with the following results…
- The Bay Golf Club 5-4 Boston Common Golf
- Atlanta Drive GC 6-5 Los Angeles Golf Club (after overtime)
- Atlanta Drive GC 5-6 The Bay Golf Club
Speaking afterwards, Patrick Cantlay of Atlanta Drive GC said: “I think we had two matches that were really close, which is probably exactly what they wanted with the Hammer change. The new Hammer rules really do change it.
“There’s a lot more decisions to be made out there. I think we made a lot of good ones today, hit some good shots. We had a good day, just came up a little short in that second match.”
What is TGL?
Simply put, TGL is an indoor simulator golf league featuring the game’s top players.
It takes place at a super high-tech arena called the SoFi Centre in Florida with a live crowd of around 1,500 people.
Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods were the ones who came up with it, with the help of a guy called Mike McCarley, as part of their TMWR Sports venture.
It’s got a bunch of big-name investors, like Serena Williams, Lewis Hamilton, and Fenway Sports Group – who own Liverpool. ESPN and Sky Sports signed up to broadcast it.
How do they compete?
There’s six teams of four, all franchises based on US cities, and all featuring top PGA Tour players. No LIV Golfers.
There is one head-to-head match each week lasting just two hours for a primetime TV slot in the States.
There is also a 40-second shot clock and timeouts and referees to enforce the rules. All of the players are mic’d up to ensure maximum entertainment value.
How does it work?
For shots longer than 50 yards, players hit into this enormous screen, which is 53 foot tall and 64 foot wide.
That’s about 24 times the size of your normal golf simulator. They play off real grass, the rough and the fairways are reflected on the surface, and it even moves to reflect the slope.
The green complex has 600 motorised sensors underneath it and 360 degree rotation to simulate the exact real life scenario facing the players.
The bunkers have the same sand as Augusta National, and they’ve even thought about the direction of the grain around the greens.
Format
Each team picks three players, they play 15 holes. The first nine holes are ‘Trebles’ – three-on-three matchplay, with each player taking turns to hit the shots.
The final six holes are ‘Singles’ – one-on-one matchplay with each player playing 2 holes.
If it’s all square after 15, they go to overtime and play closest to the pin.
Teams get two points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime win, one point for an overtime loss, and zero points for a regulation loss.
There will be Play-Offs in March with semi-finals and a final to determine the league’s overall winner – with a $21million purse to be divided among players.
Teams
Atlanta Drive GC
• Patrick Cantlay
• Lucas Glover
• Billy Horschel
• Justin Thomas
Boston Common Golf
• Keegan Bradley
• Hideki Matsuyama
• Rory McIlroy
• Adam Scott
The Bay Golf Club
• Ludvig Aberg
• Wyndham Clark
• Shane Lowry
• Min Woo Lee
Jupiter Links Golf Club
• Max Homa
• Tom Kim
• Kevin Kisner
• Tiger Woods
Los Angeles Golf Club
• Tommy Fleetwood
• Collin Morikawa
• Justin Rose
• Sahith Theegala
New York Golf Club
• Matt Fitzpatrick
• Rickie Fowler
• Xander Schauffele
• Cameron Young
