TGL Set to Push Boundaries with “Video Game-Style” Holes in Upcoming Season
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the TGL, a tech-infused golf league, is poised to revolutionize the sport with a series of innovative and unconventional hole designs for its upcoming season, promising to showcase the skills and personalities of PGA Tour stars. Billy Horschel,a key player for the defending champion Atlanta Drive GC,believes these changes will allow players to demonstrate “how good they are” in a new and exciting format,live on Sky Sports.
Embracing Unorthodoxy in the Second Season
The inaugural TGL season featured matches played on virtual recreations of customary golf landscapes – links, canyons, deserts, and coastal holes. Though, the league is now venturing into uncharted territory, introducing a catalog of unorthodox hole designs for the upcoming season.
The league initially aimed to replicate the feel of traditional golf, addressing concerns that the TGL would be dismissed as a superficial, high-tech spectacle. “There was going to be a stigma that TGL was just this high-tech golf league, that guys didn’t really care and they were going to be gimmicky holes, so we wanted to show that it still had a lot of the similar forms of golf and style of golf that we play out on real grass,” Horschel noted.
Now, with a foundation established, the TGL is ready to push boundaries. The new holes are designed to highlight players’ shot-making abilities and reveal their individual styles. “We created a lot of traditional golf holes but now we have created some holes that are going to showcase our shot-making ability, showcase who we are as players a little bit and how good we are.”
Several of these new holes will feature backdrops and obstacles not typically found on traditional courses, introducing unorthodox penalty areas and challenging players to adapt. Horschel anticipates a wide range of shots will be required, stating, “You’re going to have some really low shots, you’re going to have hit slices, high cuts, high draws, low draws, whatever it is.” He further elaborated, “You’re going to see some of these holes that may be unrealistic in the real world game of golf and it’s more or less what you may see in some of a video game aspect type golf.”
TGL Format and Key Players
Teams in the TGL will compete in matches consisting of 15 holes, divided into nine holes of triples alternate shot and six holes of head-to-head singles play. The top four teams at the end of the season will advance to the playoffs. Beyond the hole designs, other changes are planned, including a larger putting green with varied slopes, repositioned and larger bunkers, more hole locations, larger hitting boxes, and improved camera towers.
The league boasts a star-studded roster, including Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, and Xander Schauffele. Horschel expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming season, noting the positive reception to the league’s debut. “I had a lot of fun last year, I think as everyone could tell,” he said. “People want to know what it was like being part of TGL, from players to fans to people watching.”
He emphasized the unique atmosphere the TGL fosters, allowing players to showcase their personalities. “[Fans like] seeing the players who they are from outside the regular golf course. There’s a sense of ease where we can be ourselves. We can be who we are on a regular basis. We can have fun but also at the same time, we’re ultra-competitive athletes – we don’t like to lose.” Horschel believes the TGL has successfully captured this dynamic, stating, “I just think TGL did a really good job of showcasing who we are as players, as people outside the game of golf, where we can let our guard down a little bit and show a little bit more of our personalities.”
Listen to the full Billy Horschel interview on the latest edition of the Sky Sports Golf podcast, hosted every week by Jamie Weir. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or spreaker, while vodcast editions can be found on the Sky sports Golf YouTube channel.
