Changing Course
For a new generation of golfers, the sport is a virtual event. But while traditionalists might baulk at the thought, it could be the key to securing the sport’s future
‘A fusion of sports, technology, entertainment, media, fan experience and interaction.’ This was how golf’s new tech-infused league, TGL, described itself in an announcement trailer released in summer 2022.
The minute-long promo, which began with silhouetted images of
TGL’s two major backers, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, was very likely (but not decidedly) teasing some kind of tournament – but this was to be golf as spectacle, rather than golf designed by traditionalists keen to maintain the integrity of the 600-year-old sport.
Since then, more has been revealed about the league’s size, scale and setting. When it begins in 2025, TGL will see some of the sport’s biggest stars, including McIlroy, Woods,
Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler, thudding balls towards a 20m screen inside a custom-built, 1,600-seater arena in Florida, USA.
Unlike the rogue LIV Golf, TGL has been created in partnership with the PGA Tour. ‘Part of the foundation of TGL is the increasing popularity of golf via off-course experiences,’ says founder Mike McCarley. This is golfing done away from traditional courses, at entertainment venues such as Topgolf and Popstroke, or on driving ranges and indoor simulators.
This increased accessibility is also proving a pathway to the traditional game. McCarley believes TGL will only boost the sport’s popularity, by showcasing world-class players ‘having fun via a tech-infused, team-golf experience in front of a prime-time audience on ESPN’.
‘Off-course golf is clearly driving an outsized amount of growth in the sport,’ agrees president and CEO of Topgolf Callaway Brands, Chip Brewer. ‘Per the National Golf Foundation, of the over 40 million golfers in the world, over half play off course.’
If on-course golfers are typically older, typically white and typically male, what exactly does an average off-course golfer look like? According to Brewer, Topgolf players ‘tend to be younger, more diverse and more female than traditional on-course golfers’, who are enticed by a game that’s ‘less intimidating and, ultimately, more inclusive’.
Still, golfers who come for the twinkling lights often stay for the manicured greens. ‘There is a clear trend... off-course golf is absolutely growing the share of on-course golfers,’ says Brewer.