BOSTON, Massachusetts – Massachusetts has enjoyed a long and decorated history with professional golf, but it hasn’t seen anything quite like the newest game in town: TGL.
The upstart league, which brings technology-infused team golf to primetime television, will count Boston Common Golf among its original six teams. Boston Common Golf is owned by the Fenway Sports Group, joining its stable of storied franchises, which includes the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Boston’s four-player roster features four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, Massachusetts resident and 2011 PGA Champion Keegan Bradley, 2013 Masters Champion Adam Scott and accomplished Englishman Tyrrell Hatton (note: players will be mic’d up throughout play, making Hatton an invaluable asset from an entertainment perspective).
The league was initially announced by founders Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Mike McCarley (who collectively formed TMRW Sports) on August 24, 2022, and additional details have steadily emerged since then. The creation of not only a new league, but an entire reframing of an existing sport raises plenty of questions. Here’s what we know about TGL so far:
The first match is set to be played on January 9th, 2024, airing live in prime time on ESPN.
All matches will take place at the newly built SoFi Center, a 250,000-square-foot venue in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, in front of a live crowd of about 1,600 people. The playing surface is roughly the size of a football field.
The League’s website describes the use of the playing surface and technology as follows:
Tee Shots and Approach: Players will hit from real grass tee boxes, fairway surfaces, rough, and sand on long shots into a 64 x 46 foot screen powered by Full Swing technology. The screen is roughly 20 times the size of a standard simulator.
Short-game and putting: For shots within approximately 50 yards or less, depending on green setup and hole locations, the players will transition from Screenplay to Greenplay to a custom-built complex referred to as the “Green Zone” that is larger than four basketball courts and will feature the largest-ever adaptable putting surface built by Full Swing. The 3,800 square-foot tech-infused green includes three 15 x 27 foot Virtual Greens by Full Swing, each with 189 actuators and jacks that change the slope of the green creating a variety of play on every TGL hole.
The league will be comprised of six teams representing cities across the United States. Joining the Boston Common Golf squad are: Atlanta Drive GC, Los Angeles Golf Club, TGL New York, TGL, San Francisco, and one other to be named.
The four-man teams will be configured from a pool of 24 committed players, which includes:
Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick, Max Homa, Wyndham Clark, Tom Kim, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Cam Young, Keegan Bradley, Collin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, Sahith Theegala, Lucas Glover, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Min Woo Lee, Billy Horschel, and Kevin Kisner.
Each match day will feature two teams facing off.
The first session will be nine holes of three-player alternate shot, which the league is calling “Triples.”
The second session is “Singles,” in which a three-player rotation on each team plays a six-hole match (each player effectively plays two holes against their individual opponent from the other team).
If the match is tied, there will be a 3-on-3 closes-to-the-pin competition to determine the winning side.
During the regular season, a win in regulation or overtime is worth 2 points, a loss in overtime is 1 point, and a loss in regulation garners 0 points.
The top four teams advance to a postseason bracket. The semifinal matchups will be single-elimination, leading to a best-of-three championship series.
With a clever reference to the city’s iconic park, as well as a nod to the TGL’s intent to bring the game of golf to a broader audience, Fenway Sports Group’s Boston Common Golf team will anchor one of the top golf regions in the world. Led by league co-founder Rory McIlroy, on November 2, 2023, BCG’s roster was the first full team to be unveiled.
Notable New England native Keegan Bradley will bring a hometown pride to the squad. “I’m incredibly proud to be a part of Boston Common Golf, especially as a kid from New England,” said Bradley. “This region has a rich golfing history, and to have the opportunity to represent it is a dream come true. I come from a family deeply connected to the sport, and to represent that heritage while also contributing to a team backed by Fenway Sports Group is a unique honor.”
The team’s rich shade of “Common Green” is meant to evoke the green spaces of the city, Boston’s Irish heritage, and of course, the iconic Green Monster at Fenway Park. The primary “ballfrog” logo draws on the Frog Pond in Boston Common, while the arched lettering of the wordmark logo recalls the city signage found throughout the Commonwealth.
A foursome fit for the City of Champions
🏌️ @Keegan_Bradley
🏌️ @McIlroyRory
🏌️ Adam Scott
🏌️ @TyrrellHatton pic.twitter.com/fcYCNJ1fDo— Boston Common Golf (@commongolf) November 2, 2023
Mass Golf is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to advancing golf in Massachusetts by building an engaged community around the sport.
With a community made up of over 110,000 golf enthusiasts and over 340 member clubs, Mass Golf is one of the largest state golf associations in the country. Members enjoy the benefits of handicapping, engaging golf content, course rating and scoring services along with the opportunity to compete in an array of events for golfers of all ages and abilities.
At the forefront of junior development, Mass Golf is proud to offer programming to youth in the state through First Tee Massachusetts and subsidized rounds of golf by way of Youth on Course.
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