What is TGL - Everything You Need to Know About The New Golf League

Guest article by student sports journalist Fin Tait.

At first glance, TGL is definitely an alien concept. However, with an open mind and willingness to adapt, entertainment is not hard to find. Your favourite tour players, all under one roof, some playing together as one, the rest against them, could this be the new source of golf entertainment? Here is everything you need to know after week one of TGL.

The Basics

This new, modernised golf format was set up and founded by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Mike McCarley. It features six teams, all holding four of your favourite tour professionals. The game is played indoors, in the SoFi Centre. Players hit from real grass surfaces towards a simulator screen, 20x the size of a regular simulator screen. Once the players are within a certain range of the hole, they transition onto the green layout within the arena. 

The Format

Teams will face off in two different sessions, playing 15 holes each match, in triples and singles. There are nine holes of triples, which is 3 vs 3 gameplay, alternate shot. This means one player will tee off for each team, then a different player will take the next shot and so on, until the hole is complete. Then there are six holes of singles, which is head-to-head gameplay. In singles, one player will play an entire hole against an opposing player. Once the hole is complete, the player with the fewest strokes wins the point for their team. 

Who Wins? And How?

At the end of the match one team will emerge victorious. TGL is using a point-based system to determine the victory at the end of the season. Teams will receive two points for a win in overtime, two points for a win in regulation, one point for a loss in overtime and 0 points for a loss in regulation. The top four teams at the end of the regular season will go into a playoff. Two single-elimination semi-finals will be played to determine the competitors for the best of three championship series. 

The Schedule & How to Watch

The regular season will run from January 7th until March 4th, when teams will go into the play-offs to crown the champion. UK viewers will have to prepare for some late nights in front of the tele, as the fixtures are all prime-time on the east coast of the United States - five hours behind GMT. UK viewers can watch every fixture live on Sky Sports. 

Click here to see the full fixture list.

The Teams

Time to decide who you're backing, here are the teams...

Atlanta Drive GC - Justin Thomas (C), Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel and Lucas Glover

Boston Common Golf - Rory Mcilroy (C), Hideki Matsuyama, Keegan Bradley and Adam Scott

Jupiter Links Golf Club - Tiger Woods (C), Max Homa, Tom Kim and Kevin Kisner

Los Angeles Golf Club - Colin Morikawa (C), Sahith Theegala, Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood

New York Golf Club - Matt Fitzpatrick (C), Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele and Cameron Young

The Bay Golf Club - Ludvig Aberg (C), Wyndham Clark, Shane Lowery and Min Woo Lee

What Happened in Week One

If you're looking to start following TGL, you're in luck, as the season is just beginning. So far, The Bay Golf Club faced New York Golf Club, which saw The Bay come out on top, in a 9-2 victory. The first fixture of the season was certainly a great sign of things to come, with all competitors speaking highly of their first experience in the SoFi Centre.

You can watch the highlights by clicking here.

What Makes TGL Unique

Here are some final details that really make TGL what it is.

• The Holes

To say the holes are astonishing would be an understatement. Out of this world designs and different concepts really give TGL a big touch of quality entertainment, which is exactly what this is all about. One hole even features lava, you don't want to land short here!

• The GreenZone

When players have got their ball within 50 yards of the virtual green, play will transition on to the custom built ‘GreenZone’. This Green is infused with technology below the putting surface which changes the layout and slopes of the green on every hole, making competition truly unique. 

• The Hammer

Each hole is worth one point, unless someone throws the hammer. The Hammer doubles the value of the hole, really raising the stakes of the competition. The Hammer changes possession each time it is used, leaving teams to strategise when to use it to lay the pressure on their opponents. 

• The Shot Clock

No slow play here, every time a player steps up to the plate, a 40-second shot clock begins. The player must take their shot in this time frame. If the shot clock gets to 0, an agonising one stroke penalty will be incurred.

Well, that is TGL explained as cleanly as possible. It's a new concept to us all, and we’re all having to adapt. With the success and overall enjoyment of the first night, it really shows that the golf audience could be expanding and developing, especially to a younger demographic. What are your thoughts on this new form of golf competition?