I’m one of those people who will try anything—well, pretty much anything—at least once. I ate crocodile bites in Thailand—if you’re curious, they tasted like chewy chicken. I participated in a dating segment that aired on a national morning show—if you’re curious, we didn’t end up together but I met the love of my life shortly after it aired.

So when I had the opportunity to attend TGL, the new tech-infused simulator golf league launched by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, my interest was certainly piqued.

How would the live in-venue experience at the SoFi Center on the campus of Palm Beach State College in Florida compare to the at-home viewing experience on ESPN?

The logistics

I was pleasantly surprised how easy and efficient getting to and from SoFi Center was. Granted, I’m used to attending PGA Tour events, concerts or soccer matches with tens of thousands of others so given the facility’s approximate capacity of 1,500, this was a breeze.

Depending if you’re getting dropped off via rideshare, driving yourself or are attending on behalf of a sponsor dictates exactly where you go but all the parking lots and dropoff points are a short walk to the numerous gates flanking the SoFi Center. 

Upon arriving at the main gate, I was greeted with a slew of activities including a Dryvebox mobile simulator where fans can test their skills on some of the TGL-specific holes their favorite Tour players will play inside. Genesis, TGL’s first founding partner, had a simulator where the winner of a season-long closest-to-the-pin competition won a trip to the Scottish Open.

As you scanned the concrete, there were also giant Jenga, Connect Four and cornhole games, giving casual backyard BBQ vibes. Again, because capacity is just 1,500, it was nice to be able to actually play some of these games and not worry about hordes of people as you moved about the facility’s exterior.

Once inside, it was a similar vibe with more games including table tennis. Obviously SoFi Center is still a work in progress—and those involved with TGL certainly know that—but the interior featured various partner activations, food and drink vendors and photo opportunities, including with the SoFi Cup and souped-up team-branded golf carts.

Getting to your seat or hospitality suite is a breeze again due to the venue’s size and clearly marked signage. I actually attended three matches over the past two weeks: one as a media member where my credential permitted lower-level seating close to the five-story-tall screen players hit into, one as a guest of Los Angeles GC in the owners’ suite and one as a guest of Genesis in the Genesis Lounge adjacent to the team suites, so each experience varied from a hospitality standpoint.

Fans can buy “greenside” lower bowl seats (sections 101-118) which comprise the four rows surrounding the field of play starting at $160 and can fluctuate depending on the matchup. Season tickets were $4,000 for 19 matches while SoFi Center’s upper tier features 20 suites. Designed team fan zones are between sections 102-104 and 113-115, both flanking the GreenZone.

The experience

The pre-TGL experience is similar to other sporting events. In-venue MC Roger Steele goes about his pre-match routine reading off various promotions and PSAs (no flash photography during the match) while hyping up the crowd and conducting interviews as DJ Irie keeps the music playing constantly in the background.

With the playing area encircled by an ever-changing electronic billboard of sponsors including SoFi, FedEx, Genesis, Full Swing and more, the overhead lights flicker and pulsate as anticipation builds ahead of the match.

Steele leads a 10-second countdown to the start of the match (well, specifically the broadcast) and off we go. After ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt sets the scene as host, conducts a player interview then passes off to Matt Barrie, who’s in charge of play-by-play, Steele introduces the teams and players including “15-time major champion Tiger Wooooodddsss.”

Hoping for a rowdy crowd similar to the 16th hole at the WM Phoenix Open, I was left slightly disappointed as attendees were rather subdued. Sure, people clapped or oohed and aahed before and after shots but much of the audible in-venue experience was Steele providing context by announcing whose turn it was while keeping us apprised of the score with a steady stream of music, including as players hit.

As ESPN reporter Marty Smith buzzed about the 250,000-square-foot venue interviewing players and celebrities with some interviews being heard in-venue and others strictly for TV, the missing piece was players’ personalities. While all players are mic’d up for TV so viewers can hear their banter and strategy, anyone within SoFi Center was unable to benefit from one of TGL’s founding pillars. Those involved with the league said the TV delay and potential concerns over questionable language make it tricky to feature in-venue although it’s something they’re looking into integrating and improving in the future.

TMRW Sports founder and CEO Mike McCarley recently told CNBC that TGL boasts the second-youngest median age demo in sports behind the NBA which is certainly a testament to how the tech-infused league is “growing the game” by appealing more to an 18- to 49-year-old demo that “advertisers covet.”

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not like the crowd was a bunch of people with their arms crossed in boredom but the atmosphere could use an injection of passion and volume. I wouldn’t hate to see players heckled a bit more, especially when they’re getting ready to take a shot, although it’s a fine balance between remaining a professional competition while avoiding turning into a meaningless exhibition. 

I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Josh Allen, Sam Darnold and their buddies in attendance for Allen’s bachelor party playfully jawing with players during the Jupiter Links-Atlanta Drive regular-season finale and even trying to distract them by pretending the shot clock had less time than it actually did like I’ve seen at scholastic basketball games.

Also of note, Murli Theegala, Sahith’s dad, is as excited, energetic and supportive during his son’s matches as he is at a PGA Tour event, especially as LAGC defeated previously unbeaten The Bay GC to claim the top seed in the playoffs. But I’d love to see more of TGL’s regular fan base with that same passion, which, I assume, will come with time as the league grows and people get more invested in participating teams and players.

Final thoughts

I won’t lie: I go back and forth on TGL on a daily basis. Sometimes I’m really into it and believe it has unlimited potential; other times I don’t see it lasting longer than five years. Given the high-profile involvement and investment, it’s certainly not destined to fail by any means but it definitely has room to grow, evolve and improve. And anyone associated with TGL knows this, especially the league’s most prominent figure.

“I think that we have so many different opportunities going forward with how this all turned out that the opportunities are endless,” Woods told reporters after Jupiter Links’ 9-1 loss to Atlanta Drive. “That’s what’s really neat. We can grow this bigger and better and (have) so many different options.”

Depending on the PGA Tour-LIV melodrama, could a LIV-led team join in the future? Brooks Koepka was in attendance recently. Will Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth get involved as part of a Texas expansion team? Will the LPGA have its own version of TGL or be involved in a crossover competition? How, if at all, will TGL leverage influencers and creators? What tweaks to the venue and broadcast will the powers-that-be make to enhance the fan experience?

TGL has no problem making in-season changes (see: updated hammer rule) so I wouldn’t be surprised to see more ahead of the inaugural playoffs beginning March 17 and especially for the league’s sophomore season in 2026.

Being able to attend a few matches in person and even have an on-field experience myself has certainly given me a different appreciation for TGL. At the end of the day, it’s supposed to be a fun and entertaining complement to the PGA Tour, LIV, etc in an effort to get more people interested in golf in whatever capacity they personally choose, whether it’s tuning into Tour events on the weekends, picking up a club for the first time, going to a nearby simulator or wearing golf apparel.

Whether you love it, hate it or are indifferent, TGL is here to stay and those involved are certainly bullish on how it can improve and evolve.

“I mean, in a way you have to kind of look at this as—there’s a lot that’s been put into it to make this possible, but it’s also a little bit of a gamble or an experiment at the same time,” New York Golf Club’s Rickie Fowler said earlier this season. “This isn’t necessarily about it being great golf or—you want to have the fans have fun here and create a good experience, but I think the biggest driver is how it does on TV and how people view it, and if it does well there, I mean, it’s kind of the sky’s the limit with what you could do as far as you can put up arenas in different places.

“But this is just the start so we’ll have to see how things go.”

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