Last month Tomorrow’s Golf League (“TGL”) officially kicked off its inaugural season backed by two of the sport’s biggest superstars, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. The first of its kind league partnered with the PGA Tour to provide an experience that allows fans to watch some of the top golfers in the world up close and personal inside a custom-built arena.[1]
So, what exactly is Tomorrow’s Golf League? TGL Golf is a tech-infused 3-on-3 league that features six teams composed of four PGA Tour players on each team who take part in two-hour matches. These matches are played inside SoFi Center, located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida which was custom built specifically for TGL.[2]
How it Works
Each TGL round has two separate matches. The first match consists of triples in a nine hole 3-on-3 alternate shot format and the second match consists of singles.[3] During the singles match, players go one-on-one for six holes, with each golfer playing two holes. The course within SoFi center consists of different technologies and spans roughly the length of a football field.[4] Players hit from real grass tee boxes, fairway surfaces, rough and sand into large simulation screens which are about twenty times the size of an average golf simulator.[5] Depending on where the player hits the ball on the simulated course, the fairway and green will adjust accordingly to simulate the true elevation/conditions of the course as if they were playing outside.[6]
Each hole is worth one point. If a team is tied at the end of the round, overtime is played to decide the winner.[7] Overtime in TGL is like a penalty shootout in soccer. Players compete one-on-one until one team shoots two shots closer to the pin than the other.[8]
Like a pitch count in baseball, there is a shot clock in TGL. During each match, players have 40 seconds to make their shot. If they fail to take a shot within the allotted time, they receive a shot clock violation and one stroke penalty.[9]
Each team is allowed two timeouts each match which adds up to four timeouts per round.[10] If a team fails to use their timeouts in either match, they lose them. When a team is playing their shot, they can call a timeout at any point prior to the expiration of the 40 second shot clock. The team who is not shooting may call a timeout at any point up until the player on the team shooting has addressed the ball.[11] Finally, there are a total of two referees for each round. One referee is on the course to ensure that each match goes off without a hitch and there are no rule violations. The other referee is in a booth monitoring for potential violations by either team.[12]
The Point System
Like Major League Soccer, TGL uses a points-based system to determine which teams will advance to the playoffs.[13] Each team can earn up to two points per match toward their regular-season total. A team’s total number of points determines their position in the SoFi Cup standings.[14] A win in regulation and a win in overtime both equal two points. A loss in overtime equals one point.[15] The top four teams advance to the playoffs, which consists of a single-elimination semifinal round and a best-of-three championship series.[16]
The Teams
Atlanta Drive GC: Patrick Cantlay, Lucas Glover, Billy Horschel, Justin Thomas
Boston Common Golf: Keegan Bradley, Hideki Matsuyama, Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott
Jupiter Links Golf Club: Max Homa, Tom Kim, Kevin Kisner, Tiger Woods
Los Angeles Golf Club: Tommy Fleetwood, Collin Morikawa, Justin Rose, Sahith Theegala
New York Golf Club: Matt Fitzpatrick, Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele, Cameron Young
The Bay Golf Club (San Francisco Bay Area): Ludvig Aberg, Wyndham Clark, Shane Lowry, Min Woo Lee
As with the creation of any new league, there are legal challenges that need to be addressed. TGL Golf Holdings LLC is now engaged in a trademark dispute with equipment maker LA Golf Partners arguing that their venture is allowed to use “LA Golf Club” in golf-related branding.[17] In their suit, TGL Golf Holdings argued that they had been using the city name and its abbreviation publicly for more than a year to promote the new league.[18] They are now asking the court to find that their use of the mark has not infringed on any trademark, does not constitute unfair competition or a deceptive trade practice, or dilute the alleged trademark.[19] The marks registered to LA Golf Partners are “LA Golf Club” and a mark featuring the letters “LAGP” inside a circle, according to the complaint. However, TGL Golf Holdings alleges that the LA Golf Club trademark application was not filed until June 14, 2023, after TGL publicly announced its LA team.[20]
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has already denied the registration of one of the defendant’s marks on the basis that “LA” is descriptive, and a location generally known to the public to refer to Los Angeles.[21] Stay tuned for more updates as the legal battle continues to unfold!
[1] https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/42391272/what-tgl-golf-league-formed-woods-mcilroy
[2] Id.
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
[5] Id.
[6] Id.
[7] Id.
[8] https://tglgolf.com/info/official-rules
[9] See supra note 1.
[10] Id.
[11] Id.
[12] Id.
[13] https://golfweek.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/pga/2025/01/06/tgl-golf-format-indoor-simulator-league-rules/77410985007/
[14] Id.
[15] Id.
[16] Id.
[17] https://www.law360.com/articles/2280537/tiger-woods-new-league-in-tm-fight-with-equipment-maker
[18] Id.
[19] Id.
[20] Id.
[21] Id.
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