The Shank Play the Game. Share the Passion
With barely a month to go until the TGL finally gets underway, promotion of the event has increased in recent weeks as they look to hit the ground running amid mixed feelings on whether the new-look competition will capture the public’s imagination.
The indoor simulation league will kick off on the 7th January when New York Golf Club take on The Bay Golf Club, with stars including Xander Schauffele, Ludvig Aberg and Rickie Fowler all in action.
The concept of the TGL Indoor League has largely been attributed to counter the LIV Golf League that has shook up the professional golfing landscape and sent shockwaves through the PGA Tour, its players and stakeholders alike and it got off to a rocky start when its inauguration season was postponed in 2024 after significant damage to the arena that has been built specifically for the competiton.
One aspect that has been compared to the LIV Golf league is the team aspect that many believe is the future of the professional game, bringing a new, younger fanbase into the game and giving the game a boost that has been much needed in recent years.
Whilst the team aspect has its detractors, its clear that particularly on the LIV Golf League that the concept is starting to gain traction. With 13 teams and a rumoured 14th to be added for 2025, the teams are beginning to take a significant shape, with the majority of teams having a thought process behind their rosters and with teams, building a base and having a team behind the scenes to grow the teams brand.
Examples in particular include the country-specific teams like current LIV Golf Team Champions, Ripper GC who are very much an Australian based side. Others like the South African based Stingers GC, the Latin based Fireballs GC and the South American contingent at Torque GC.
There are few that you can call out as a mish-mash of players thrown together, the Cleeks look set to be rebranded this year and getting a stronger identity, whilst the likes of the Crushers GC, Smash GC and the Majesticks GC, have a distinct look, with arguably just a quarter of the team looking out of place.
Contrast that to the opening offerings that have been put together for the inaugural TGL season and the majority of the sides if not all look confused. There of course will no doubt be some leeway with the make-up of the sides in its first season or two but if fans are to find favour with a certain side, there must be some thought behind teams as they move forward.
What kind of teams could be put together you may ask?
There are certain known individuals that are often linked together, McIlroy and Lowry, Woods and Thomas and Schauffele and Cantlay instantly spring to mind. These are guys that vibe off each other as has been seen in competitions like the Ryder Cup. Put them together and lets see what there craic is, what makes them great mates off the course.
You also can look geographically to pull teams together. There are six europeans in the roster of players that have been pulled together. Lets say you go down the route of putting Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick together. Yes you have an anomaly for this season but throw in a Ludvig Aberg and you have a similar make up of a side to those on LIV with just one player looking out of place, but a brand that many could relate to already.
There is also another distinct regional offering that could be put together with an Asian/Australian based side that connects the likes of Hideki Matsuyama, Tom Kim, Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee. That would be a solid side and another that many supporters from outside the US, could get behind.
Then there are the Americans, plenty of them and without looking into it deeply, the likes of Tiger Woods, Xander Schauffele, Max Homa and Collin Morikawa are California natives and also went to college in the state, which begs the question why they couldn’t be grouped together.
As mentioned previously, the friendship between McIlroy and Lowry is often talked about and the Irish links with the Boston area can be used to base the Irish pair alongside Keegan Bradley, who has links to the Massachusetts area.
There are few players without a link somewhere, whether that is through geography, known friendships, current residence or even where they went to college. What those backing the TGL will not want to see is criticism for a lack of connection between the players and whilst there is no guarantee that friends or those from the same area will have that connection on screen, law of averages would suggest that its more likely than not.
This was the first of the new weekly Teeing It Up column from Editor Andy Moore, a look at all of the talking points in world golf today. Drop us an email – teeingitup@glu.com with what you would like to see an opinion piece on next!
