Lots of fun, a little boring… but revolutionary indoor Golf by TGL

Carried by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, present Tuesday evening as informed spectators, the first stage of the TGL offered a tantalizing spectacle of indoor golf, in an impressive room almost as large as an American football dome! The crowd created a great atmosphere and the six players had a great time, especially Ludvig Aberg, elected man of the match.

D.C.

The TGL is finally launched! Postponed for a year due to the collapse of the previous SoFi Center in Palm Beach (Florida), the Tomorrow Golf League created under the impetus of Rory McIlroy et Tiger Woodspresent Tuesday evening as informed spectators while waiting for their teams to enter the competition, kept their promises. A revolutionary high-end show with golf stars, proximity to the players, data to better understand each shot and emotion.

Rickie Fowler and Shane Lowry lead the way

It is Rickie Fowler who started the interview ball before the meeting in the hallway with his teammates representing the New York team Matt Fitzpatrick et Xander Schauffele. And it was again the Californian who tested the public by entering first into the immense indoor enclosure whose playing surface is equivalent to that of a football field. An atmosphere reminiscent of the Phoenix Open, even if the champagne and the profile of those who drink it offer a lower decibel scale than that offered by beer lovers under the Arizona sun.

On the other hand, it was the San Francisco team who struck the first shot through Shane Lowrythe most smiling as usual. It was this same team from the Bay Golf Club which scored the first point thanks to a putt of Ludvig Abergvoted man of the match.

Aberg, man of the match

Dazzling during the triples played over nine holes (each of the three players from each team hits the ball alternately), the Swede made the first victorious putt of the competition, then the putt of the day at 5… after planting the flag at 4. Everything was not perfect for the Scandinavian giant who also signed the first penalty of the competition in the 2nd with a ball… into the lava! “ “ The feeling in a stadium is completely different and you feel the weight of the crowd much more. It's very nice. I can't wait to play the next stage », he concluded. Having just returned from Hawaii, Aberg has recovered well from the trip. Better than Xander Schauffele who notably missed two chips in a row and had to face some teasing from the public.

Limitless route possibilities

The famous lava of hole number 2 reminds us that all routes are possible on a simulator. We will remember certain departures with three possible fairways, which is almost unimaginable on a real course but offers great strategic possibilities. We will also note the quality of the green which is supported by 600 jacks to offer endless possibilities there too. Since unlike a real simulator, you don't putt from the same place as where you hit your shots, but you go to a real short game area which can rotate to also diversify the chips as much as possible.

Everything is bigger, everything is more beautiful, everything is more fun than on a classic simulator. The screen measures approximately 20×15 meters, or 20 times the size of a normal screen. The mats are almost 20 meters from the screen, compared to around 3 m on a classic simulator. There are two real grass hitting areas (one for the fairway and one for the rough) and one sand hitting area for the bunkers. Never seen before! The timer was also highly anticipated, but all the players present have a reputation for being rather quick The 40 seconds to play and the pressure of the heartbeat accelerating in the last 15 seconds did not really disturb the players. It nevertheless remains a great step forward which could give ideas to counter the scourge of slow play.

Lowry the joker, Fowler the best joke!

Much was expected of the microphones each player wore. It's perhaps the nicest surprise of the evening. With a smile that never faded, Shane Lowry was the most talkative. “ I warned you, I want to be the Scottie Scheffler you Golf indoor » he laughed with his partners Ludvig Aberg and Wyndham Clark. Xander Schauffele also tried to make it fun by throwing the orange handkerchief symbolizing the hammer (in order to double the points at stake on a hole) almost on the head of Shane Lowry who was at address.

The Irishman took revenge later by calling a time-out while the Californian was also about to start his back swing. A pirouette that the Californian moderately appreciated and which will remain the only moment of micro tension of the match. The “Oscar” for best joke nevertheless goes to Rickie Fowler who threw the flag squarely across the path of Lowry's moving ball (him again) who had two putts from two meters to win the hole… surprising way of giving the hole, but which made everyone laugh heartily.

This first indoor golf experience deserves the broadcast that Golf + offers on Wednesday at 6:45 p.m. If you want to keep the suspense of the final result, do not click on the link to the official TGL site which we offer in particular to those who are not lucky enough to subscribe to Canal Plus. But this first meeting is in any case worth a look to immerse yourself in this new television golf offering. We are already waiting for next week and the presence of Tiger Woods on the field (who distinguished himself by shooting a camera in training), before the arrival of Rory McIlroy at the end of the month.