Shane Lowry was so nervous Tuesday night before he hit the ceremonial first tee shot in TGL history he took his earpiece out to concentrate on his drive.
About two hours later, Lowry had a much different mindset.
“That was the most fun two hours I’ve had on a golf course,” Lowry said.
Of course, it wasn’t a golf course. TGL is simulated golf played inside the SoFi Center, a 250,000-square-foot, tech-infused facility at Palm Beach State College that many of the world’s greatest golfers – including co-founders Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy – will visit the next three months to see if they have found another avenue to take the long-traditional game of golf.
Instead of hitting shots into green grass, they aim at a large screen that’s about the size of a five-story building. The simulator shows the ball flight and spits out stats afterward.
For the 1,500 fans in the arena, it was an adjustment to watch quick-paced golf played with loud music blaring, tons of technological data, occasional booing after bad shots and the ability to watch every player’s shot without leaving their seat.
Too bad the competition was a rout: Lowry’s Bay Golf Club, which included Ludvig Åberg and Wyndham Clark, streaked to a 6-0 lead and cruised to a 9-2 victory over the New York Golf Club in TGL’s inaugural match. The Bay Club clinched the victory after just 10 holes (they play 15 in TGL).
Not that it mattered.
TGL isn’t about competition – though the winning team at season’s end receives $9 million of the $21 million purse – it’s about entertainment and introducing new fans to the game.
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