Golf0clock

Golf’s newest high-tech, stadium-style gimmick league—TGL—debuted to all the fanfare of a wet fart. Billed as a revolutionary twist on the game, this overproduced, soulless mess is nothing but a glorified simulator session with some forced banter and bad CGI. If this is the future of golf, go ahead and pull the plug now.

Let’s start with the obvious: watching elite golfers take half-swings into a screen is about as compelling as watching a bunch of 15-handicappers at a Topgolf after three margaritas. The entire premise is built around artificial excitement—giant screens, fake crowds, dramatic lighting—as if they’re trying to trick us into caring. It’s golf, reimagined for people who don’t actually like golf.

But wait, it gets worse. The broadcast is an absolute disaster. The camera angles feel like a disorienting fever dream, bouncing between players, launch monitors, and a stadium setup that has all the charm of a corporate-sponsored convention center. The constant scoreboard overlays and graphics scream, “Look how modern we are!” while making the viewing experience feel cluttered and chaotic. And then there’s the commentary—some of the most forced, scripted nonsense you’ll ever hear in a sports broadcast. Every moment is treated like it’s life-or-death, as if hitting a screen from 120 yards is somehow high drama.

What makes this even more infuriating is that it didn’t have to be this bad. Look at what Barstool’s ForePlay or Bob Does Sports are doing. Real golf content—fun, loose, authentic. The personalities shine because they aren’t trying to force something that isn’t there. The TGL, on the other hand, feels like the PGA Tour’s desperate attempt to be “cool” and “innovative,” except nobody actually asked for this. It’s LIV Golf with even less soul, and that’s saying something.

The kicker? The entire product is supposedly backed by $3 billion in funding. That’s right—billions. And yet, what we get is a gimmicky, overproduced broadcast that completely misunderstands what makes golf compelling in the first place. Give me a Sunday afternoon with Jim Nantz and Augusta’s back nine over this manufactured nonsense any day.

TGL was supposed to be a game-changer. Instead, it’s an embarrassing misfire that proves once again that when golf tries too hard to be something it’s not, it loses everything that makes it great. The sport deserves better than this synthetic, simulation-driven disaster. Kill it now before it gets any worse.