Tgl year a verdict: good, evil and hammer

Start the Ticker's parade in Peachtree Street! Order the statue of Billy outside the Mapic Pump! For the first time in its history of several weeks, The Atlanta Drive Golf Club is the TGL champion! And with that, we are putting an end to the last TGL season – which is also the first TGL season – which means that it is now time to ask, which went well, which has gone wrong, what can he learn the second year of golf in the induced room in the first year and rely for the second year.

First of all: TGL has a lot to be proud, depending on the way the two nights' nights worked. The two were competitive, the two went down to the last hole, and the two had their players – well, most of them – died and engaged. This kind of enthusiasm is both contagious and necessary; If players don't care, why should we? And if the players clearly become Jazzed legitimately at the idea of ​​hitting a ball in a screen, well, why not give him a chance?

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So let's go through the advantages and disadvantages of the League, than to keep and what to abandon for next season. And we start with the most obvious:

Players must buy

We said when the league started in January that TGL will succeed or fail according to its playersnot its spectacular technology.

“We have to be artists,” said a player in December. “We have to get away from what we are at PGA Tour tournaments inside the strings and we must be different.”

This player? Billy outsidechel, which had just been the unofficial MVP of the League thanks to its performance and its celebrations of galactic pumps. Man knew what he was talking about.

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Outside pearl, Les Justins Rose and Thomas, Tom Kim, Shane Lowry, Keegan Bradley, Sahith Theegala – they got what TGL should be, and they brought energy and a fire to their games that were obvious to the audience both in the arena and at home. Patrick Cantlay, Lucas Glover, Cameron Young and several others, on the other hand, seemed to make their taxes. Yes, you want to have the best golfers in the world exposed … but it does not hurt to have a small sauce on the list either.

If the choice is between a player of first 10 classified who is a model and a 50th player who will bring warmth, take the ardent guy each time. Golf has enough characters on tour – and on Liv, but it is another entry here – that there should be more than enough to fill the TGL lists. Speaking of that …

More players, more teams

The owner of Atlanta Drive, Arthur Blank, alluded to that a few weeks ago when he said that there would probably be LPGA players on the TGL lists soon. Great! Bring women, bring Liv expatriates, bring academic players, bring legends of the Champions tour. Develop the number of teams at eight or 10 or 12. Why not? There is room to grow here, and the technological aspect of the outside phase of the game means that TGL can be adjusted for any level of player.

Accelerate matches

There was one point in each match – it was generally at the point of rupture between the triple and the singles, or during a celebrity in attention – when the procedure stops, in terms of momentum. Yes, there is a financial imperative for these long games, in -depth trade breaks and Pandering questions and answers; ESPN must also earn money on this. But the action action is the draw here, not the interviews with Celine Dion or David Ortiz. Chop three holes out of the triple, eliminate a match in 90 minutes and you can run two backs. And when you direct them …

Coherent days and hours

As a new league at the mercy of existing contracts, TGL had to integrate on the Espn slate where it could … which meant that during its two -month season, TGL ran on two different channels, two different nights, with Seven Different hours of the start. This is not the way of creating long -term loyalty during a season. TGL works better when it comes to kicking entertainment in golf fans; If they know where and when to find it every week, they will.

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The matches last too long, just like the season. As the players' championship takes place, the golf course is in major mode in major mode. Spring has arisen in most of the country, and the appeal of internal golf when the outdoor golf playing decreases quickly. Admittedly, TGL faces serious constraints – vacation, players' personal schedules, football in playoffs – but the tightening of the slate (and maybe run more matches every week) could help reduce the feeling “to wait, it always happens?” This surfaces once we have reached mid-March.

Keep the media threw realistic

Whenever TGL emissions included diving drones via a flashing Sofi center, you are amazed at technology. And whenever Marty Smith of ESPN and Matt Barrie tried to compare TGL to the Stanley Cup qualifiers or a night match at Baton Rouge, you could injure your eyes. There is no need for artificial media threw here; No, Boston Common vs The Golf Club is not part of the Celtic-Lakers' rivalry. Fans will not connect to see who will win a trophy that they did not even know the last time they had a Thanksgiving dinner. Too often, ESPN tried to force gravity during an event that certainly does not need it; No need to act as if it's a green jacket we are talking about here.

Continue to innovate

One of the wisest movements that TGL could have made was improving the deployment of the hammer in mid-season. The strategy involved in hammer throws has completely changed the game – and, not elsewhere, the winning approach of Atlanta. Apply this desire to change to the whole league – format, golf holes, lists, everything – and see where the improvement potential resides.

Technology must improve

We used the expression of the “golf league infused with technology” more than our own bustline by describing TGL this year, and although the technology behind TGL is spectacular, there were a few serious quirks – balls moving unexpectedly, or hung incredibly on vertical slopes, or stopping dead as if they had landed in the ” vertical. Players who know in the courtyard how far they can strike a certain club often seemed perplexed in the way the ball reacted in virtual and real parameters. Fleas and putts were also an unexpected adventure on real green. Tgl has a balance to walk – we know that it is not a real golf course, but we want it to be feel Real technological adjustments will help this balance.

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Stay salted

It took a while, but we were finally able to see some of the real faces of several TGL players. Alex Schauffele went under the skin of Justin Thomas on Tuesday evening, and that's exactly what we want to see. Admittedly, all these players are professional enough not to boil in a indoor golf game. But golf reveals the personality, and that's what we have to see. And to do that …

Put more in play for the players

This is the key. Some players, like out of pearl, could be drawn by running a Starbucks. Others need more incitement. And since you cannot get these guys out of their closed community for less than an eight -digit pay check, TGL should use something more devious: reputation.

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Note each player compared to his team, his opponent and his league. Put the pay checks on the line of each hole, each match, and let the players take the money from others. Having your metaphorical pants removed on national television will make many players more invested … and, hey, if they do not want to participate in a company where it is a possibility, that speaks volumes about their ability to TGL.

We can declare the inaugural season of the TGL a success in the way in which a 290 yards route in the fairway is a success – a good start, but there is a lot of room to improve, and a lot of work to do. But golf could use all the success stories that it can be well now … and thanks to Outcher, golf has a new face to look before the Majors season. It is a solid result for a first league.