Professional golf is going high-tech, moving from outdoors to indoors with a new league and six inaugural teams, including one from Boston.
“It’s going to help grow the game. In New England, it’s important because we use a lot of indoor golf, a lot of simulator golf in the winter,” said golfer Jim Adams.
Boston Common Golf is the city’s newest professional team and owned by the Fenway Sports Group -- which owns the Boston Red Sox and the English soccer team Liverpool. The players are Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, Tyrrell Hatton and Hopkinton’s own Keegan Bradley.
”These guys are going to get to feel what it’s like to have this city behind them, playing sports. In my eyes, they’re the best fans in the world,” Bradley said.
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The TGL‘s first season will feature 24 PGA players with ESPN-televised matches taking place at the newly constructed SoFi Center in Palm Beach, Florida, in front of a live audience. SoFi Center is built at Palm Beach State College in Florida, a 250,000-square-foot arena with a 75-foot-high apex. It can hold about 1,600 spectators, and the "course" is about the size of a football field.
The league is looking to expand interest in the ancient game of golf, according to creators Tiger Woods and McIlroy.
“I think it’s important that this sort of ventures happen because golf is such a traditional sport, trying to break that mold and trying to bring it into the 21st-century, I think it’s pretty important,” McIlroy said.
All the matches are played on a large, indoor simulator and the golfers will be mic’d. To keep things moving, TGL plans incorporate a shot clock, timeouts and a referee.
“It’s going to be fun to have a golf atmosphere that’s a little rowdy,” Bradley said.
The upstart league has the blessing of the PGA as well as players at Leo J. Martin in Weston, Massachusetts.
“Anything that increases the popularity is generally good,” said golfer Chris Farrington.
The TGL season starts in January. Only four teams advance to the playoffs and a champion will be crowned at the end of March.
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