Fans can now play TGL holes at Topgolf, including custom-designed TGL and WTGL competition holes, under a multi-year partnership between Topgolf and TMRW Sports. Topgolf says it’s the first time guests can play them. According to a Nov. 2 release, the deal covers Topgolf venues and Toptracer Range facilities worldwide. No tee time, no country club handshake, just a bay and a cold drink.
What the TGL Topgolf partnership includes
The campaign will run across Topgolf Media Networks, which Topgolf says reaches more than 28,000 digital screens. Email, social and in-venue marketing will back it up. That’s a lot of screens telling you to go hit balls.
The first piece is the Topgolf WTGL Challenge, launching Nov. 8. That’s the same day the women’s league tips off its first match. Three randomly selected winners get $500 gift cards for official WTGL merchandise, Golfmagic reports.
Select Topgolf venues will also host TGL and WTGL watch parties. Fans can expect league talent features, gameplay discounts and extra programming, Yahoo Sports reports. Some promotions will also offer access to SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, where the matches are played.
Why you can play TGL at Topgolf, and why it matters
Here’s the thing: golf has always had a gatekeeping problem. TGL, which Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy co-founded and TMRW Sports operates, is built to be loud, fast and easy to follow. WTGL is TMRW’s women’s version, made with the LPGA.
Topgolf, meanwhile, is where millions of people who don’t consider themselves golfers already show up to swing a club. Put those together and you get a smart pipeline. Watch it on ESPN on Sunday, then try to hit the same kind of shot on Monday.
Topgolf and Toptracer CEO David McKillips said the leagues are “redefining how modern fans consume golf.” He says that lines up with Topgolf’s mission of making the game more accessible through tech.
TMRW Sports golf president Rufus Hack called it “a natural fit.”
One caution on the pitch. Social posts are saying you can play “the same holes as Tiger and Rory.” That’s true for TGL, which the two men co-founded. WTGL holes, on the other hand, are the ones LPGA players compete on, so the framing is a little loose.
We also don’t know the financial terms or exactly how long “multi-year” runs.
What happens next with the WTGL Topgolf deal
WTGL’s first match is Sunday, Nov. 8, at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN, with Los Angeles Golf Club facing New York Golf Club at SoFi Center, according to WTGL’s schedule release. Five teams play 10 regular-season matches, and the Finals are Dec. 22-23.
So the real test starts Nov. 8. If the watch parties fill up and the bays stay booked, Topgolf just found a very good reason to keep fans at the venue all season. If not, you’ll still have a fun Sunday and a gift card contest to enter.
