by 
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy sat in the booth like two Christofs presiding over the golf version of The Truman Show in a futuristic arena in downtown Palm Beach Tuesday night.
Nothing seemed real on the first night of TGL – and, indeed, it’s not really “real” golf, as it’s played indoors – but the two superstars perched above believed that There was a lot of substance in their virtual baby’s first steps.
It turned out to be a shrewd ploy to get out of playing Woods and McIlroy and to have the co-owners of this $100m (£81m) business act as analysts.
Together with the famous American television director Mike McCarley, they formed Tomorrow’s Golf League and were therefore in the ideal position to try to sell the concept of simulation to Generation Z, or even to those of us traditionalists who do unapologetically part of the Old F generation.
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It will take weeks, months and perhaps – with all the investment from Sir Lewis Hamilton, Sir Andy Murray and the Williams Sisters – years to determine whether it can reach the new audience of the ancient game’s holy grail.
But, for now, hyperbole was in order in the laser-filled spectacular in South Florida.
“It was just a dream conjured up,” Woods said on the show. “Rory and I were talking about it; It’s hard to believe that this dream came true and that we were able to propel golf into another stratosphere.
No, Woods is never one to downplay any business opportunity that might bring in a few quid for his dynasty, but, in all honesty, as a debut campaign, this hit the sweet spot.
Fortunately, the technology worked and the SoFi Center – erected at the extraordinary cost of $50 million – looked stunning on live television, although for British viewers it was at the unwatchable hour of 2am.
McIlroy called it “golf reinvented” and with strobe lights, smoke machines and a rather annoying DJ, it was indeed surreal from any viewpoint. Dystopia for purists. A marketer’s wonderland.
Yet, as Woods pointed out, it was still about golf and the records will show – if Tomorrow’s Golf League lasts long enough to warrant something as weighty as a history book – that the three pros in the Bay Golf Club demolished the New York Golf Club trio. Club with a performance that sets the bar very high.
Ludvig Aberg, the impeccable Swede who has something of the flawless droid, ensured the quality with clubs in hand, while with his agricultural use of English, Shane Lowry gave color to the microphone experience. “F— me, what a blow!” he shouted to Aberg, before triumphantly claiming his own expertise: “I’m going to be the Scottie Scheffler of indoor golf.”
The boy from County Offaly was in his element, even if it was one none of his ancestors would recognise. “The last time I had this much fun was probably in Rome last September,” Lowry said with a wink, turning to American Ryder Cup player Wyndham Clark. “Look, I had an incredible two hours and there were all kinds of things going on when I hit the first tee shot.”
Even Aberg’s pulse had trouble staying straight. “My heart was racing, I was sweating…it was a different competition environment that we’re not really used to,” he said. “But I think this is the future, this is where the game is going to go, and I love it.”
Really? Golf certainly cannot exist solely, or even partially, under one roof, although technology-induced chaos will appeal to a certain sector. Rickie Fowler put it best when he called it “a glorified man cave.” It has the power to inspire these “artists” to behave differently and take them out of the straitjacket of their business.
Take Alex Schauffele. We already knew what the two-time major champion can do when his eye is in it, but this time his tongue was able to hang loose as he showed off a nice ‘joke’ line. The peek behind the curtain.
“I probably would have booed myself too,” Schauffele replied when asked about the crowd of 1,500 baiting his form.
However, there is no doubt that the star of the show was the 20 meter high screen on which the protagonists launched their balls and the spinning green on which the golfers sometimes stood precariously as they tried to figure out the moving slopes. “They have no frame of reference,” Woods said, and he could have been referring to the show as a whole.
The fans in attendance seemed to be on board wholeheartedly, but it’s ESPN’s viewing figures that will ultimately decide TGL’s fate. Next week, Woods himself will get his turn in the spotlight, with the shot clock and timeouts.
His story was always intended for the big screen.
