TGL to feature shot clock, timeouts and referee in league format

TGL presented by SoFi announced the inclusion of a shot clock, timeouts and a referee in its inaugural season format.

The new primetime team golf league developed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Sports in partnership with the PGA TOUR has continued to roll out further details about its teams and format. These latest additions highlight an effort to bring several fundamental elements from other sports to TGL.

“The competitive format and tech-heavy environment enables TGL presented by SoFi to incorporate elements that are familiar to sports fans from other sports in ways that would not translate on a traditional golf course but are commonplace in a sports arena environment. Instituting a shot clock and timeouts will help make matches entertaining, fast-paced, and exciting for sports fans. These elements also add another level of strategy for the players in how they approach team decisions similar to other sports,” said Mike McCarley, CEO and Founder of TMRW Sports and TGL.

To learn more about how TGL works, click here.

Shot Clock

Players will have 40 seconds to hit their shot, or their team will receive a violation and incur a one-stroke penalty.

The shot clock, displayed throughout the stadium, will be stopped and reset any time the following occurs:

• A player has completed their turn.
• A player incurs a shot clock violation and receives a one-stroke penalty.
• A player calls a timeout.
• A player incurs a Rules of Golf penalty.
• The TGL referee or booth official determines the shot clock must be reset to accommodate a special circumstance.

The 40-second timeframe is based on a former USGA Local Rule and a current USGA Recommendation on pace of play.

Timeouts

Each team will have a total of four timeouts per match. Teams can use two timeouts during Session 1 (Triples) and two timeouts during Session 2 (Singles). Timeouts not used during the first session will not carry over to the second session.

For the team playing their shot, timeouts may be called at any point until the shot clock expires. Opposing teams may call timeouts to “ice” their opponents but must do so before the other team’s player has addressed the ball.

A team member will signal or verbally call a timeout to the referee, who will acknowledge the call. A team cannot call back-to-back timeouts while on the current shot. They must wait until the shot is hit following a timeout before calling a second timeout.

Referee

A referee will be on the course to administer TGL’s rules. Additionally, a booth official, who is an expert in the rules of golf, will be monitoring the action.

The referee will be responsible for enforcing and managing timeouts, the shot clock and rules decisions.

TGL’s rules will be rooted in the traditional rules of golf played on the PGA TOUR, as well as inherent local rules needed for the league’s unique competition format, technology, and venue.

Click here for more on TGL and its newly announced competitive format.

TGL will feature six four-player teams, with all matches contested at SoFi Center, a custom-built venue in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, that will combine a data-rich virtual course with a state-of-the-art short game complex. Each team will compete in five regular season matches; there will then be semifinals and a championship series.

Rory McIlroy was announced last week as a member of TGL franchise Boston Common Golf, along with Keegan Bradley, Adam Scott and Tyrrell Hatton. Justin Thomas (Atlanta Drive GC) and Collin Morikawa (Los Angeles Golf Club) were also matched with their TGL teams.

New York and San Francisco will also have TGL franchises, with a sixth team yet to be announced.

The inaugural season will consist of 15 regular season matches followed by semifinals and finals matches on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN+ in the U.S.