TGL presented by SoFi, the tech-infused primetime golf league beginning in 2024, has steadily progressed from concept to reality. Player commitments, team names and ownership groups have gradually been announced; the league’s inaugural season will feature six four-player teams (24 players total).

Competitive format and scoring procedures, described by TGL as “Modern Match Play,” were announced by the league on Oct. 31.

What will TGL look like? Here’s a look at the newly conceptualized primetime golf league, which will progress from a regular season into a playoff format with semifinals (single elimination) and a championship series (best-of-three).

Format

Each team will play five regular-season matches. Before each match, the two competing teams will name three competitors each. (One player from each team will sit each match.)

Each TGL regular season match will be a 15-hole, 3-on-3 match featuring two distinct components.

The first nine holes – "Triples" – will be played as a 3-on-3, alternate-shot match. The three players from each team alternate who tees off a hole, and then the three rotate who hits each shot from there.

The second six holes – "Singles" – will feature rotating head-to-head competition. Each player will play two holes during the session; Player 1 will play hole Nos. 10 and 13, Player 2 will play hole Nos. 11 and 14, and Player 3 will play hole Nos. 12 and 15.

Each hole has a value of one point, and the team with the fewest strokes on a hole wins the point. Ties are worth zero points and there are no carryovers.

The overtime tiebreaker (if necessary) will feature 3-on-3 closest-to-the-pin competition until a team successfully hits two shots closer to the pin than their competitors.

All matches will be played at SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, with a capacity of approximately 1,600 spectators for TGL’s inaugural season. SoFi Center, a nearly 250,000-square-foot venue with a 75-foot apex, will include a large plaza area to host pre-match festivities and enhance the fan experience.

Course: The course within the SoFi Center will be infused with various technologies and cover an area approximately 97 x 50 yards, roughly the size of a football field.

Tee Shots and Approach: Players will hit from real grass tee boxes, fairway surfaces, rough and sand on long shots into a 64 x 46-foot screen, roughly 20 times the size of a standard simulator.

Short-game and putting: For shots within approximately 50 yards or less, depending on green setup and hole locations, the players will transition to a custom-built complex (the “Green Zone”), a 3,800 square-foot, tech-infused green that includes three 15 x 27-foot virtual greens, each equipped with 189 actuators and jacks that change the slope of the green to create a variety of play on every TGL hole.

Scoring

TGL will use a points-based system for regular-season matches, comparable to the National Hockey League’s standings structure.

2 points: Regulation win

2 points: Overtime win

1 point: Overtime loss

0 points: Regulation loss

The top four teams from the regular-season standings will advance to the semifinals. The two semifinal match winners will compete in the best-of-three championship series.

If there’s a tie for a spot at the end of the regular season, the tiebreaker will be decided by total holes won. Consequently, matches will play all 15 holes even if the winner is decided earlier.

Team composition

Known TGL franchises include Atlanta Drive GC, Boston Common Golf, Los Angeles Golf Club, TGL New York and TGL San Francisco. The sixth team will be announced at a later date.

Justin Thomas was announced Oct. 31 as a member of Atlanta Drive GC, the first player to be publicly associated with a franchise.

The inaugural 24-player TGL roster includes: Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick, Max Homa, Wyndham Clark, Tom Kim, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Cam Young, Keegan Bradley, Collin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, Sahith Theegala, Lucas Glover, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Min Woo Lee, Billy Horschel and Kevin Kisner.

How to watch

All TGL matches will air on either ESPN or ESPN2 and simulcast on ESPN+ in two-hour, prime-time competition windows, beginning on Jan. 9. Specific dates and airtimes for the entire season will be announced at a later date.

The inaugural TGL match will air in prime time on ESPN and ESPN+ on Tuesday, Jan. 9. The second TGL match will air in prime time on ESPN and ESPN+ on Tuesday, Jan. 16.

ABC will air a TGL presented by SoFi preview show on Saturday, Dec. 30.