Arena Plans Revealed For Virtual Golf League Backed By Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy
A golf simulator league backed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy is partnering with financial services firm SoFi to build a nearly 250K SF arena in Palm Beach Gardens that will host its tournaments.
TMRW Sports and San Francisco-based SoFi revealed plans to build the nearly 2,000-seat SoFi Center on just under 11 acres on the campus of Palm Beach State College. The arena will be home to the TGL, a team golf league that has lined up some of golf’s top names to play in its inaugural tournament, planned for January.
Competitors will play virtual golf under a 75-foot-tall dome on a 291-by-150-foot playing field, driving balls at a screen around 20 times larger than the standard golf simulator screen, according to a release. The tournament’s short game will be played on three adjustable putting greens, with three sand bunkers spanning 3,800 SF inside the arena complex. Two outdoor plazas will host pre-match activities.
“To achieve our goal of becoming a top ten financial institution, it’s critical that we build brand awareness and trust with consumers to become a household name,” SoFi CEO Anthony Noto said in a statement. “Investing in sports has proven unequivocally valuable time and time again in helping us unlock this goal.”
SoFi is the first commercial partner for TGL, TMRW Sports founder and CEO Mike McCarley said in a statement. TMRW Sports is the entity running TGL with PGA Tour backing.
TMRW Sports donated $1M to Palm Beach State College in February as part of its deal to build the arena on the school’s campus. The donation was used to establish the TMRW Sports Fund through the college’s foundation. It will provide scholarships, academic program development and career development opportunities.
TGL will feature six three-man teams playing televised prime-time matches on Monday nights. In addition to Woods and McIlroy, other players signed on to participate include Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Xander Schauffele, Max Homa, Rickie Fowler and Billy Horschel.
The vision for “TGL is to create a new way for sports fans to experience golf by harnessing the power of technology to make sports more immersive, culturally relevant, and accessible for all,” McCarley said.
Four teams have been announced, each with backing from professional sports icons and owners of franchises across football, baseball and soccer.
Arthur Blank, the co-founder of Home Depot and owner of the Atlanta Falcons and the Atlanta United soccer club, is backing TGL Atlanta. Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Boston Red Sox, England’s Liverpool FC and the Pittsburgh Penguins, is sponsoring TGL Boston. The league’s New York team is backed by Steven Cohen, the owner of the New York Mets, and the Los Angeles team has several high-profile sponsors, including Venus and Serena Williams.
Orlando-based TMRW Sports has been beefing up its staff ahead of the league’s debut and recently announced a partnership with U.S. Integrity, a leading sports betting auditor.
TMRW Sports has also courted a wave of celebrity backers to boost the league’s profile. Justin Bieber, DJ Khaled, Macklemore, Jake Owen and Darius Rucker signed on to support the league in May. The stable of musicians joins NBA stars Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade and Kevin Durant, plus baseball’s Mike Trout, as backers.
“These entertainers come from different walks of life and have different fanbases, but all share a real passion for golf and, in their own ways, can introduce golf to new fans,” McCarley said of the pop and country stars in a May statement. “Their addition rounds out the collective expertise and reach of the TMRW Sports investor group across finance, sports business, technology, and media.”
