Jack Nicklaus joins Tiger Woods & Rory McIlroy to help in TGL venture
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's TGL just got another major partner: Jack Nicklaus. The legendary golfer and course designer is slated to join the venture with his design team. They are one of three design teams that have worked to create the 30 holes for the league, which will debut in 2025. Nicklaus Design is joined by Beau Welling Design and Pizá Golf in this.
The three groups worked in tandem with TGL and its technology partner, Full Swing. They each worked on holes, and TGL will incorporate all of them into each 15-hole match for the league once it begins in January.
The holes were reportedly inspired by different real-world landscapes like links, canyons, coastal, deserts, and tropical areas. Of course, these did not have the same restrictions that designing real holes would. It seems that Jack Nicklaus' design team and the other companies got creative with it, as some holes are realistic and others are not.
The new holes include, via Golfweek:
- Quick Draw: Par 5 can be played 720 yards with a safe tee shot or 538 yards by trying to hit a plateau 300 yards from the tee
- Craic On: 175-yard par 3 in traditional links style
- Bluebonnet: Par 4 that can be played 450 or 343 yards based on a challenging canyon
- Cliffhanger: 251-yard par 3 over an ocean cove
- The Plank: 380-yard par 4 with an uphill hole and diagonal bunkering
- Serpent: 603-yard par 5 with penalty areas closing in both sides the entire way to the hole
TGL is made up of six teams that consist entirely of pro golfers, such as Woods, McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Tommy Fleetwood, Kevin Kisner, Shane Lowry, Min Woo Lee, and others.
TGL executive praises new holes aided by Jack Nicklaus
Golf legends including Jack Nicklaus have designed many courses. Some have become rather iconic, and TGL is putting that to good use. They used Nicklaus' design company to bring to life a few unique holes for their new technological league.
Scott Armstrong, vice president of competitions and technology at TGL, said via the PGA Tour:
“The holes for TGL presented by SoFi’s inaugural season capture the nature of this league as we push the boundaries of what is possible when fusing technology and live action, while remaining authentic and fun."
Armstrong added:
"The design groups brought an astounding level of creativity, meticulous attention to detail, and a true passion for creating holes that will bring a new form of entertainment to golf and sports fans. Full Swing’s virtual technology allowed the designers to expand the course footprint and introduce new elements that would be impossible on traditional courses.”
TGL will have its first event on 7 January 2025, after a one-year delay due to infrastructure issues.