PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL - MAY 10: Fans celebrate as Rickie Fowler sinks a winning birdie putt on the ... [+] 17th hole island green during a sudden death playoff in the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on May 10, 2015 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Chris Condon/PGA TOUR) US PGA TOUR Communal sports watching is as American a pastime as reciprocal tariffs. But catching the game on a big screen in a bar or buddy’s man cave has been relegated to the second string. Cosm’s massive tri-level, 87-foot diameter, 12K+ LED concave screens—designed to create the illusion of stadium box seats—put you and your buddies smack dab in the middle of the action. The company calls its stadium-meets-planetarium concept ‘shared reality,’ positioning itself as a social alternative to VR, where wearers tune out the world around them. ‘The Gauntlet’—the moniker for the Players Championship’s leaderboard-volatility-inducing final stretch—is where fortunes can flip faster than a TikTok trend. At its heart is the iconic island green on 17, a par-3 surrounded by water, where a thousand golf balls have splashed down over the tournament’s storied history. And the closing hole, with water lurking all along the left side, is no slouch either when it comes to derailing a contender’s championship dream. Golf fans, at least those in the L.A. and Dallas metros, now have a chance to experience those high stakes holes during tournament week in a dynamic new fashion thanks to Cosm specific cameras rolling at the event. Appetite For Golf Cosm had been tracking interest in golf from their existing customer bases and tested the waters, hosting a watch party of the LAGC’s inaugural TGL match last month. The match against Tiger Woods’ Jupiter Links squad occurred the week following the wildfire crisis and all ticket proceeds were donated to the L.A. Firefighters foundation. “It turned into more than just our first golf event, but it was a catalyzing community event,” Peter Murphy, Cosm’s SVP of Media and Content, explained. For the tour’s part, they are stoked to offer fans proximity to the players they couldn’t otherwise experience unless they were not only attending the event but also had inside-the-ropes access. MORE FOR YOU Apple Confirms The New Phone Isn’t iPhone SE 4 But iPhone 16e Trump Administration Reverses Layoffs At These Federal Agencies—After Accidentally Cutting Bird Flu, Nuclear Staff Apple iPhone 16e Release Date Confirmed: Your Schedule For The Newest iPhone “It’s a multi-camera setup where you are going to have the best seat in the house for those three holes that the Cosm production is covering. That’s an experience you can’t quite get in person without having to walk through thousands of fans,” Tom Jeffs, vice president media and business development at the PGA Tour. Spectators at Cosm take in a soccer match The linear broadcast will air as well on virtual jumbotrons within the screen, so golf fans will be able to keep tabs on the all the action as it unfurls in North Florida, synched to the audio feed. Partnering with Cosm was approved by the PGA Tour only after a firsthand experience of its capabilities. “We had the luxury of visiting the facility in L.A. the day before they had their first ticketed UFC event last summer. What really stood out to us in some of the test footage they showed us from the NBA Finals, UFC events and more, was the sense of presence. You truly feel like you’re watching game three of Mavs/Celtics from the tenth row. That sense of presence is the breakthrough aspect of the experience,” Jeffs said. That sense of immersion will be brought to one of golf’s most tense tee shots. There’s a Cosm cam poking out of the water on No. 17 atop a masthead. A technical team is onsite this week, putting the cameras thought paces and stress testing the rigging and structure to make sure the electrical is good to go. “It will be a perspective of the green that not only can you not get on T.V., but you can’t even get it if you were there, the gallery does not sit on the water. That’s a good example of what we can do with Cosm, which is transport people to places they otherwise could not go,” Murphy explained. Beyond the visual festivities, the venues will also be offering up tournament-inspired concessions, including the event’s signature tipple, the Sawgrass Splash and there will also be Players merchandise from PGA Tour Superstore. Those on hand at Cosm’s L.A. venue will be able to take swing at the iconic 17th hole courtesy of the TGL’s Los Angeles Golf Club’s who will have their Dryvebox simulator parked outside. Both locations will set up mobile gaming stations, letting attendees try out Take Two Interactive’s new video game release, PGA Tour 2k25. The first 65,000 square foot Cosm venue opened in Inglewood last June, followed by another big box store sized location in a suburb of Dallas. Cosm capacity is 900, enough of a crowd size to somewhat to port a simulacrum of the live sports experience into their immersive theaters. Two new venues are on the way—one in downtown Detroit and another in Centennial Yards in Atlanta, a massive redevelopment project between the Five Points MARTA station and Mercedes-Benz Stadium. To date Cosm has raised $300 million, putting the live content play above the $1 billion valuation threshold. The company is using the capital to fuel expansion. They see runway to grow to 50 units by 2030. Backers include Steve Winn’s Mirasol Capital, Avenue Sports Fund, Baillie Gifford, and Bolt Ventures. Follow me on Twitter. Editorial StandardsForbes Accolades