Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Tiger Woods and his Jupiter Links Golf Club will be featured in half of the remaining prime time TGL ... [+] matches as the new indoor league winds down its season with a busy stretch run. (Photo by Megan Briggs/TGL/TGL via Getty Images) TGL via Getty Images As the PGA Tour transitions from its West Coast swing to Florida, TGL – the new indoor golf league co-founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy – enters the busiest (and perhaps most defining) stretch of its inaugural season. TGL will feature 10 matches over a 16-day span starting on Presidents Day, effectively two-thirds of its regular season schedule. It’s a concentrated burst, including many of the team matches showcased in primetime, that builds toward the league’s postseason as recreational golfers in many parts of the country are still awaiting the start of their golf season. TGL will complete its first season by March 25, more than two weeks ahead of The Masters Tournament, traditionally viewed as the unofficial start of the spring golf season in northern regions. The scheduling surge kicks off with a Presidents Day triple-header – and one notable rule change highlighted below -- on Monday, February 17, featuring the Atlanta Drive in two matches (against Los Angeles Golf Club and The Bay Golf Club) and The Bay Club facing both Atlanta and Boston Common Golf. This intensive stretch leverages the geographical convenience of the PGA Tour's Florida swing, as the league’s 1,500-seat SoFi Center is situated on the campus of Palm Beach State College and so many tour professionals live in South Florida. The interior of TGL's indoor arena —the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Megan ... [+] Briggs/TGL/TGL via Getty Images) TGL via Getty Images But the condensed schedule isn't just about convenience; it's a calculated effort to showcase its unique format to a broader audience during the winter and early spring broadcast window ahead of golf’s major championship season. MORE FOR YOU Elon Musk Calls $36 Trillion U.S. Debt Counter 'Terrifying' What Time Is ‘SNL 50: The Anniversary Special’? How To Watch And Guest Lineup Here’s Where Trump’s Government Layoffs Are—As Medicare And Medicaid Services, FDA And CDC Reportedly Cut Staff TGL Viewership The first five weeks of matches had a primetime average viewership of 810,000 on ESPN – higher than college basketball games during the same broadcast window in 2024 -- with a total audience of 11.3 million viewers. Three of the first five primetime matches peaked at 1.1 million viewers. One of TGL’s goals in creating an indoor simulator-based league featuring teams of PGA Tour stars (with matches played within a two-hour format) was to appeal to a younger audience. Although viewership has had its ebbs and flows, early returns on that front are encouraging. TGL thus far has one of the youngest television audiences in sports, second only to the NBA in median age, and is delivering 42% of the audience within the advertiser-coveted age 18-49 demographic. That’s tied with the NBA for the highest among all sports, college or professional. TGL’s seven remaining regular-season primetime matches should feature either Woods and his Jupiter Links team or McIlroy and his Boston Common squad. Woods skipped the PGA TOUR’s Genesis tournament in California following his mother’s death but has indicated he’ll join Tom Kim and Kevin Kisner on Tuesday, Feb. 18, as they face the New York Golf Club lineup of Cameron Young, Rickie Fowler, and Matt Fitzpatrick. Tiger Woods of Jupiter Links Golf Club and Rory McIlroy of Boston Common Golf are not only TGL's ... [+] co-founders, they're two of the league's biggest stars. And biggest draws. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/TGL/TGL via Getty Images) TGL via Getty Images The upcoming schedule mirrors the tour’s Florida swing, with matches strategically placed around the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches (February 27-March 2) and the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in Orlando (March 6-9). The final regular season TGL matches, played ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, feature regional rivalries. On Monday, March 3, The Bay Club takes on Los Angeles Golf Club in a showdown of California teams, while New York faces Boston. On Tuesday, Jupiter Links meets Atlanta in a matchup of southeast squads. Tommy Fleetwood and his Los Angeles Golf Club remain undefeated early in the inaugural TGL season. ... [+] (Photo by Megan Briggs/TGL/TGL via Getty Images) TGL via Getty Images The top four teams (out of six) in the SoFi Cup standings advance to the postseason, which begins March 17 – the day after the conclusion of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The semifinals will be contested on Monday and Tuesday, with the winning teams advancing to a best-of-three finals series March 24-25, just after the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida. Hammer Rule Change As the upstart league moves into its pivotal stretch, the focus is not just on the competition and how players are adjusting and executing within an indoor environment (and on the simulator for at least half of the action), but how the technology is performing, how the hole-by-hole statistics are becoming relevant with more of a dataset, and how ownership groups are approaching the new platform. TGL team ownership is very much of a lab experiment in many respects, as each group treats its brand differently – from partners to social media strategy. Keegan Bradley of Boston Common Golf throws the hammer flag on the 13th green during their TGL match ... [+] against Tiger Woods and the Jupiter Links Golf Club. (Photo by Megan Briggs/TGL/TGL via Getty Images) TGL via Getty Images TGL is also learning and evolving on the fly, as the stretch drive will feature a change in the league’s “Hammer” rules. While TGL has stood out for its IMAX-sized simulator screen, revolving green complex that changes hole to hole, 40-second shot clock, and players wearing microphones during play, the “Hammer” has become a fan favorite… when used. The game modifier, which adds a point to the value of a hole, was previously passed back and forth between the teams, but not always employed. Thanks to a recent rule change, teams will now each have three Hammers to use at their discretion during a match, potentially leading to more scoring and more score fluctuations. If both teams choose to throw a Hammer on the same hole and it’s accepted, the hole would be worth three points. The new rules go into effect for TGL’s supersized stretch run to the season. It’s a window that will further demonstrate how the innovative format – just one part of golf’s evolution and future -- is resonating with traditional golf fans and new audiences alike. Kevin Kisner, Tom Kim and Tiger Woods of Jupiter Links Golf Club react during their TGL match ... [+] against Boston Common on Jan. 27, a 4-3 overtime victory. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/TGL/TGL via Getty Images) TGL via Getty Images Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Erik Matuszewski Editorial Standards Forbes Accolades