February 6, 2025

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TMRW Sports and IGF partner to see how tech and esports can grow golf – SportsPro Media

TMRW Sports
TMRW Sports, the tech-focused venture co-founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, has partnered with the International Golf Federation (IGF) to see how digital innovation can drive participation in the sport.
Golf has been an enthusiastic adopter of technology, with coaching applications, simulators, and high-tech equipment all finding their way into the hands of professionals and more affluent amateurs. Meanwhile, broadcasts have been enhanced via shot tracking capabilities and other innovations.
However, the sport understands it must attract a new audience to survive. The IGF, which organises the golf event at the Olympic Games, is clearly convinced that TMRW Sports’ TGL format, which combines simulation golf with a mechanically configurable short game complex at a state-of-the-art venue in Florida, offers a blueprint to follow.
In some parts of the world, most notably South Korea, simulation golf is hugely popular because it is more affordable and accessible than the real thing. These simulators, or even one of the several realistic video game titles based on the sport, could also provide the foundation of an event that could form part of plans for the IOC’s Olympic Esports Games in the future.
“We believe in TMRW Sports’ vision to blend virtual and live competition to inspire new fans and bring them closer to the sport of golf,” said Antony Scanlon, IGF executive director. “After experiencing how they are using technology with TGL, we recognise the increasing potential growth of golf through new tech-infused forms of the sport and how we can more effectively engage broader – and emerging – audiences to increase participation, especially among younger and non-traditional golfers. TMRW Sports’ approach to reach new fans and participants is another example of innovation within the sport that will help fuel continued growth and participation worldwide.”
“TMRW Sports is inspired by the power of the Olympic Movement and how it brings the world together through the joy of competition in sport,” added Mike McCarley, founder and chief executive, TMRW Sports. “As society continues to evolve, adapt, and embrace new forms of technology, sport-specific applications continue to provide a vital role in shaping the future of sports and its intersection with mainstream culture. Therefore, as we forge a new path embracing technology within golf, it’s encouraging to add the IGF and its global reach across its national federations and professional tours as a partner. Both the IGF and TMRW Sports share a vision that embraces the traditions of golf with a tech-focused future to reach new audiences from all walks of life and all corners of the globe.”
The two parties will work together to see which technologies should form part of plans to grow the game. The inaugural season of TGL, which was postponed by a year after storms damaged the event’s venue in Florida, starts in January 2025 with a series of events broadcast live on ESPN in the US. TMRW Sports recently completed a Series A funding round that valued the organisation at US$500 million. 
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