Behind the Creative: How TMRW Sports Took TGL From Concept to One-of-Kind Golf Property It's taking a traditional sport and remixing it' By Mark J Burns, SVG Contributor Tuesday, June 10, 2025 - 12:17 pm
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TGL presented by SoFi (TGL) - the upstart golf property co-founded by the legendary Tiger Woods, five-time major champion Rory McIlroy, and seasoned sports executive Mike McCarley - had a successful inaugural campaign, averaging 854,000 viewers in primetime on ESPN for the regular season. Launching the unique sports and entertainment entity, part of TMRW Sports, required a creative mix of graphics, hardware/software, and a touch of AI.
TMRW looked to create a brand-new kind of experience for fans in the venue at TGL events.
It's a combo of technology on a grand scale, culture, and entertainment reimagined for the enjoyment of all, says Chad Read, VP, brand and creative, TMRW Sports. It's taking a traditional sport and remixing it.
From the start, TGL's key creative philosophical pillars have helped it distinguish itself from traditional green-grass golf with a primetime aesthetic, premium finishes, energy, excitement, flexibility, and adaptability.
Tiger Woods of Jupiter Links Golf Club is introduced prior to the team's TGL presented by SoFi match against Los Angeles Golf Club at SoFi Center. (Photo: Megan Briggs/TGL/TGL via Getty Images)
The Latest in Broadcast Graphics Designed for Flexibility TGL worked with Nathaniel Howe Studios to develop the brand's broadcast-graphics package. The software used to develop the package included Cinema4D, Octane, and the Adobe Creative Suite, the main goal being to create a package that not only uses latest trends and techniques but also is a toolkit that can flex with the development of this new sport.
Creating TGL was a deeply fulfilling endeavor for our team, especially since it involved valued friends who are also clients, says Nate Howe, executive creative director/founder, Nathaniel Howe Studios (NHS), a Beverly Hills, CA-based branding, design, animation, and production company. Our working relationship with Chad, Andy, and the core team at TMRW Sports has spanned a decade, going back to some of Golf Channel's most-recognizable shows and brands, so we eagerly took on the opportunity to contribute to this project.
To start the process, a comprehensive design exploration produced an in-depth presentation outlining in-show visuals, live scoring, broadcast design, and overall art direction. This approach, Howe notes, ultimately guides us to the heart of every creative challenge.
NHS built an adaptable TGL toolkit featuring dynamic 3D scenes to empower the internal TGL creative team to easily create outstanding promotional and live in-show graphics of the highest visual quality in real time, he adds. The toolkits allowed TGL's internal creative team to make the brand shine not only at launch but throughout the season and in the years to come. [The strategy] highlights the power of design.
Physical testing was a large component of the development process, according to Read. TMRW Sports rented a large soundstage on the backlot of Orlando's Universal Studios, with a second soundstage in West Palm Beach where the team could temporarily set up and begin testing broadcast technology on a smaller scale while also refining the gameplay.
Physical testing was a large component of the development process.
Read's team worked closely with TMRW Sports VP, Content/Executive Producer Jeff Neubarth and director Johnathan Evans to shape the package for on-air and in-venue presentation and provide reviews amid gameplay test matches. Read describes the testing as crucial and says it gave us a leg up as we were able to address many items before setting foot in our actual building.
A main focus of design was TGL's scorebug, which remains on screen for most of gameplay. The graphic initially contained a lot of information to educate the audience and, as a result, became complex and hard to digest. We knew we didn't want to make the graphic larger or change the position on the screen, says Read, so we made design improvements with NHS and redistributed the information to simplify it. It went through a few evolutionary steps, but we got it to a good place for the viewer at home.
A main focus of design was TGL's scorebug, which remains on screen for most of gameplay.
In traditional stick-and-ball sports, in-venue and broadcast are separate, but TGL combines the productions into one cohesive show. We would often compare a TGL match to a live entertainment show or a WWE production made for television, not just a live event, Read says, adding, We knew we wanted the large digital displays inside SoFi Center to be integrated into the broadcast so as to create big, bold, important moments to accent the broadcast, in addition to enhancing the in-venue fan experience.
Kevin Kisner of Jupiter Links Golf Club plays his shot from the eighth tee during their TGL presented by SoFi match against the Los Angeles Golf Club at SoFi Center. (Photo: Cliff Hawkins/TGL/TGL via Getty Images)
Key Role for Ross Video in Broadcast and In-Venue Graphics, Stats, and Data Ross Video served as TGL's hardware and software partner for integrated broadcast and in-venue graphics. For broadcast, TGL's designs were developed for Ross XPression software, which handles all informational and insert graphics in addition to statistical and data visualization. One of the most important graphical elements was the scorebug.
For in-venue shows, Ross played a central role in populating the 6,201 sq. ft. of LED signage with TGL's designs, gameplay statistics, crowd prompts, and other relevant content. All in all, the effort required multiple weeks of testi
