1 member of a most important group evaluations TGL

On the eve of TGL’s starting, our begin stuttered. 

Me, by way of textual content: “You continue to good to assist? Shall be enjoyable.” 

Him: “Yep what am i supposed to look at it on” 

Me: “ESPN” 

Him: “how do i get that”

Good query. 

After all, there have been others Monday, when the star-fronted, star-backed, Star Wars-like golf-in-an-arena league teed off. What would the play of Tiger and pals be like? Wouldn’t it be crisp? What would the simulator be like? Wouldn’t it be actual? What would the rotating inexperienced be like? Wouldn’t it be pure? What concerning the followers? And the vibe? And the published? On and on and on. And pundits far and huge, together with up and down your Twitter scroll, have opined, together with on this web site, and you may peruse our splendidly written dispatches right here and right here and right here and right here. They’re wonderful distillations of the motion. 

However must you need to decide whether or not this factor will really birdie or bogey, the supply you need to examine is a member of the viewers TGL is sincerely making an attempt to lasso. 

Somebody younger. 

Like a teen. Like a 20-something. Of us who eat golf content material simply as a lot as anybody else, however in an entire host of newfangled methods. This group may not watch 2 seconds of, say, the Butterfield Bermuda Championship on Golf Channel, however they may tune in for TGL for two hours on ESPN, if completed nicely. 

After all, that’s if they will discover the channel, which, as I realized, was really unsurprising. 

The back-and-forth on the prime of this text was with my 16-year-old nephew, Mason. He’s been on this house earlier than. I’m naturally a fan of his. And he’s a fan of golf. Whereas seeing him over the vacations, we performed in some method 9 (9) occasions — in frigid Wisconsin. He’s precisely whom TGL craves, so he agreed to look at the published and speak with me afterward, and that dialog is under. Notably, regardless of lots of hype, he knew solely the final idea about what he was going to view.  

Nor was he itching with anticipation.

Mason, by way of textual content, at 8:52 p.m. ET, 8 minutes earlier than the beginning: “i’m not residence proper now i’ll be residence in a minute.” 

Me: “It begins in 5 minutes!”

Mason: “8 and that i’ll be residence” 

Me: “Hurry!”

Two hours later, I referred to as him. The elements the place I communicate are in italics. 

The speedy takeaways — ‘Rickie was sort of bizarre’ 

“Hi there,” Mason murmurs. 

Thanks for watching. You prepared?

“Mmhmm.” 

All proper, the primary query is admittedly, actually primary. 

“OK.”

And be happy to speak so long as you need. 

“Mmhmm.”

However what did you suppose? 

“Um, I don’t know, I believe you overhyped it slightly bit. [More on this later.] I imply, nicely, I favored it. It was actually quick at the start, and I suppose slightly bit extra enjoyable at the start after which it sort of slowed down. However I don’t know, I suppose I used to be — like, I favored it quite a bit, however I don’t know. I believe I used to be anticipating slightly extra. And the mics had been — they talked concerning the mics being an enormous a part of it, after which they solely talked concerning the sizzling mics they usually solely confirmed them a few occasions. However I nonetheless favored it.”

What did you want finest? 

“I favored that inexperienced. And that they might give one another putts and it might be like in case you’re out scrambling with your mates or one thing, such as you simply give them a putt. I like that.”

What did you just like the least?

“Um, I don’t know. I suppose how gradual it went. However I don’t know the way to speak about that.”

Am I proper in saying that every one the brand new stuff at first made it appear quick after which later, simply since you received used to the way it seemed, it received down to only golf? Is that kinda proper?

“I imply, yeah. I believe folks received used to it and they’d hold making an attempt to place it in your face all of the stuff that they had been utilizing, and it simply sort of dulled out slightly bit.” 

What was the funniest half?

“Um, I don’t know. I suppose when Xander [Schauffele] needed to chip twice. He chipped from the inexperienced and he chunked it to the opposite aspect after which he like duffed it once more.”

What was the weirdest half?

“Um, I don’t know. It’s probably not an element, however I seen that Rickie was sort of bizarre. I’m not calling him bizarre, however the entire time he sort of appeared off. Everybody else was making jokes and stuff after which Rickie was sort of like in his personal world, I suppose. He talked slightly bit, however each time somebody would speak to him or one thing, he would simply give a one-word response. However I don’t actually know what else was bizarre.”

What was essentially the most skibidi (fellow olds, please look this up)?

“OK.”

Needed to do it. 

“That higher not go on the web site, I’m critical.”

The motion — ‘Of all of the folks they interviewed, I assumed it was bizarre’

On a scale of 1-10, how did you just like the golf half alone?

“I imply, I don’t know, I all the time like watching professionals play as a result of each shot goes straight when they need it to. So like an 8 or 9.”

On a scale of 1-10, how did you want the entire simulator a part of it?

“That half was sick. I need to play it. Like a ten.”

That truly goes into my subsequent query. I’m questioning whenever you had been watching it, had been you possibly extra eager about eager to play it someday, or had been you extra to see how the professionals would do?

“I don’t actually care how they do. I simply thought that this was sick. I imply, Xander’s one in all my favorites; I like him. I like Rickie. I imply, that was cool watching them, however, I don’t know, I believe the entire enviornment, that was fairly cool.” 

On a scale of 1-10, how did you just like the presentation, that means the published and the graphics and stuff like that?

“I don’t know. There was just one digital camera form of firstly the place the gamers seemed dangerous, however apart from that, I believe it was actually good. The intermissions had been actually gradual and it sort of introduced away from it. However I favored how they introduced up Tiger and Rory [McIlroy] they usually interviewed them. DJ Khaled, which was sudden. I assumed it went fairly nicely.”

What did you consider DJ Khaled?

“That was sort of bizarre. I don’t actually know. Of all of the folks they interviewed, I assumed it was bizarre.”

On a scale of 1-10, what did you consider the banter, the backwards and forwards between the gamers? 

“Um, there wasn’t as a lot as I anticipated. I assumed there’d be extra. However it was fairly cool. Just like the timeout that they took to ice Xander. I assumed there can be slightly extra, however it was enjoyable.”

Viewing habits — ‘I don’t watch simply uncooked on cable’

What do you know about this going into at present?

“I knew that there have been a bunch of professionals divided up into groups that had been going to play on a simulator and an enormous, rotating inexperienced.”

That was about it, proper?

“Yeah.”

Had been any of your mates speaking about this?

“I imply, no. There was slightly on TikTok and stuff about how there was like a bunker and you’ll hit into an enormous display that’s like 100 occasions the dimensions as a daily one. However I didn’t actually know the rest.”

I hate to know this reply, however did you learn any of the GOLF Journal tales about this?

“No.” 

Hmm, that’s OK. How does this evaluate to the golf that you just usually watch, just like the Grant Horvat stuff, the Good Good guys, the Fore Play guys? (He notably has a Fore Play headcover.)

“Clearly it’s slightly extra skilled and stuff. Clearly they’re higher. While you’re watching a YouTube video, they’re all pals and there isn’t as a lot on the road. To me, the mics and the new mics and among the stuff appeared slightly bit not compelled, however I don’t know if it was all pure. The YouTube stuff, I’m not saying it’s 100% uncooked, however it’s slightly extra relaxed, I suppose, they usually’re simply on the market filming and taking pictures. And that is broadcast on tv and there’s an enviornment and stuff like that.”

Is that the most important enchantment to you for just like the Good Good guys and the Fore Play guys and Grant Horvat?

“I believe Good Good and Grant, they’re all youthful, and I don’t find out about the remainder of the folks that watch them which can be my age, however once I’m older, clearly I’m not going to be a golf content material creator, however I wish to be the identical ability degree as them. I believe the enchantment is that they’re younger and doing what they need they usually’re good at what they do.”

Do you suppose after watching TGL tonight, you’d need to watch extra professional golf on NBC or CBS or Golf Channel?

“Um, I don’t know. I’m not a fan of the commercials and stuff, however yeah, most likely.”

Do you watch any professional golf?

“Yeah, slightly bit, however not on like cable.”

Yeah, that’s a great level. The place do you watch it then?

“Like clips or reruns. On YouTube, you could find all of Scottie Scheffler’s pictures when he received the Masters, or you could find all of Hideki’s pictures. [Hideki Matsuyama.] I like watching that. That’s normally what I watch. I don’t watch simply uncooked on cable.”

What wouldn’t it take so that you can watch conventional tv golf, or is that simply not potential? You identical to watching a number of highlights like that?

“I imply, no, there’s nothing — it’s simply sitting in the lounge versus sitting in my room. There’s nothing stopping me from watching it; it simply doesn’t come into my thoughts like, let me go into dwell tv and placed on the Golf Channel.”

If I hadn’t requested you to look at this tonight, would you will have watched it?

“I imply, I knew that it was happening. I didn’t know when. If I didn’t watch it tonight, I most likely would’ve watched one thing about it one other night time.”

Be fully sincere, are you going to look at it once more?

“Um, yeah.”

You critical?

“Yeah, I believe I’ll.”

Would you watch it two months from now?

“Possibly. Relies upon who’s enjoying in it.”

Questions for me

What questions do you will have for me?

“Did you prefer it?”

I did. I assumed it was completely different and fast-paced firstly. For me, there was lots of making an attempt to determine what this all was in a short time after which the golf itself was very quick, so I assumed that was very enjoyable to look at. However then as soon as it received into it, it was golf golf once more. I believe it’s an addition to the panorama, however I don’t know if it wholly differentiates itself. However it was golf in January. You talked about you want to look at professional golf since you like to look at nice pictures. Like, I don’t know if that performs out in simulators as a lot. In addition they say, in case you have a look at different leagues which have simply began, you received’t actually know for like 15, 20 years if that is going to work. It’s a course of. That stated, consideration spans are so low, does it final greater than two years? To carve out an area when there are soooo many choices would be the trick. And when children your age are going elsewhere to get their content material, I don’t know. What else you bought?

“What did you suppose was the funniest half?”

What did I believe was the funniest half? Hmm. I laughed when Shane Lowry stated he desires to be the Scottie Scheffler of indoor golf.

“Oh, yeah.”

That was good. What else?

“Are you able to lose to me the subsequent time you play me?”

Oh, I see. [Editor’s note: He’s NEVER won, though the author is afraid the day is fast approaching.] I don’t know if I can put that into a printed story. Exhausting to say. I received a query for you: Have you ever listened to any of Nelly Korda’s suggestions? [Editor’s note: Last November, at the CME Group Tour Championship, I asked Korda for a tip for Mason to help him break 80 consistently.]

“Um, yeah, I take advantage of an alignment stick each time now.”

All proper, final query. In any case that we talked about right here, on a scale of 1-10, what’s your quantity for what you noticed tonight?

“Possibly a six and a half.”

That’s respectable. Inform me why. 

“I believe you overhyped it slightly bit. [Editor’s note: Thinking about this a day later, I realized I’ve never asked him to watch golf like this before, so I understand what he’s saying here.]”

I don’t know. The primary level of that is, you’re the viewers they’re making an attempt to get. I imply, they form of care about me, however I’m going to look at golf regardless, as a result of it’s my job. I’m actually curious to know what you thought. 

“I imply, I favored it, however I believe it received repetitive. OK, these guys are professionals, and it’s like, it’s a par-5, they’re going to hit the green, lay up, go to the inexperienced and two-putt, or they’re going to stand up and down, they usually’re going to be like, wow, good shot. After which I don’t know. It was that each gap. I’m not asking for them to shank the ball or kill somebody within the crowd or cranium it over the inexperienced. Then it’s like, OK, let’s go to the large, rotating inexperienced, and, oh, by the way in which, there’s 600 bolts or no matter underneath this inexperienced — they stated that quite a bit, and I used to be like, OK. 

Wouldn’t it be extra enjoyable for you if every one of many groups had one of many Fore Play guys on it or one thing like that?

“Oh, yeah, I believe if that they had — particularly in alternate shot — that they had one man who was dangerous. Not even from Fore Play. In the event that they introduced in some random man from the gang that’s like an 8-handicap, I believe that may be good.”

All proper, this was enjoyable. Thanks for doing it. A little bit nervous you weren’t going to look at. 

“Yeah, I discovered it.”

When’s the final time you used a channel information and watched cable?

“Um, once I was — like 4 years in the past.”