Get ready to heckle: Atlanta Drive prepares to defend TGL golf title
If Billy Horschel has his way, one day there may be a golf hole that goes straight down Peachtree Street past the Marriott Marquis or Fox Theatre — at least a video version of it.
Horschel, who struck the winning putt that enabled the Atlanta Drive to win the TGL golf league’s first SoFi Cup, has been one of the more enthusiastic boosters for the league whose competition takes place on a giant golf simulator inside a high-tech studio in South Florida.
Horschel will be back when the Drive opens their season with a rematch of last year’s championship match against the New York Golf Club at 3 p.m. Dec. 28. The match will be televised on ESPN.
The TGL has made a few changes. The green has been enlarged to offer more hole locations and different slopes. The rough and the sand surfaces have been improved for additional realism. Some holes have been updated to create more risk-reward opportunities. And all six clubs have been given a chance to customize a hole.
“This is a really cool setting, and I think there’s a lot of potential to it,” Horschel said. “I think we can make some holes that are a little bit different and unique. I understand the first year we didn’t want to go too crazy and make this too gimmicky. In some sense that’s what some people were afraid of, but after they saw the success that we have, we’re starting to see some things leak out a bit.”
Atlanta’s signature hole is called the Fore-O-Fore. The 622-yard par-5 plays toward the city skyline, where Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the Skyview Ferris wheel are prominently displayed. The split fairway is divided by a ravine and requires an approach shot to carry the Chattahoochee River.
That’s a uniquely Atlanta hole, even without a MARTA bus. Horschel would like to take it a step farther.
“I had an idea of creating a hole going through downtown Atlanta that we got to hit around buildings, over buildings, through buildings, and opening something along that way” Horschel said. “That’s something we can possibly play into, but we don’t want to get too much down that road. It’s still somewhat of a golf sense and we still want to create some golf holes that people would see in real life.”
The Atlanta Drive will have the same personnel makeup this year: Horschel, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay and Lucas Glover. Thomas will be unavailable for the start of the season since he had microdiscectomy surgery in November to fix a disc issue that had been causing him hip pain.
Atlanta Drive GC is owned by Arthur M. Blank and falls under AMB Sports and Entertainment.
After the season opener against Rickie Fowler’s New York team, the Drive will face The Bay Country Club on Jan. 6, Tiger Woods’ Jupiter Links on Feb. 2, and a doubleheader Feb. 23 against Rory McIlroy’s Boston Common and the Los Angeles Golf Club. All the matches will be televised on ESPN.
The league also has taken steps to enhance the experience for visitors who attend the matches at SoFi Center. The audience will receive wireless earbuds that will feature four different audio feeds. Capacity has been expanded to accommodate additional fans to enhance an already raucous atmosphere.
“Our match against Jupiter, (Buffalo Bills quarterback) Josh Allen had his bachelor party here with (Seattle Seahawks quarterback) Sam Darnold and some their buddies and they were heckling myself and Patrick and J.T., and that was fun,” Horschel said. “And seeing the fans in the playoffs and how energized they were. I swear New York brought in some fans and paid some fans to give us a hard time and heckle us pretty hard, like New York fans are known for. That was pretty cool.”
The league already has announced the addition of a franchise in Detroit for 2027, with the potential to add more franchises. There also has been discussion of adding an LPGA component. Horschel said he was always answering questions from colleagues during regular PGA Tour events.
“The buzz among the players was strong from the very beginning,” Horschel said. “We got asked a lot about what it was like playing inside here, what it was like hitting into the screens, the bunkers, the putting. We got asked every question that you could imagine. There are a lot of guys that want to be a part of it, and they reached out to TGL to offer their services, and if there was a spot for them.”
About the Author
Stan Awtrey has been covering sports for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1977. He currently writes about high school sports, Georgia State University athletics and golf.
