Dear Industry Colleague,

TGL has burst onto the golf world, albeit a year behind schedule. 

Potentially this new format of golf could take the sport to a whole new audience. Essentially, teams of superstar golfers group together on a Tuesday evening and play a limited number of holes in a purpose-built arena using technology to provide the challenge of the golf course, with each hole finished off with balls placed on and around a remarkable artificial green, complete with bunkers. The green moves its undulations so that the playing surface can be adjusted for each different hole played.

For those of us in the golf range business, this may encourage rafts of additional golfers to have a go at the sport. They can easily copy most of this experience at a technical golf range close to where they live. Best of all, the golfers don’t take the experience too seriously so superstar golfers can be seen joking and laughing and ribbing each other as they go about their business. Obviously, there is big money involved, but this more relaxed approach to competition could prove highly addictive to the audience watching on television and those lucky enough to be in the arena in person.

No doubt the golfing purists will squeal foul, let them - they are a dreary lot. This is a real opportunity for golf to reach out further into the community. It looks like fun, maybe that’s something I want to try!

I hope it succeeds. 

In our lead article this month, we take a good look at the remarkable Kauri Cliffs golf course in New Zealand. It is totally magnificent and well worth a visit.

Best wishes, 

Colin Jenkins.