Here’s how TGL’s Full Swing implementation monitoring system works
Jack Hirsh
Full Change
If there’s one thing Tiger Woods’ new TGL indoor golf league isn’t lacking, it’s innovation that will allow for a first-of-its-kind golf competition when the league kicks off Tuesday night in its first round.
To capture each player’s swing and shot data for display on the SoFi Center’s 64′ by 53′ big screen, TGL partnered with Full Swing to provide all launch monitors and power the 3,800 square foot putting green where it fits. it will be won or lost. Full Swing is the same type that Tiger Woods uses for both his personal launch monitors and his home simulator.
In a video on the Full Swing YouTube channel, Full Swing VP of Innovation Evan El-Saden takes viewers behind the scenes of SoFi Center’s virtual golf course:
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How many monitors does TGL need?
To capture perfect player shots during a TGL game, Full Swing will use 18 radar-based launch monitors based on the Full Swing Kit located around the SoFi Center. Banks of six Full Swing Kits will be placed behind both the back box and front box of the TGL Screenzone. Banks of three other presentation monitors are placed in the left and right bays of the Screenzone.
Both right-handed and left-handed golfers have their own dedicated launch monitors and additional rebound units to ensure no shots are missed during the competition.
“Since these 18 things are live, they talk to each other,” El-Saden said. “So we’re bringing a strong focus to the department.”
Each TGL box has three different playing surfaces, including real fairway grass, rough, and sand. The simulation software sends specific coordinates so the software knows exactly where the next shot will be hit.
El-Saden said they expect to learn new things from TGL’s design and be able to bring those learnings to consumer products.
How was the TGL game platform built?
Just like a typical simulator that you might find at your golf course or place in your home, the software brings the simulation to life to make it look like you’re on the golf course. Full Swing has created TGL emulator software as well.
“They used to reverse engineer the way they wanted it to be on paper, and then we did it three times to make it live and play the way they wanted,” said El-Saden. “So we’re taking initial launch conditions, things like spin rate, things like club speed, and then working with Toptracer on ball character matching.”
There is also a separate screen called the “digital caddy,” where players can see what will be presented on the screen for their next shot and plan it using a digital yard book. Players can view an overlay of the slopes similar to how it works in a golf video game.
Greenzone is powered by virtual green tech
Once players are within 50 yards of the hole, play to the Greenzone, which is possibly the most advanced short game area ever created.
Beneath TGL’s large 22,475-square-foot short game area are three clusters of Full Swing Virtual Greens, which contain 600 actuators that control the flexibility of the green. Each fairway is 27′ by 15′ and results in three different greens.
Between the actuators are three layers of plexiglass and a layer of Dual Flex Rubber before you reach the horizontal surface where the ball will fall and roll.
The entire short game area sits on a 41-yard turntable that will rotate based on the holes designed by TGL. The Overtop is a light that will point exactly where the player will play their next shot, a completely new technology to create the Full Swing.
“We created 30 environments, so 30 different combinations of how it evolves,” El-Saden said. Then each hole is embedded where the pin should be, so when the thing turns, green is green, the boss will know exactly which pin placement to use in that hole.
Because it’s a semi-virtual league, El-Saden said that allows course designers to do things that wouldn’t be possible on a regular golf course.
“The possibilities are endless when you really think about making yourself feel unique and unique,” he said. “So you want to go left, right, center, you name it, that’s the benefit of having a golf league with technology. It allows you to have more opportunities because when you design courses as they are today, it begs the question why do you have a golf league that is equipped with technology, if you are not celebrating what technology can do. “
Jack Hirsh
Golf.com Editor
Jack Hirsh is the Associate Equipment Editor at GOLF. A native of Pennsylvania, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was the captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as the head coach. Jack is also *still* trying to stay competitive with the local novices. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a reporter/multimedia reporter, but also producing, anchoring and presenting even the weather. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.
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