If there’s one thing Tiger Woods’ new TGL indoor golf league isn’t lacking, it’s groundbreaking innovations that will enable the hosting of a unique virtual golf competition when the league kicks off its inaugural game on Tuesday evening.

To capture the data of each player’s swings and shots for display on SoFi Center’s massive 64″ x 53″ screen, TGL partnered with Full Swing to provide all launch monitors and the 3,800 square foot putting green, powering the games on which the games take place is won or lost. Full Swing is the same brand that Tiger Woods uses for both his personal launch monitors and his home simulator.

In a video on Full Swing’s YouTube channel, Evan El-Saden, Full Swing’s vice president of innovation, takes viewers behind the scenes of the SoFi Center’s virtual golf stadium:

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How many launch monitors does TGL need?

To capture the player’s total shots during a TGL game, Full Swing will employ 18 Full Swing Kit radar-based launch monitors positioned around the SoFi Center. Groups of six full swing kits are positioned behind both the back box and the front box of the TGL Screenzone. Groups with three additional starting monitors are placed in pits to the left and right of the screen zone.

Both right-handed and left-handed users have their own launch monitors. Additionally, there are additional redundancy units to ensure no missed shots are missed during competition.

“Because 18 of these things are live, they’re basically communicating with each other,” El-Saden said. “That’s why we’re bringing more robust workmanship into the device.”

Each of the tee boxes for TGL has three different playing areas including real fairway grass, rough and sand. The simulation software sends specific coordinates so the software knows exactly where the next shot will land.

El-Saden said they expect to learn new things from the TGL build and potentially apply those learnings to the consumer products as well.

How was the gaming platform for TGL built?

Just like a regular simulator you might find on your golf course or set up at home, the software brings the simulation to life so it looks like you’re on a golf course. Full Swing also created the software for the TGL simulator.

“They designed the strategy the way they wanted it to on paper, and then we make it three-dimensional so it comes to life and plays strategically the way they wanted it to,” El-Saden said. “So we capture the initial launch conditions, things like spin rate, things like club speed, and then we also work with Toptracer to characterize the ball flight.”

There is also a separate screen called “Digital Caddy” where players can see what is on the screen for their next shot and plan it using a digital route book. Players can view slope overlays, similar to a regular golf video game.

Greenzone with virtual green technology

Once players are within 50 yards of the hole, they enter the green zone, perhaps the most advanced indoor short game zone ever created.

Beneath TGL’s massive 22,475 square foot short game area are three Full Swing Virtual Green assemblies containing 600 actuators that control the green’s waves. Each assembly is 27 x 15 feet and results in the green having three different edges.

Between the actuators there are three layers of plexiglass and a layer of dual-flex rubber before reaching the turf where the ball lands and continues to roll.

The entire short game area is on a 41-yard turntable that rotates based on the holes designated for TGL. Overtop is a spotlight that shows exactly where the player will take their next shot from – a technology that was completely new to Full Swing.

“We created 30 landscapes, so 30 different combinations of waves,” El-Saden said. “And then each hole has the mark embedded where the pin should be. So when that thing turns and the green is undulating, an official knows exactly what marking position to use for that hole.”

Because it was a semi-virtual league, El-Saden said course designers were able to do things that wouldn’t have been possible on a regular golf course.

“Endless possibilities if you really think about making it feel unique and different,” he said. “So do you want to take a path left, right, center, etc.? That’s the advantage of a technology-infused golf league. It opens up more opportunities for you because if you’re just designing golf courses the way they are today, it begs the question of why you’re creating a technology-infused golf league if you’re not celebrating what technology can do.”