The CAA Icon agency has been appointed to oversee the development, design and construction of the home venue for TGL, a new tech-focused golf league.
The purpose-built venue is being constructed in Palm Beach, Florida by TMRW Sports, the company founded by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and sports executive Mike McCarley.
TMRW Sports last month reached an agreement for Palm Beach State College to house its first facility. The company’s TGL project will launch in partnership with the PGA Tour and is slated to begin primetime play in 2024.
CAA Icon began talks with TMRW Sports nearly two years ago, with the two companies having been engaged in the development and planning of the new venue since the autumn of 2021.
As the owner’s representative, CAA Icon has been leading the management and hiring of subcontractors for the venue. CAA Icon has overseen planning, design and construction for several major venues around the world, including Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and The O2 in London.
TMRW Sports is constructing its new venue on a 10-acre parcel of currently unused land on the Palm Beach State College’s Palm Beach Gardens campus. The public-private partnership includes support for educational and recreational activities that will benefit students and enhance the college’s business, marketing, sports management and technology curricula.
Marc Farha, co-chief executive of CAA Icon, said: “From the moment we learned about TMRW Sports Group’s vision for TGL, we knew we wanted to be part of this project and the delivery team that is creating an innovative, new way to experience sports.
“While this type of venue is a simple concept – as most of its components have been executed before – it’s an exciting opportunity to develop something new that weaves it all together at a scale and in a manner that aligns with our passion for quality and innovation.”
Tom Veit, senior vice-president of venue and events at TMRW Sports, added: “CAA Icon is the gold standard in overseeing the development of state-of-the-art venues.
“They have been a terrific partner for us both throughout the past couple of years of designing the venue and as we begin this next chapter of construction in Palm Beach. It is invaluable to be able to lean on CAA Icon’s depth of experience and expertise in building many of the world’s great, modern sporting venues.”
In November, TMRW Sports unveiled an initial investor group featuring a roster of icons across sports and entertainment matched with business titans in technology, sports, media and finance.
TGL has been billed as a first-of-its-kind experience for golf and will showcase team matches combining advanced technology and live action from Palm Beach’s custom-built venue in primetime on Monday nights, complementing the schedule of the PGA Tour, whose events typically run from Thursday to Sunday.
Woods and McIlroy were the first two golfers to commit to competing in TGL, with the inaugural season to begin in January 2024. The league will feature six teams of three PGA Tour players, with the “tech-infused” venue to be enabled by a data-rich, virtual course.
TGL is also set to incorporate a “high-energy” greenside fan experience with every shot live within a two-hour primetime televised match. A total of 15 regular-season Monday-night matches are planned, followed by semi-finals and finals matches.
