Six teams are set to compete in TGL’s inaugural season.Composite including Ryan Murray, LAGC image
Golf league TGL has crossed another milestone as it heads toward a planned launch in January including a run of new licensing partners.
All told, TGL has signed 16 new licensees that include names such as apparel brands Peter Millar, johnnie-O and 47 Brand, as well as smaller companies such as AGD Drinkware, Seamus and WinCraft. TGL last year signed a multiyear agreement with Fanatics to serve as the league’s official e-commerce platform.
Among the new crop of licensees, TMRW Sports co-founder Mike McCarley said most had agreed to join the TGL prior to the league’s shutdown in November after storm damage that led to a yearlong delay in launch. “There was just a natural pause for the business overall, but we were able to pick up the conversations pretty quickly,” McCarley said.
Another licensee, Greyson, has been working with TGL for months, with players outfitted in the company’s hoodies at the official launch of Boston Common Golf last fall at Fenway Park.
Even with this wave of licensees, McCarley expects dozens more in the coming months.
“We’re starting out brand new and we’ve had so much interest in the brand, from high-end favorite golf companies to sports T-shirt accessories companies,” said Maureen Murrah, TMRW Sports vice president of licensing. “We wanted to talk to a broad audience and represent people across the board.”
The licensees come after the league rounded out its team branding announcements last week, with Bay Golf Club the sixth and final franchise. In addition to that San Francisco-based team, TGL for its first season will have franchises in New York (New York Golf Club), Boston (Boston Common Golf), Atlanta (Atlanta Drive GC), Florida (Jupiter Links Golf Club) and Los Angeles (L.A. Golf Club).
“We all use the term ‘milestone’ internally, but seeing all six of the brands, it’s a nice visual for all of us who have been working on this for years,” McCarley said. “It’s a significant moment for us and gives us a chance to transition to the next phase.”
The teams’ e-commerce platforms are expected to soft launch this summer, with a broader rollout expected in the fourth quarter as the league hits 100 days from its official launch in early January.
To this point, only a handful of partnerships have been signed at the team and league level, but those are expected to ramp up as the summer begins. Also, despite announcing a broadcast rights deal with ESPN, no talent moves have been announced. Those likely will come later this summer and into the fall, McCarley said.
