The indoor golf league TGL is closing out its second season on a high note — not just on the course, but in the boardroom. One of the indoor golf league's franchises has sold a minority stake for $100 million, and other teams have sold stakes eclipsing $90 million, according to a report from Sportico. AOL
The financial momentum coincides with a triumphant week for one of the league's marquee ownership groups. The season wrapped with Los Angeles Golf Club winning the SoFi Cup title in a 2-0 sweep against Tiger Woods' Jupiter Links. Collin Morikawa, Sahith Theegala, and Englishmen Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose play for LAGC. AOL
Ohanian Doubles Down on Golf
Reddit co-founder and tech entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian, who co-owns LAGC alongside tennis icons Serena and Venus Williams, wasted no time capitalizing on the championship euphoria. Ohanian was in the middle of celebrating his golf team's TGL championship Tuesday night when he broke a piece of news: earlier that day, he said, he'd purchased the second franchise in TGL's upcoming women's league. Sportico
Arthur Blank, owner of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and TGL's Atlanta Drive, was the first to purchase a WTGL franchise, and Ohanian is the second. Both paid about $20 million, Sportico reported. WJOX-AM
Ohanian has been one of the league's most vocal advocates, framing TGL as the perfect vehicle for golf's digital future. "All it takes is a couple of generational talents on a big enough stage to change the entire perception of the sport," he said. "Golf is one of those sports that is so on the precipice. You can see it online. You can see the creator economy telling the story of this sport. This format of TGL is so perfect for the online generation. Again, I say this as a Reddit guy. Take my word for it. It is perfectly built for the social media age." Sportico
From $35M to $100M: A Rapid Rise
The financial trajectory of TGL franchises has been striking. TMRW sold its first six TGL franchises for a rough average of about $35 million. Sportico In under two years, valuations have nearly tripled. In October, Ilitch Sports + Entertainment bought into Ohanian's Los Angeles Golf Club at a number reported as "close to $90 million," while Blank's Atlanta Drive GC sold an LP stake that valued the club at about $100 million. Sportico
Industry watchers point to TGL's lean operating model as a key driver. Those close to the TGL say franchise economics have benefited from the league's single-venue model. It took MLS teams roughly two decades to hit the $100 million mark, and NWSL teams about a decade, and very few of those teams are profitable even today. Sportico By contrast, some of the circuit's seven teams finished this season with cash flow north of $1 million, due in large part to sponsorship deals and comparatively small overhead. Sportico
What's Next: WTGL and League Expansion
TGL launched in January 2025, the brainchild of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and media executive Mike McCarley. The league will grow from six participating teams to seven in 2027 with the introduction of Motor City Golf Club, representing Detroit. Big News Network
The WTGL is planning to launch later this year. While the existing men's franchise owners don't have contractual right of first refusal on those teams, it's telling that the first two have sold to existing TGL owners. Sportico Adding a women's team gives those groups expanded brand reach and more content inventory to offer sponsors.
Moving forward, in addition to WTGL, the group is looking to expand its men's league. That will likely start with an eighth franchise, but the league could grow further shortly after. There has been consistent interest from groups in Toronto, sources said, with other domestic and international groups also in the mix. Sportico
With championship-caliber play on the course and nine-figure valuations off it, TGL appears to be graduating from promising experiment to legitimate sports business — and the women's league hasn't even tipped off yet.
Sources: Sportico, Reuters, Field Level Media