Gil Hanse Joins TGL’s Virtual Golf Course Design Team For Season 2

Gil Hanse has joined the roster of golf architects for Season 2 of the TGL indoor simulator season.

TGL presented by SoFi

Gil Hanse, one of the most admired figures in the modern era of golf course architecture, built his reputation by looking to the past — studying the principles and styles of the Golden Age designers and applying them with a contemporary touch. Hanse has created modern marvels such as Ladera, CapRock Ranch and the Ohoopee Match Club and has undertaken restorations or renovations at 20 of the courses in Golf Digest’s list of the Top 100 courses in the U.S., including recent transformations like the revival of A.W. Tillinghast’s Lower Course at Baltusrol Golf Club.

Now Hanse is bringing his creative touch to an entirely different canvas.

Hanse Golf Course Design has joined the TGL indoor simulator league’s team of architects — Beau Welling Design, Pizá Golf and Nicklaus Design – in creating the full catalog of virtual holes for Season 2. It’s an intriguing, and perhaps somewhat unexpected, crossover in the world of golf, with one of the game’s most celebrated architects stepping into a digital world that’s free of earthmoving constraints and construction budgets.

“Starting with a relatively blank slate for TGL has been liberating,” Hanse said. “Designing holes for TGL has given us an opportunity to step out of our comfort zone and step into other aspects of golf course design in the virtual world.”

For Hanse, the project is an expansion of his architectural curiosity, one that’s seen him retouch classics such as Plainfield, Quaker Ridge, Myopia Hunt Club, Sleepy Hollow, Winged Foot, the Olympic Club, Southern Hills, Oakland Hills, Yale, and more.

Honoring Golden Age Architecture

On several of the TGL holes he’s designed, Hanse says the intent was to “honor the concepts, thoughts and styles” of designers such as Tillinghast, Alister MacKenzie and Donald Ross.

“It will be gratifying to see virtual representations of those concepts and theories broadcast, not only on television, but on this huge screen as our designs challenge the best players in the world,” said Hanse.

All of TGL’s hole designs are purpose-built for the league’s fast-paced, team match play format and are designed specifically to force risk-reward decisions, heighten scoring volatility, challenge players and amplify in-venue and broadcast energy for fans. They’re principles that align naturally with Hanse’s philosophy.

The first revealed hole designed by Hanse – Stone & Steeple – is a 590-yard par 5 set in a New England landscape that requires players to navigate Sahara-style bunkering reminiscent of his Baltusrol restoration. The approach shots must carry large fairway bunkers to a green that’s guarded on the left by a rock wall. On the other side of the wall – marked as a penalty area – is a church steeple and looming graveyard that reminds players that any shots tugged too far to the left is “dead.”

More new holes will be unveiled before and during Season 2, which starts Dec. 28 with a finals rematch between Atlanta Drive GC and New York Golf Club.

TGL’s holes will continue to mix links, canyon, desert and coastal environments, while also introducing new and less common backdrops and locations – one hole from last season had an active volcanic setting, for example – far removed from the constraints of green grass golf course construction. Some of the returning holes have been updated using analytics and player feedback. In addition, six returning holes will serve as official “team holes” for each of the six TGL teams, all having been refreshed with localized backdrops and terrain.

For Hanse, it’s a unique opportunity to shape land without constraints, moving from a medium of sand and soil to digital renderings and imagination.