The TGL is in its debut season and, like any start-up, there are bound to be changes made along the way to help improve its product.
One of those has already come in the form of The Hammer, which can be thrown down by teams to double the points for that hole from one point to two.
Initially, one team began with The Hammer, which could be thrown down at any time, then it would switch over to the other side. However, after feedback from players and stakeholders, the rules were changed, with results since becoming far closer.
Regarding the rule change, each team begins the contest with three 'Hammers' and they can be used once per hole at any stage during the nine triples and six singles matches.
The two competing outfits can both throw The Hammer down on the same hole, but the maximum number of points each hole can be worth is three. Aside from that, the rules remain similar in that if The Hammer is thrown down before the hole's first tee shot, it has to be accepted while any team that declines the tactic automatically loses the hole and the point or points being played for.
As you can tell from the results below, it has certainly made the matches much tighter. In the five pre-Hammer games, just one match was separated by a single point, while four of the five had a four points or more margin.
In terms of the post-Hammer stats, four matches have just a one point difference, while the biggest difference in score came in New York GC's 10 - 3 win over Jupiter Links GC.
The change in the ruling now means The Hammer can be used more strategically and is arguably helping to make the matches tighter. What's more, trailing teams are more likely to make a comeback, as seen in the Los Angeles GC match against New York GC, where LAGC racked up four points in the last four singles matches to force overtime and, eventually, win 5 - 4.
Along with viewers, players have heaped praise on the rule change, with Patrick Cantlay stating: "The new hammer strategy has been great. It’s kept the matches really close all the way to the end, so it’s been exciting, and it’s been fun to try and figure out how to throw them at the right times. I think we’ve done a good job with that."
One player who remains neutral is Rickie Fowler, who was part of the New York GC that let the lead slip against Los Angeles GC. Speaking after the match, the six-time PGA Tour winner explained: "In a way, strategy-wise or anything, some of it with the new system we’re learning and adapting as we go, but yeah, some of it you kind of have to go with feel, and definitely having some in your pocket there at the end of the match can make a big difference, obviously what you saw tonight.
"Tony (Finau) getting that birdie there from a long ways out, that put them in a position to do what they did. Obviously a lot more interesting than where we were when it was just one team having it. We were on the wrong side of it tonight, but it’s definitely made it better having multiple hammers as a team."
TGL RESULTS PRE-HAMMER CHANGE
- New York GC 2 - 9 The Bay GC
- Los Angeles GC 12 - 1 Jupiter Links GC
- New York GC 0 - 4 Atlanta Drive GC
- Jupiter Links GC (OT) 4 - 3 Boston Common GC
- Boston Common 2 - 6 Los Angeles GC
TGL RESULTS POST-HAMMER CHANGE
- Atlanta Drive GC (OT) 6 - 5 Los Angeles GC
- Atlanta Drive GC 5 - 6 The Bay GC
- The Bay GC 5 - 4 Boston Common GC
- Jupiter Links GC 3 - 10 New York GC
- Los Angeles GC 5 - 4 New York GC
- Boston Common GC 3 - 6 Atlanta Drive GC
