Hammer Time: TGL modifies hammer rules, announces ratings news

Coming out of a midseason break, TGL, the tech-infused indoor golf league, announced some ratings news and updates. Most notably, the hammer — the flag which teams can use to double up points in their matches — will get an upgrade.

In TGL, two teams of three players compete hole-by-hole in match play, with each hole worth one point. The hammer — actually, a small challenge flag — allows a team to double the point value of a hole, allowing teams to get back into the match ... provided they actually hold the hammer. There's no real incentive for a team that's leading to throw the hammer, which has resulted in blowout matches where the leading team never threw the hammer at all.

No more! Starting with TGL's three Presidents Day matches, teams will each have three hammers, which can be used at any point in the match. Hammers can be thrown once per team, per hole, and if thrown before the hole starts, must be accepted by the receiving team. The idea here is to give trailing teams a chance to get back in the match before it gets out of control.

TGL officials also announced favorable ratings news, with three of the five matches to date reaching a peak of 1.1 million users. TGL also boasts one of the youngest average audiences in sports, trailing only the NBA in median age. According to ratings data, 42 percent of TGL's audience is in the most coveted 18-49 age demographic. In other words, TGL is trying to appeal to a younger demographic than golf traditionally reaches, and so far is succeeding.

TGL returns Monday, Feb. 17, with three matches and a fourth on Tuesday. The regular season will run through March 4, with the playoffs running to March 25.