Chandni Canan BauerMost golfers have enough trouble finding the putting surface without a Swedish warship getting involved. But that is precisely the predicament awaiting players when WTGL begins its inaugural season on Sunday, 8 November.
World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sörenstam has designed two holes for the new women’s team golf league, created by TMRW Sports in partnership with the LPGA. The first, appropriately named SOS, will make its competitive debut at SoFi Center during the opening match between Los Angeles Golf Club and New York Golf Club.
And anyone expecting a conventional par three may want to reconsider.
A Swedish Shipwreck With a Golfing Twist
Sörenstam’s SOS design takes its inspiration from a Swedish warship that sank in Stockholm harbour during its maiden voyage in 1628.
Rather than simply borrowing the maritime theme, Sörenstam has placed the vessel in a Nordic landscape of icebergs and icy water, with players required to negotiate the ship itself on their way to the green.
The par three features 12 tee boxes, with distances ranging from 119 to 233 yards. Each shot begins from an iceberg, with the challenge of carrying the ship and shaping the ball around its towering sail towards an island green.
The name carries three meanings. There is the familiar international distress signal, a nod to Swedish pop group ABBA’s hit SOS, and the golfing interpretation: Shot Over Sail.
It is an unusual combination of Swedish history, popular culture and shot-making demands. Quite what the unfortunate sailors of 1628 would have made of it is another matter.
For Sörenstam, the challenge was about more than creating an entertaining backdrop.
“Designing for WTGL and TGL gave us an opportunity to be creative with the setting while thinking about how the best players in the world would approach each shot,” said Sörenstam. “With SOS, we wanted to bring a piece of Sweden into the experience and create a hole that is fun to watch and challenging to play.”
Why Missing the Green Could Make Things Interesting
The design grew out of Sörenstam’s visit to SoFi Center, where she became particularly interested in the difficulty of playing longer shots to the green inside the arena.
That observation influenced how SOS plays, especially when the tee shot goes wrong.
A ball landing in the snow surrounding the green carries no penalty. However, the player must then attempt a recovery shot of approximately 40 yards from an area close to the arena’s traditional Overtime shot location.
Finding the water is more costly. That incurs a one-stroke penalty, with the following shot also played from the designated recovery area.
It creates two different consequences for a missed green, while making accuracy and the ability to shape shots important considerations from the tee.
The challenge is therefore not simply to clear the ship. Players must decide how to approach a green where a small mistake could leave them facing another testing shot in front of the arena audience.
For viewers, those recovery attempts could prove just as interesting as the original tee shots.
A Hall of Famer’s Influence on WTGL and TGL
Sörenstam’s involvement extends beyond the opening match.
Her second design is a par four capable of playing as long as 511 yards, with further details due to be revealed during the WTGL season.
Both holes will also feature in the upcoming TGL presented by SoFi season, bringing her designs into the men’s and women’s competitions.
Rufus Hack, president of golf for TMRW Sports, welcomed Sörenstam’s contribution.
“We’re honoured to have Annika, one of the most accomplished golfers of the modern era, design holes for WTGL and TGL presented by SoFi,” said Hack. “Having watched our matches, she understands how to test our athletes’ shotmaking and accuracy while embracing the creative possibilities of SoFi Center’s technology. Debuting SOS for WTGL’s opening match makes the occasion even more meaningful.”
Michelle Wie West and Lydia Ko Headline the WTGL Opener
The first opportunity to see SOS in competitive action comes on Sunday, 8 November, when Los Angeles Golf Club, led by Michelle Wie West, faces New York Golf Club, led by LPGA Hall of Famer Lydia Ko.
The match is scheduled for 3 pm Eastern Time on ESPN, equivalent to 8 pm in the UK.
With two prominent names leading the opening teams and Sörenstam contributing to the playing experience, WTGL has an intriguing combination of established golfing talent and an unfamiliar competitive setting.
The technology allows designers to create challenges that would be rather difficult to reproduce on an ordinary golf course, although the underlying requirement remains reassuringly familiar: hit the right shot, to the right place, at the right time.
Further information about the competition, including the schedule, tickets and viewing details, is available at WTGLGolf.com.
As for SOS, there is at least one consolation for the players. Unlike the vessel that inspired it, their chances of surviving the maiden voyage should be considerably better.
