Introducing the GOLFZON Tour: The Next Evolution of Competitive Indoor Golf
The courses are virtual, but the competition is very real. Welcome to the GOLFZON Tour, a revolutionary concept in indoor golf that’s set to make waves across North America and beyond. Following in the footsteps of South Korea’s GTour—where professional simulator golf has thrived since 2012—the GOLFZON Tour is bringing this high-stakes, competitive platform westward, with its first tournament kicking off in fall 2024.
A Global Platform for Screen Golf
GOLFZON, a world leader in golf simulators, has hosted over 200 GTour tournaments in South Korea, awarding more than $12 million in prizes. The GTour is South Korea’s premier professional screen golf league, and it has set the standard for what competitive golf in a virtual setting can look like. Now, after years of planning and waiting for the right moment, GOLFZON is launching the GOLFZON Tour for audiences in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the U.K.
The Competition Format: A Team Match Play Challenge
Unlike GTour’s individual format, the GOLFZON Tour introduces a fresh take on competitive golf with a team-based structure. The tour will feature 12 teams of five players each, representing cities across the U.S. (Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Louisville, Minneapolis, New York City, Orlando, and Tulsa), Toronto, London, and Monterrey, Mexico.
The action starts in October with regional matchups leading to the playoffs in November. All 12 teams will compete in the Tour Finals, held at the 2025 PGA Show in Orlando, Florida. The grand prize? A staggering $150,000 for the winning team.
A New Frontier for Virtual Golf
The GOLFZON Tour is much more than a tournament. It’s a step toward expanding the appeal of virtual golf in the western market. Though GOLFZON America has been in the U.S. since 2016, with more than 140 simulator locations across the country, creating a professional golf simulator tour required a mature market and enthusiastic participation from players.
The rise of TGL, the indoor golf league backed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, provided a clear signal that the time was right. As Steve Brown, GOLFZON America’s director of marketing, puts it, “The whole bringing of TGL over here was a pretty strong indicator that we were ready to do our own version of this thing.”
Americanizing the Screen Golf Experience
Adapting the Korean-born GTour for American audiences involved some changes. GOLFZON has introduced a cumulative team match-play format and a round-robin bracket system similar to the college football playoffs to add a familiar competitive edge for U.S. viewers. Each team will consist of a mix of regional talent, chosen from GOLFZON simulator locations, and players will compete from their home locations across North America and Europe.
“We gave a lot of thought to how we could culturalize this in the right way,” said Brown. “How do we make this a uniquely American experience, while staying true to the format that has made GTour a success?”
What Lies Ahead for the GOLFZON Tour
While the first tournament promises to be an exciting debut, GOLFZON has big plans for the future. The tour is expected to grow and evolve, with discussions already underway for future seasons and the possibility of launching a junior screen-golf tour. GOLFZON also plans to spotlight players’ personal stories, following the template of popular sports competitions like the Summer Olympics and “Survivor.”
With a broadcast plan in place for GOLFZON’s YouTube channel and the official Golfzon Tour website, this series is poised to captivate a wide audience.
For a more detailed look at the origins of the Golfzon Tour, check out the original article on Golf.com.