TGL, the innovative team golf league founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, is expanding into Detroit. Motor City Golf Club will join the league as its seventh team in 2027, TGL announced Tuesday.
The Motor City Golf Club ownership group is led by Middle West Partners, whose principals include members of the Hamp Family. Sheila Hamp, the current owner of the Detroit Lions, will serve as Motor City GC co-owner with her husband, Steve.
Michael Hamp, Sheila’s son, is the co-owner of Middle West Partners and will serve as the team governor.
“This is a great moment for Detroit sports and a proud moment for me personally,” Hamp said. “My grandfather, William Clay Ford Sr., was an avid golfer, and I believe bringing a new format of the game he loved would make him really proud. I’m incredibly grateful for our partners at MCGC — it’s an honor to build this team together. Detroit’s fans are the most loyal in sports, and we’re excited to represent our city in TGL and build a team that Detroit fans will be proud to support.”
The Hamp family isn’t the only link between Motor City GC and the NFL. Rob Walton, owner of the Denver Broncos, is also part of the ownership group.
The new Motor City team will join TGL’s other six teams — Atlanta Drive GC, Boston Common Golf, Jupiter Links Golf Club, Los Angeles Golf Club, New York Golf Club and The Bay Golf Club — for the start of the 2027 season. The roster will be announced at a later date.
TGL plays all its matches at the state-of-the-art SoFi Center in Palm Beach, Florida. The league combines simulated golf along with more traditional golf elements for head-to-head matches between each of its four-player teams.
The first season of TGL just concluded in March with Atlanta Drive GC, made up of Billy Horschel, Lucas Glover, Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay, winning the championship.