Q: We’re heading into the playoffs for Season 2. From your new seat in the broadcast booth, what has surprised you most so far?
It’s definitely a different seat in the house. We’ve been on this journey with TMRW Sports, TGL, and CapTech for a number of years, but sitting in that broadcaster seat is a completely new perspective. When they hand you a microphone and you’re hearing TV production in your ear, everything moves very fast.
I’ve been very lucky to learn from Matt Barrie, Marty Smith, Jeff Neubarth — people who are absolute pros at what they do. It’s been a fast and furious learning curve, but also a lot of fun.
Q: On the broadcast, you’re often asked to break down strategy. How do you think about strategy in TGL, both before and during a match?
I think strategy really falls into two main buckets: the holes and the players, and the hammer.
Before the match, a lot of the work is understanding how teams match up against each other on specific holes. That’s where most of my homework happens and where I rely most on data from ScoreSight.
The second piece is the hammer strategy, and that’s much more live. You have to think on your feet, weighing both sides in real time and then explain that clearly on the broadcast. It’s nuanced, and it happens fast. Sometimes I wish we could hit pause and maybe go to a TV timeout and spend 90 seconds debating both sides, but it's fun and challenging.
Q: You often comment on whether that was a “good hammer” or a “bad hammer.” What’s your perspective on hammer play so far this season?
It’s improved, but there’s still a long way to go. It’s like poker. You want to throw the hammer to double down when you have a slight advantage. If you have a huge advantage, then the other team’s just going to fold their cards, and you’ll win the ante.
You want to have a slight advantage and almost bait them into a bad bet. We’ve seen some of that work really well. But the missed opportunities come when teams don’t recognize moments where they can apply that pressure and either bait the other team into a bad accept or force them to fold for a free point. The challenge is explaining that calculus to viewers in six seconds or less. That’s not easy
Q: Given how quickly these decisions happen, where do you see technology or AI playing a role in the future?
There’s real opportunity there. On the ScoreSight side, we have a lot of historic data now. So, it’s about basics and how do we make that forward looking: What’s the upside if I throw the hammer? What’s the downside risk?
Between win probability and the strategy on throw (and accept/decline), feels like there is a path to additional data there to help with those insights in real time, and provide numbers around hammer strategy at any given moment. That’s a prime use case for AI technology and machine learning, and I think we’re only scratching the surface of what’s possible.
Q: Often, you’ve said the holes are essentially the “second stars” of TGL. The players are obviously the best players in the world, but the holes definitely have a fan following and popularity behind them. How do you approach analyzing them?
My process is very hands‑on. I write down each hole and which players are matched up against each other. Obviously, I have some intuition about which player's a longer hitter, which one's a shorter hitter, which one cuts it, which one fades it. But pretty immediately, I start reaching for the data and that's where ScoreSight and the AI tool CapTech built comes in. They help me confirm whether my instincts are right, and credit to CapTech and TMRW Sports for that.
One of the newer holes, Cut the Sails, is a prime example. If you're going to drive it near that green, it's about a 300-yard cover, and that's right on the edge for a lot of players. So I’m pulling that data every week to know exactly who can clear it and who can’t. It changes the entire strategy.
Q: How do tee box adjustments and team‑designated holes factor into that strategy?
They matter a lot. These holes are so finely tuned and designed for these players that if you push the tee boxes even 20 yards in either direction, it can completely change the way to play. Even when players feel comfortable, that adjustment can reset the entire strategy.
With team holes being new in Season 2 and the ability for the teams to own course setup for those holes, we’ve seen home teams win disproportionately on their home holes. So that strategy is obviously playing a big factor there.
Q: For fans who may be less focused on strategy, which holes stand out as must‑watch?
Stinger is definitely the talk of Season 2. And the data feeds right into that. If your launch angle off the tee shot has been under three degrees, you’re undefeated on that hole. That means you probably hit it under the rock bridge, got it in the fairway, and you’re either wedging it close to win the hole or at least tying it. That’s a really interesting way to think about that hole as you stand on the tee, like, OK, I need to do one thing here: launch angle under three.
Cenote is a little different. That distinct funnel and the way the ball feeds back onto the green really favors shot shape. So, it’s not always about the data. Sometimes it’s more qualitative. I’ve seen it where players are trying to hit the left side of the funnel and shape the ball from left to right, and it’s really challenging. We saw three out of four shots there over a couple weeks go into the penalty, because it really comes down to where the pin is, which side of the funnel you’re trying to hit, and how your shot shape fits it.
Q: As we move into the playoffs, what are you most excited about?
It’s going to be hard to top the Jupiter vs. Bay match to wrap the season, that’s been the talk of town for sure. That should build some great momentum into the playoffs with Jupiter making their inaugural appearance. I’m excited. A month ago there were 65,000 scenarios of how the playoffs could work out and now we’re down to our final four. The TMRW Sports Broadcast team is always looking to introduce something new, even if small, so I’m excited to see what else they have up their sleeves come next week.
Follow along in the Playoffs as Roberto analyzes the fast-moving action, relays it to the viewer so they can sit back and enjoy competition between the best in the world in a one-of-a-kind setting.
