One of the unique features of gameplay in TGL, the new indoor hybrid team golf league, is the concept of the Hammer. It's a potentially exciting way to make each hole of the 15-hole match more dramatic.
The Hammer is a feature that is found in other golf games and has been adapted to fit TGL. It was also changed mid-season in 2025 to make the concept better and make sure it's used more often.
At the beginning of each 15-hole TGL match, both teams will start a match with three hammers to use in the 15-hole competition.
The hammer can be thrown at any time during a hole, including before a new hole starts. When the hammer is thrown before the hole starts, the other team on the receiving end of the hammer must accept it, increasing the point value of that hole from 1 point to 2 points. However, when the hammer is thrown at any other time during a hole, the receiving team has the option to accept it -- and increase the value of the hole by a point -- or decline it, which comes with conceding the hole to the team throwing the hammer for 1 point.
All told, on any given hole, each team can use an available hammer once. That means the maximum point value for any one TGL hole is now three points. Previously, it was conceptually unlimited if the teams continued hammering one another, as there was no limitation on the number of times a hammer could be used.
Original TGL hammer rules
Under the prior Hammer rules, one of the two teams starts with the Hammer. At any time in the course of a single hole, the team with the Hammer can elect to use it, looking to play the hole for another point on top of the original starting value of 1 point. The team receiving the Hammer then has to decide if they want to accept it, and play for that additional point, or reject it and concede the point for that hole to the team who used the Hammer.
TGL hammer strategy
The strategy of using the Hammer is to make a hole worth more points when the team possessing the Hammer thinks it is to their advantage or that they need more points to catch up against a deficit. The Hammer can also apply pressure to the opposing team and force them to consider conceding a hole rather than potentially losing the hole outright for an additional point.
The hammer in other golf games
The same idea applies to using a Hammer in a variety of golf games, including Wolf and standard match play. The Hammer is used when a player wants to multiply the amount of money or points available for a single hole. The Hammer can be used at practically any time, and there are sometimes additional values added to using the Hammer before a ball is hit or the ball is in the air on a particular shot. Typically, an opponent has to accept a Hammer, and accepting the Hammer doubles the value. However, there are games where there is no accepting or rejecting of a Hammer. There are also games where a team accepting a Hammer and then using the Hammer right back can lead to its own dot, called a Boomerang.
All of this to say that the Hammer is a fun way to ratchet up the pressure in a golf match as it goes, potentially creating a turning point in a match.
