Detroit is getting a branded team in Tiger Woods' indoor golf league TGL, the league announced on Tuesday.
Motor City Golf Club will be the seventh team in the TGL and start playing in 2027, the league's third season.
The ownership group for the team is led by Middle West Partners, which includes Michael Hamp, Peter Hamp and Kevin Kelleher. Sheila Ford Hamp, the principal owner of the Detroit Lions and her husband, Steve, are co-owners of Motor City Golf Club.
Rob Walton, the owner of the Denver Broncos, and Jordan Rose, the president and founder of Rose Law Group, are also part of the ownership group.
Other co-owners along with Middle West Partners include Kit Hawkins and Vansa Chatikavanij of Present Ventures; technology entrepreneur Kal Somani, co-owner of the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League; Ronin Capital Partners, led by former Rocket CEO Jay Farner; and RHC Group.
“This is a great moment for Detroit sports and a proud moment for me personally,” Michael Hamp said in a statement. He will be the new team governor for Motor City Golf Club. "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."
“Detroit is a fantastic sports town. The city has a championship legacy and Detroit fans are passionate about their teams and they’ll let you know it,” TMRW SPorts and TGL founder & CEO Mike McCarley said in a statement. “The ownership group for Motor City Golf Club will utilize their deep ties to the community and extensive expertise as NFL team owners to forge a TGL team that embodies Detroit’s culture for sports and the region’s love of golf."
The league, founded by TMRW Sports, currently has 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. All teams play out of the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Last year, former Rocket Classic tournament director Jason Langwell left the tournament to join TMRW Sports as their chief revenue officer.
According to the Sports Business Journal, the Ford family was in attendance at TGL matches during its first season earlier this year.
