The National Golf Foundation studied guests at the entertainment facilities who play traditional on-course golf as well as those who don’t, and found that overall, nearly a third said that playing Topgolf leads them to play more traditional golf. Among non-golfers, more than half said that playing at the venues had positively influenced their interest in playing green-grass rounds.
Disruption
Few think that Topgolf is a threat to the traditional golf club because the experience is so different. But it touches golf, and it has the potential to be disruptive—or to help grow the game.
Proposals for Public Course on Long-Closed Landfill Move Forward
The Orange County Board of Supervisors has given approval for lease negotiations to begin with potential developers of about 200 acres of the former Coyote Canyon landfill outside of Newport Beach, Calif. The leading plan would build an 18-hole short course, a double-ended, double-decker driving range, 12,000-sq. ft. clubhouse, 16,000 sq. ft. of ballrooms and wedding gardens, and a food court with a patio.
Golf Properties Report on Post-Hurricane Cleanup
Many properties in Florida, including The Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, The River Club and Legacy Golf Club in Bradenton, and Crosswinds GC in Savannah, Ga., have reopened following minimal damage from Hurricane Irma. The Wilderness at Lake Jackson (Texas) showed creative thinking in preparation for Hurricane Harvey by positioning its equipment on elevated points…
CNBC: Millennials, Women Breathe Life into Golf
With Under Armour’s golf category growing 25% in the past three years and the introduction of Foray Golf, which specializes in golf apparel for young women, both millennials and women are being drawn to the sport, with off-course facilities like Topgolf leading the charge. Millennial golfers are breathing life into the sport despite a steady stream…
PGA of America and Topgolf to Partner on Grow-The-Game and Career Initiatives
The golf organization will support Topgolf’s hiring efforts, while the golf-oriented entertainment venues will promote PGA of America events and support Junior League Golf. Topgolf was also the subject of a report about a potential partnership with the Ala Wai Golf Course in Hawaii.
Topgolf Expands into Canada
The sports entertainment company is partnering with Cineplex to open multiple Topgolf venues in urban markets across Canada during the next several years. Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed. Topgolf® and Cineplex, an entertainment and media company, have announced an exclusive partnership that will bring Topgolf’s sports entertainment experience to Canada. The joint venture will see the…
ClubCorp Partners with Topgolf, Acquires Medina (Minn.) G&CC
The strategic alliance will result in Topgolf providing new technology and benefits for ClubCorp members, and ClubCorp providing special offers and experiences at its properties. At Medina Golf & Country Club, ClubCorp plans to spend more than $2.5 million in two years to update the clubhouse, patio, golf course, practice facilities, and aquatics. Topgolf® is…
The Comeback Argues Topgolf is Widening Golf Market
A recent post by the sports and culture blog argues that “Topgolf (and related activities) are widening golf’s overall market, not cannibalizing it,” by tapping into the millennial demographic that finds the game too inaccessible and expensive, which is “very good news for a game that needs to continue to evolve.”
‘Topgolf for Good’ Youth Initiative is Launched
On March 19, five of the company’s venues offered free game play, golf instruction and food-and-beverage amenities, as part of a collaboration with The First Tee and LPGA-USGA Girls Golf that launched a year-round program, through which similar benefits will now be offered to charitable organizations and high-school golf teams.
Changes in the Desert Wind
Notable shifts in one of the industry’s key markets, Scottsdale, Ariz., reflect how club and resort properties must respond to new trends in golf, recreation and leisure.
Topgolf Takes Its Game to Seattle’s Safeco Field
Some 6,000 people came to baseball’s Seattle Mariners’ home park over Presidents Day weekend to play “Topgolf Crush” by driving golf balls at targets set up throughout the field while music blared over the loudspeakers. “We are the place where millennials hit golf balls,” said Topgolf Co-Chairman and CEO Erik Anderson. “We’ve really turned it into this digital game.”
Four Seasons Hotel Houston to Unveil “Topgolf Swing Suite”
Debuting just before the city hosts Super Bowl LI, the suite will include two golf simulators that can be sectioned off or rented out together and can accommodate up to eight guests each. The amenity will be the first Topgolf-branded simulation experience in the nation.
Bloomberg Businessweek Highlights the Appeal, Growth of Topgolf
Describing a driving-range-meets-sports-bar-meets-nightclub atmosphere that’s “less hushed reverence, more Dave & Buster’s with 9-irons,” with clientele including kids with parents, couples on dates, and even a bachelorette party, the report notes that in the past five years, the company has opened 23 new venues, more than half of them since the beginning of 2015.
Topgolf Lines Up Additional $275 Million in Funding
A new five-year, $175 million term loan and a five-year, $100 million revolving line of credit will be used to help the “global sports entertainment community” pursue plans to open more venues throughout the U.S.