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Topgolf, will it bring new players?

6 posts
  1. Melvin Waldron
    Melvin Waldron avatar
    43 posts
    12/9/2016 9:12 AM
    Hi all,

    After our local superintendent chapter took a trip to Topgolf in Overland Park, (hiring a charter was probably the smart thing to do), in which we had a blast. I came upon this article in Golfdom, where Topgolf executives believe they can play a part in growing the game.

    http://www.golfdom.com/game-on-topgolfs ... -industry/

    Interesting article. We did have a brief discussion among our manager and pro, what we kind of agreed upon was for avid golfers like us, what we really enjoyed and thought important was the social aspect of it. Could we as a business find ways to tap into that social aspect of Topgolf and would those same social ideas work for the beginning or new golfers? Would we have to reach those new golfers a little differently?

    All great thoughts, I'm curious, have any your facilities tried to tap into this? I know even before going to Topgolf, when we were discussion some of our revenue woes at our current facility, it came up that we needed to find a way to have players stay after a round, but of course we don't offer alcohol, so we haven't come up with an idea yet. We do offer leagues, but we don't have dining facilities either. I know from my earlier days, at one course I worked at, I played in a league and there would be many times we went into our restaurant and had dinner. I know growing up at the course my mom, dad and I worked at, we would hold weekly scrambles and everyone would come in and have a few beers before we handed out the prize money, and depending who won that week, they might have spent half of their winnings on more beer.

    Would love to hear opinions from everyone about this topic.

    Thanks!

    Mel

    Melvin H. Waldron III, CGCS, Horton Smith Golf Course, City of Springfield/Greene County MO

  2. Peter Bowman
    Peter Bowman avatar
    11 posts
    12/9/2016 9:12 AM
    Mel,

    I've been to one in Tempe, AZ one night a couple years ago with 15 or 20 others after a day of business meetings. We had a lot of fun. It's like where bowling meets golf. I won't try to predict if it will grow the game.

    As we were leaving the facility I turned around to look again, wondering about how many millions of dollars it took to build the place, whether it's a privately owned or publicly traded company, things like that. And for the owners/investors I can only hope it's not a fad.



  3. Melvin Waldron
    Melvin Waldron avatar
    43 posts
    12/9/2016 10:12 AM
    Peter Bowman, CGCS said: Mel,

    I've been to one in Tempe, AZ one night a couple years ago with 15 or 20 others after a day of business meetings. We had a lot of fun. It's like where bowling meets golf. I won't try to predict if it will grow the game.

    As we were leaving the facility I turned around to look again, wondering about how many millions of dollars it took to build the place, whether it's a privately owned or publicly traded company, things like that. And for the owners/investors I can only hope it's not a fad.


    Yes those facilities are impressive, agree it's like bowling meets golf.

    Interesting that you mention that you went after a day of business meetings, that is how we got the idea from one of our board members who did the same thing. It also seemed a part of Topgolf's business strategy. I only bring that up because, it seems/seemed like, this is coming back to where businesses are doing these kinds of things to a degree compared to a few years ago when businesses were cutting back on the extra curricular activates. Might be a good discussion for another tread?

    Thanks!

    Mel

    Melvin H. Waldron III, CGCS, Horton Smith Golf Course, City of Springfield/Greene County MO

  4. William Connolly
    William Connolly avatar
    0 posts
    2/2/2017 8:02 AM
    Peter Bowman, CGCS said: Mel,

    I've been to one in Tempe, AZ one night a couple years ago with 15 or 20 others after a day of business meetings. We had a lot of fun. It's like where bowling meets golf. I won't try to predict if it will grow the game.

    As we were leaving the facility I turned around to look again, wondering about how many millions of dollars it took to build the place, whether it's a privately owned or publicly traded company, things like that. And for the owners/investors I can only hope it's not a fad.


    Peter,

    Topgolf is a private company. Last year my brother, who lives on the west side of Michigan, contacted the company about franchise opportunities. They replied that they were a private firm and were exploring location options all over the country.

    Personally I am dying to try one, we have none in MI at this time, and think they could be a nice piece in this huge puzzle that is "Growing the Game".



  5. Gordon Seliga
    Gordon Seliga avatar
    4 posts
    2/2/2017 10:02 AM
    Never heard of Topgolf so I had to look it up. I really like the concept etc. Looks like a lot of fun and the pricing for the game looks very affordable as well. If we had one close by I would try it for sure. I wonder if they have leagues? I agree about the bowling analogy. What's appealing is that you can play (swing a golf club) after the sun goes down. Also looks like they are expanding to different locations across the country. Can't wait to give it a try.



  6. Andrew Cross
    Andrew Cross avatar
    5 posts
    2/2/2017 11:02 AM
    They have 2 in the Chicago area, one is actually on the property of a 9 hole park district course. I can see how in that spot it could grow the game. Not sure how it has impacted the course rounds itself though. But it is a revenue stream year round for them



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