GOLF AS ENTERTAINMENT
The Golf Experience is extending and diversifying. Golf is being consumed in many more ways today than it has ever been with Golf as an entertainment destination showing the largest growth within the Golf industry for a number of years.
Golf as Entertainment has seen an explosion with individuals, both women and men, from all age groups, abilities and interests participating in a golf related activity for entertainment and fun.
Some individuals try out Golf via these new channels and evolve their skills to play on traditional golf courses.
Many individuals enjoy both Golf as a Sport and Golf as Entertainment,
Historically, mini golf, crazy golf, pitch & putt facilitates were readily available in seaside and other holiday destinations, today, technology is upping the game with new technology creating driving range and studio based experiences for individuals and groups to participate in and enjoy.
Extending the golf experience beyond the fairways and in to a variety of easily consumable experiences for participants of all ages, abilities and interest levels and making them available at more venues and locations on a permanent and temporary basis.
In addition to technology, new formats and initiatives are creating different opportunities for individuals to consume golf, both as a participant and as a fan, on and off the golf course and through multiple media channels.
Drive Shack is a driving range based destination, which offers range of golf experiences, alongside other entertainment based experiences via their sports lounges, TV’s and restaurants.
Drive Shack utilise Trackman technology to provide a range of individual and team golf experiences.
Puttery is a Drive Shack company, which provides indoor putting based exertainment experiences.
They offer a modern approach to putting based mini golf.
From their website:
“Say goodbye to mini pencils and windmills and hello to digital scorecards, craft cocktails, and culinary creations.
21+ Immersive Mini Golf. Craft Cocktails. Upscale Eats. Your Newest Best Place for an Epic Night Out.”
In 2021, Callaway completed their merger with Top Golf, combining the Callaway Equipment, Apparel and Soft Goods with Top Golf Ranges, entertainment destinations and Top Tracer technology. Since there merger, the Topgolf-Callaway revenues have grown with Top Golf revenues edging higher than Callaway Equipment. This merger puts Callaway in a good position to grow through their offering to the growing golf community interested in a variety of golf experiences on and off the course.
Top Golf offers a number of experiences at their destinations, which include, driving ranges, adventure golf, restaurants.
Click HERE to see how the TOP GOLF experience works in the UK.
Other Putting and Range based EXPERIENCES
There are a range of putting and range based experiences springing up across the UK and the US and in India and Asia, where driving ranges have been instrumental in getting players in to golf for a number of years.
PUTTING
Putt Stars – click HERE
Putt Shack – London – click HERE
Putt in the Park – click HERE
ENTERTAINMENT RANGES
Hounslow Golf Park – Click HERE and their sister park Horton Golf Park – click HERE
GOLF LOUNGES
Smaller indoor golf coaching and entertainment destinations are springing up across the world, where a combination of technology, professional golf lessons, restaurants and bars are creating a new indoor golf experience for individuals and groups to come together to learn and play in social environments focused on fun social activities – some of these are shown below.
Chelsea Golf Club – London – click HERE
Delany’s Golf Lounge – Hong Kong – click HERE
Pitch – London – Click HERE
TMRW is a new Golf Venture from Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Mike McCarley, ex-NBC Sports Executive. The objective is to bring Golf, Technology and Media together to create new faster, fun and entertaining formats for players to play in and for fans to watch and enjoy through multiple media channels online and on TV. They have created a new golf format, TGL, in partnership with the PGA Tour.
TGL is “a new tech-infused golf league in partnership with the PGA TOUR. TGL will showcase team matches fusing advanced tech and live action from a custom-built venue in primetime on Monday nights, which will complement the current PGA TOUR schedule. Woods and McIlroy are the first two golfers committed to compete and the league’s inaugural season will kick off in January 2024. The announcement was made today by Woods, McIlroy, and TMRW Sports CEO and founder Mike McCarley.”
“TGL, the golf league of TMRW Sports, will feature:
- Teams: Six teams of three PGA TOUR players;
- Tech-Infused Venu: A first-of-its-kind experience for golf enabled by a data-rich, virtual course complete with a tech-infused, short-game complex;
- Tech-Enabled Fan Experience: High-energy, greenside fan experience with every shot live within a 2-hour, primetime televised match;
- Season: 15 regular season Monday night matches followed by semi-finals and finals matches, kicking off in January 2024″
Other investors in TMRW include, Justin Timberlake, Lewis Hamilton, Serena Williams and Andy Murray.
Golf Nation is the first and only producer of original golf-lifestyle shows with the ability for viewers to instantly purchase items while never leaving the screen. This watch-buy-play approach benefits brands looking for instant, commercial-free, direct-to-consumer shoppable marketing opportunities with more precise metrics than static and other video platforms.