Topgolf is among the off-course venues whose popularity has skyrocketed. Photo: Courtesy Topgolf
Few golf-industry numbers in recent years have stunned observers quite as much as those from the National Golf Foundation indicating that more golfers in the United States are playing exclusively at off-course venues such as Topgolf and PopStroke (15.5 million in 2022) than those who tee it up only on actual courses (13.2 million).
In addition, figures for what the NGF describes as “total off-course engagement,” which also includes the 12.4 million in America who patronize both off- and on-course facilities, have “for the first time eclipsed those who play on the course.”
Just as surprising is the makeup of the people who are off-course only. According to the NGF, they are younger, with an average age of 31 versus 46 for on-course golfers, and also more diverse in terms of gender (40 percent female off-course only as opposed to 28 percent on-course) and ethnicity (40 percent non-white compared to 22 percent).
PopStroke co-owners Tiger Wood...