Follow The Money: Investors Flock To Golf...In Modernized Range And Putt-Putt Settings

Every time you hear someone wax on about how the game does not have a slow play problem, just look where the money is going.

Every time someone bellows on about how an expanding golf course footprint has not been damaging the sport, point them to Topgolf’s growth.

And every time someone mocks the two greatest ever to play the game saying distance is getting out of hand, look where Tiger Woods is investing his efforts.

The surprise “Popstroke” news last week revealed Woods’ support of a modernized miniature golf concept, serving as another reminder that elements of our sport remainl attractive to potential customers and investors. The communal and easy-to-understand components to golf (hit a driver, wack a putt) seem attractive enough that capital continues to go toward settings offering food, live sports-viewing and a putt-putt concept with Woods’ backing.

Why is something similar not happening with golf courses?

It’s tough to name a major name in golf wanting to get in the golf course operations business because there haven’t been any in recent times.

Why isn’t anyone pondering how to finally convince municipalities to pump some much needed money into upgrading the amazing green spaces in their cities?

The narrative with existing golf courses tends to be about a fight-for-survival, as big money and increasingly larger audiences turn to things like Topgolf and Popstroke. The sport sits back and hopes those concepts will be gateways to becoming serious golfers. Dream on as long as the normal golf experience seems like something stuck in a time warp: five hours with so-so service and little respect for our time.

Golf has an issue when these two entities promise something a regular golf experience can’t overcome: reduced time, effort and cost required while still delivering a communal, fun experience. Because of their physical scale, these concepts have the advantage of installing modern elements like television screens for sports viewing and food operations that bring in some just for a good meal. The golf component is not excessively taxing or time consuming. The maintenance budget is a fraction of what it costs to keep a golf course going.

So follow the money. It’s going to concepts that take less time and require less space, in modernized environments that welcome a big audience. When it’s Tiger Woods signing on, maybe the decision-makers who keep deferring on the distance issue will take notice that he’s bullish on a future version of the sport requiring less time and way fewer resources.