TopGolf – the innovative and insanely fun driving range alternative that is sprouting up all over the globe – is apparently much more than a fun night out with some friends. It also might hold the secret to driving up golf participation.
Here’s a neat little tidbit pulled from the company’s website:
- 85 percent of people that go to TopGolf have never played golf before
- 40 percent of all TopGolf customers are female
Let’s all put our thinking caps on for a second, shall we? What makes TopGolf a destination for players who have never played golf before? Is it the booze and good food? Probably. Is it the attentive wait staff and party-like atmosphere? Most definitely.
But more than anything, I suspect people are going to TopGolf because they were brave enough to add an element to a traditional game … not take something away from it or drastically change the way the game is played. (Plus it’s a driving range, so anyone can enjoy playing.)
The percentage of female patrons is also surprising and encouraging. According to a 2013 article on Forbes.com, the national average of female golfers is roughly 19 percent. TopGolf is boasting 40 percent female attendance worldwide.
I’m not a female (allegedly) so I won’t pretend to speculate on why there is such a positive discrepancy, but I will offer this from my firsthand experience at TopGolf: Female golfers are welcomed with open arms and respected to a degree that I have not seen at any golf course. Period.
Furthermore, the whole essence of TopGolf lends itself to a “couples” engagement. I can only think of one instance out of the dozens of times I’ve gone to TopGolf Chicago where it hasn’t been in a couples outing context.
Here’s hoping that golf courses take a page – or two – out of TopGolf’s book.
Related Link: So How Does Golf’s Future Look Now?
Other Hot Links:
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– TaylorMade CEO Mark King on Growing The Game
– Video – Donald Trump on the State of Golf
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– GolfStinks: Why I Love Taking 5 Hours to Play Golf
