Topgolf, a golf entertainment brand, recently opened its 100th global outdoor location in Montebello, California. The brand has rapidly grown since its founding in the U.K., attracting 300,000 to 400,000 unique visitors with each new venue and projecting to have over 30 million unique visitors by 2024.
Initially, there was debate within the golf industry on whether Topgolf would take business away from traditional golf courses. However, the brand has become a complimentary entertainment component within the modern golf ecosystem, attracting approximately 10% of current on-course golfers who credit off-course experiences like Topgolf with helping them get into the game.
The number of Americans playing forms of golf away from traditional courses has risen to nearly 33 million in 2023, surpassing the on-course golfer base, which has seen consistent growth in participation over the past six years.
The Montebello Topgolf venue, the brand’s 100th global location, is an example of Topgolf Callaway’s successful golf entertainment arm, which had $1.76 billion in net revenues in 2023. The venue features a three-story, 102-bay facility that anchors a redesigned golf course, including a traditional 9-hole course and a new nine-hole Par 3 course with lighting for night play.
The redevelopment project in Montebello also includes a new clubhouse and water features across the facility, which is scheduled to reopen in early summer. While the Topgolf venue in Montebello is separate from the golf course, the proximity of the two showcases how different forms of the game can coexist and contribute to the growth and evolution of golf.
The Montebello location is the 90th outdoor Topgolf venue in the U.S. and the fifth in California, with additional locations in 35 states and internationally in countries like Australia, China, Germany, Mexico, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates. The brand also has forthcoming locations in Colombia, Indonesia, Portugal, and Spain, further solidifying its position as a global leader in golf entertainment.