The influence Topgolf has had in welcoming players to its fun, social, non-intimidating version of golf is undeniable, with off-course participation (a figure that also includes regular driving ranges and indoor golf simulators) up a healthy 11.1% in 2016.

Over the past year, the number of golfers who played on a golf course for the first time rose to an all-time measured high, and also in 2016, the number of non-golfers who said they are “very interested” in playing golf jumped 7.6% percent to 12.8 million.

“Anyone who hits a golf ball to a target is in some way appreciating golf,” says Topgolf co-chairman and CEO Erik Anderson. “I’ve told people, golf is a 30-minute game with a four-hour walk if you unbundle what you’re doing. A part of golf that’s so fun, in addition to playing, is the social interaction you get with your friends. We’ve just put that together in a different form.”

The PGA TOUR and LPGA are among the organizations to recognize the way Topgolf is changing the face of participation in the golf industry. The leading professional tours have a strategic alliance with the company that’s designed to create fans and participants, and enhance playing and fan experiences.

An NGF study on Alternative Golf Experiences in 2015 found that 52% of non-golfers who visited a Topgolf facility had an interest in playing golf on an actual course. By comparison, only about 15% of non-golfers in the general population said they’d like to try traditional golf.

“With the millions and millions of people who come in, engage in golf, have that fun experience, learn to hit at a target and enjoy some fun with their friends, it can only have one outcome,” says Anderson, “that people will play more golf.”

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