Topgolf CEO bets on $5 youth access to reverse sales decline
Topgolf is launching a discounted youth access program as new CEO David McKillips attempts to apply a family-entertainment turnaround playbook to reverse the company's recent stretch of declining same-venue sales.
Topgolf has partnered with nonprofit Youth on Course to offer golfers aged 18 and under $5 bay access on weekday mornings through early September. The initiative is the first concrete step toward new CEO David McKillips’s pledge to create 10 million new golfers by 2030. “That’s part of our commitment of 10 million new golfers by 2030, and we’re putting our money where our mouth is,” McKillips said.
The discounted access program is designed to accelerate customer acquisition at a time when Topgolf is navigating an ownership shake-up and a stretch of declining same-venue sales. McKillips, who took over in February, is applying the same turnaround blueprint he used as CEO of CEC Entertainment to stabilize and grow the driving range operator. During his tenure at CEC, the company navigated Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020, ultimately erasing roughly $1 billion in debt and securing close to $400 million in fresh capital.
Lowering the cost barrier is central to converting Topgolf’s massive foot traffic into dedicated golfers. Only 35% of traditional golfers currently visit Topgolf, but the company claims its programs have already generated between 2.5 million and 3 million new players. According to National Golf Foundation figures, off-course participants are five times more likely to transition to traditional courses, presenting a significant growth lever for the broader golf economy.
The company is specifically targeting the sport’s fastest-growing demographics: children and young women. Topgolf’s youth participation has risen 40% over the past five years, while women now account for 28% of all golfers, with 8.2 million women playing off-course golf in 2024. The expanding reach of the sport has even attracted institutional interest, as evidenced by Blackstone recently signing professional golfer Tommy Fleetwood as its first brand ambassador to reach wealthy clients.
Beyond driving golf conversions, McKillips is aiming to widen the top of the revenue funnel by reducing the company's reliance on golf itself. Topgolf is adding arcades, pickleball, and darts to capture consumers seeking a social "third space" away from home or the office. “You don’t have to play golf,” McKillips said. “You can come, you can lounge in our sports bars or our lounges… You can come with your friends and play darts. You can play arcade games. You can play pickleball. And ultimately you can do golf as well.”
The success of this dual strategy hinges on Topgolf’s scale and its proprietary technology. With more than 100 domestic venues and 42 million annual guests, the company controls a massive share of the sport's roughly 100 million global touchpoints. By equipping every bay with Toptracer ball-tracking technology—the same system used in professional major broadcasts—Topgolf is betting that gamified data will keep non-traditional customers engaged long enough to become regulars.
