There are simply no easy answers for the sport to sustain continuous growth.
The industry has gone through a several-years period of trying to reinvent the concept.... Whether it was "bigger holes", "foot-golf" for the soccer fans, or "playing it forward" in an attempt to make the game easier and more enjoyable for those who would otherwise not consider the sport as a pastime.
Top Golf has undoubtedly done more, with their relaxed attitude and throwing the typical social norms related to traditional golf lifestyle to the side to generate interest. Food, fun, music... a relaxed atmosphere that welcomes friends and family.
It's a different culture now. A different generation that is faced with a lot of demands that go above and beyond the financial and time-investment demands from the generations prior. Priorities have changed, which means the game has been forced to at least embrace a different subset of the game that has long been accepted as time-consuming and expensive.
And that doesn't mean the traditional game that most of us are familiar with has been taken away from the diehard players... but rather that the industry is finally recognizing that perhaps the growth of the game requires a different perspective/outlet for those who would otherwise never consider it. Top Golf can definitely meet a need here for the industry. They have the ability to plant seeds and get people hooked on golf later on when time and disposable income allows.
I like the concept. I think whatever can be done to grow the game, whether or not it respects the social norms, in the end has the ability to introduce people to the game on a more traditional level.