Nothing like top golf in my area. A guy opened a place with nice simulators and a bar area with beer and pub food, didn’t last a year. The two chip and putt courses closed down and at least two driving ranges folded up. Land is too valuable in a metro area for 5 bucks a bucket driving ranges. Golf courses need to go back to basics. 35 dollar golf with a little grass on the fairway, rough cut down and decent greens. 5 bucks for a beer and a dog.
Golf Growth ...
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.
I like that Top Golf gives the clowns a place to go that isn't the golf course I'm currently playing. 
Top Golf also charges by the hour... There's your solution to slow play!
none. I do think it makes some sense and could potentially attract those who might just want to go play for an hour or 2 , say on lunch or on the way home from work etc.
certainly on a busy course they would need to structure things in a way that the hourly rate isn't going to be more than a green fee by having hourly rate and a maximum rate , sort of like parking lots have now. eg $10 an hour , maximum of $45.
here is one course that is doing it
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/a-pay-by-the-hour-greens-fee-is-genius-and-slightly-diabolical
It's an interesting concept with all kinds of potential benefits and drawbacks. Playing at a time when few on are the course and you can zip around quick might mean cheap(er) golf. Like you say, time for just a few holes, pay only for the time taken to play what you can. Round going south quick or caught in a bad situation (it's going to take forever to get around), stop early and pay less than 'full price'. But I can also see the possibility of more agressive attitudes, getting hit into, etc.
Martee Topgolf promotes its food, music and drinks almost as much as the golf-like game, drawing millennials willing to wait hours to play
Yeah, Top Golf is the perfect stoners environment, the same ones who transfer Top Golf to the course by filling a cart with beer and blaring their boom box.
Top golf is like put put, nothing to do with real golf.
They're building a TopGolf here in St. Louis. I drove by it the other day. Unfortunately, they tore down an ice complex to build it (two rinks). The Blues used to practice there.
You obviously have not been to a Top Golf, its far more than putt putt.
Revenue and growth have been incredible. Plans are to add 10 facilities a year and to expand beyond the current model. While traditional golf courses wither and die a slow and painful death from annually reduced participation over the past 30 years, Top Golf is booming. Its taking all the millennials away from the traditional courses. Its also attracting a huge corporate retreat and entertainment piece, something golf courses once did.
I have zero doubt that "traditional" courses will begin to incorporate entertainment aspects the likes we see in Top Golf into their agendas.
Top Golf opened its first location in Dallas/Fort Worth about 10 years ago. There are 3 locations now. I have noticed people who play zero golf come back from Top Golf saying they had fun.
MidwayJ Yep. I live in Allen which is very near to Dallas, and we have a Top Golf. Many folks who do not play golf claim to like Top Golf. It seems to be a way to sit around and drink and eat food, but calling it "Top Golf" instead of sitting around eating and drinking and not occasionally swinging a club sounds less lazy. For most of these folks the golf aspect is irrelevant.
And that's fine. I like the walk and the scenery of golf. I like the solitude to an extent. I'm glad that people who want a trivial golf-like diversion while they're eating and drinking have a place to go that isn't the golf course now.
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Thinking more about this...
Imagine you're a business man. You can get $40/hr for a 10x10 stall (and have about 100 of these) which require some initial investment but very little upkeep. You can generate revenue from the majority of these stalls all year regardless of weather. You can also sell food and drinks very effectively. You can have this business on 20 acres, and you can even operate at night.
Compare that to a golf course: far less revenue, far more land required, far more upkeep, basically worthless on rainy days, cold days, and in darkness. If you owned a golf course and didn't really love the traditional game, wouldn't you be an idiot not to sell off 80% of the land then change the other 20% into a Top Golf facility?
Sad, but economical.
This concept is not new. Back in the day it was called "bowling".
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10-15 years ago we would never have thought that so many courses would be shutting down . We would never have thought that golf courses would be adding frizbee golf , foot/soccer golf or renting out their course for not just tournaments but team and family functions and parties. Likewise we didnt probably have expect wifi on courses, music players etc. Most if not all private courses are now holding outside tournaments and events to generate revenue.
Non of these have or are taking over or ruining golf . They are going on at courses around here but havent created any issues other than the course isnt available to play golf during those times set aside for other activities. Courses still fill their tee sheets on weekends and so unlikely that those times will be affected in the future. Courses that struggle to stay busy do need to find ways to increase traffic and revenues in less busy times.
Top Golf facility opening here in future as well.
Im as much of a golf traditionalist as the next old fart, but things change, they always do, you embrace and accept it or get passed by it.
Before I ever touched a golf club I was a 4 nite a week softball player. Softball was big, had to get a permit to get an open field for a couple hours. Delaware has a forth of July tournament that drew 150 teams from all over. Now I drive by the 3 diamond park around my house and the diamonds are empty all summer. I guess young folks don’t play softball anymore. Bowling alleys closing up, small ski bunny hill complex closed down, what do these people do?
Softball and baseball are still big here. I still play and while the league I run has reduced in size demand for the diamonds is more than we can meet. Success in recent years of the Blue Jays ( not last year) created a big increase in minor ball registrations and we had to move our games later in the evening to allow extra time for the kids. Our complexes are full from after school till 11:30 pm.
Bowling .....we had a few places in the area now i believe there is only 1 left in the neighbouring city. Bowling is like golf for many, boring. Ive been to a few fundraisers held at bowling alleys and the music is rockin, drinks and food flowing and people having a good time. Hmmm, almost top golf like I'd say. The bowling alley in town here closed several years ago and is a prayer hall now.
Too many kids now dont play sports, they would rather play video games and spend time on their phones . Phys Ed is now optional in High school. For Those kids who do participate in competitive sports its now become a full year activity . My daughter played rep hockey, rep soccer and competitive gymnastics for a few years. once she got a bit older and playing atbthe highest level the soccer and hockey became such that training became year round with winter elite soccer leagues indoors and summer elite travelling hockey teams. Gynmastics was already year round and 10-15 hours a week. It became too much and in order to play atbthe highest level , most kids need to pick one sport and focus on that. Its certainly different from when I was a kid when hockey players,, even those in the NHL took summers off and went to training camp to get into shape. Not any more.