What is Off-course Golf? Everything about the golfing format

There has never been a better time than now to be a golf fan. While players on the PGA Tour continue to make noise with every passing event, the introduction of LIV Golf has further added excitement to the sport. Among all such trending formats of the game, another format, Off-course golf, is taking center stage.

Amid its growing popularity, several fans have had questions about the off-course golf format. To answer the same, off-course golf is played away from the traditional 18-hole golf course. This means it's played at venues like driving ranges, golf simulators and mini-golf courses.

The reason off-course golf is getting so popular in recent times is due to the faster-paced play it offers as compared to traditional golf. It is also less expensive and thus a greater number of people can play it.

As per a report by the National Golf Foundation in 2021, the participation of people in off-course golf increased by 23% over the previous five years. 4 years ago, the off-course participant pool witnessed a gain of 1 million, almost twice the jump when compared to on-course golfers.

---

A prominent Off-course golf figure addresses the format's rise

As mentioned earlier, off-course golf has different formats in which players can enjoy the game. One such format is the driving range which is becoming increasingly popular. Among the many driving ranges around the world, TopGolf is a high-tech driving range chain that has become very popular.

In 2023, TopGolf Callaway Brands president and CEO Chip Brewer spoke about the rise of off-course golf in an interview with Financial Times. Brewer highlighted a stat that reveals how the new format of golf is competing with traditional golf.

Brewer said:

"In the US, off-course golf is already larger than on-course golf, (28 million versus 25 million) and it is structurally set to grow more quickly. To illustrate this: by opening 11 venues per year, Topgolf alone will add three to four million new off-course golfers per year. And Topgolf alone will have more unique participants than all on-course golf in the next few years."

Since 2022, the number of Americans participating in off-course golf events has increased by 19%. The National Golf Foundation has also reported a growth of 73% since 2019 in the number of Americans who participate in simulator golf. These stats hint at the fact that this format is here to stay.

Apart from this, The National Golf Foundation also added that 65% of the golfers first played a form of off-course golf before they tried their hand at on-course golf. The format has also become popular in the UK and Ireland with 11.4 million out of the 16.3 million golfers being off-course golfers exclusively.