Twin brothers Steve and Dave Jolliffe had sold their mystery shopping business and were looking for a new project in 1997.
[2] Alexandria, Virginia was selected due to its close proximity to Washington, D.C., which could attract government officials from golf courses.
The next Topgolf location, Dallas, was selected for its connection to golf, a warmer environment, and Fortune 500 companies.
With an energetic Dallas staff in February 2007, Grogan and Main brainstormed a number of low-tech marketing techniques to draw customers as they needed to explain Topgolf like in the UK.
[5] On June 23, 2016, it was announced that Village Roadshow would open a venue next door to its popular theme park, Warner Bros. Movie World in Oxenford, Queensland in Australia.
In August 2018, Topgolf Australia reduced its stake in the joint venture from 33% to 3.7% with options to boost its share back up to 33% before December 31, 2020.
Despite this action, Village Roadshow CEO Clark Kirby said the company continues to actively pursue other locations after encouraging financial results from Topgolf Australia.
[10] Topgolf gave the Seattle area a preview of the venue with its first Crush event at T-Mobile Park in February 2017.
[11] On April 9, 2019, the company announced the first location for a new smaller version of its venue, Topgolf Lounge, in Kirkland, Washington[12] and it opened in January 2020.
[14][15][16] In September of 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor forced Topgolf to pay 255 employees in 25 states, over $750,000 in back wages for unpaid overtime.
[17] In June of 2024, Lounge by Topgolf was shut down and sold to Five Iron Golf, a company that is partly owned by Topgolf/Callaway Brands.
[20] In October 2023, Topgolf Callaway successfully completed the acquisition of its competitor, BigShots Golf, for a sum of $29 million.
[21] This strategic maneuver entailed a significant financial commitment, as Topgolf acquired four operational BigShots venues in the United States at the cost of approximately $29 million.
Furthermore, the agreement encompasses the potential rights for developing additional locations, signaling a commitment to future expansion.
[23] There are multiple Topgolf game variations, the micro chipped golf balls score themselves, providing players with instant feedback on each shot's accuracy and distance.
[5] Each Topgolf venue features climate-controlled hitting bays for year-round play, food, beverage, music and HDTVs on which various sports games are shown, such as football, basketball and golf.