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Topgolf Media Networks turns 100+ venues into an ad platform with 42M visits and 28,000 screens, tapping retail media tactics for measurable brand activations.
Photo by kaleb tapp
Topgolf flipped the switch on a new revenue engine on July 16, 2026. The company launched Topgolf Media Networks, a Sponsorship, Media and Licensing division designed to turn more than 100 golf‑and‑dining venues into a connected advertising platform.
The pitch is scale and intent. More than 42 million annual guest visits, over 28,000 digital screens, an email database of 12 million subscribers, and 8 million app downloads that feed targeted campaigns. Brands get in-venue reach, live experiences, and licensed content they can run outside the bays.
This move mirrors a wider shift as nontraditional platforms monetize first-party data. DoorDash Ads introduced AI-powered tools and acquired the Symbiosys ad tech platform to help restaurants and brands drive sales on and off its marketplace. Uber Advertising reported a US$900 million annualized revenue run rate in Q4 2023 and more than 550,000 active advertising merchants, up 75% year-over-year.
Topgolf is applying that playbook to an entertainment setting where guests are already competing, celebrating, and ordering food and drinks.
Topgolf Media Networks trades cookie-cutter sponsorships for tailored brand plays. The company will design programs around a partner’s audience, geography, and goals, then stitch together experiential and digital touchpoints that can be measured across the customer journey.
- In-venue screens and signage across more than 28,000 digital displays
- Live activation opportunities including on-site competitions and events
- Licensing of Topgolf content for retail, broadcast, or digital environments
First-party insights from email and app engagement inform creative and targeting, with reporting built to track movement from awareness to trial and loyalty and to provide attribution beyond single impressions.
“Topgolf has become much more than a place to play golf,” said David McKillips, CEO of Topgolf. The appetite for that kind of measurable, in-the-moment engagement is rising fast.
Sarah Marzano, principal analyst at eMarketer, notes that US retail media ad spending will reach $69.33 billion in 2026, growing 17.8% year-over-year and outpacing social and search ad categories, and attributes this to retailers building closed-loop measurement environments around first-party data. She points to brands seeking immersive contexts where consumer intent and purchase behaviors can be linked directly to ad exposure, which aligns neatly with Topgolf’s active play environment and long dwell times.
The broader media math backs the bet. eMarketer projects US advertisers will allocate $69.33 billion to retail media in 2026, with Amazon Ads commanding 79.7% of that market, and foresees retail media spending reaching $100 billion by 2028 as privacy regulations accelerate reliance on proprietary data.
Grocers like Raley’s, Target through Roundel, and delivery platforms such as DoorDash and Uber Eats show how physical and digital touchpoints can be monetized. Topgolf enters as an experiential network that blends hospitality, sports, and media in one place. The timing is not accidental. Topgolf Callaway Brands, formerly Topgolf’s parent, rebranded to Callaway Golf Company on January 1, 2026 and is targeting a spin-off of Topgolf later this year to unlock shareholder value.
In May 2026, Topgolf executed a round of layoffs affecting hundreds of roles across sales, hospitality, and operations, part of restructuring efforts after private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners acquired majority ownership late in 2025. These pressures make fresh income streams beyond gameplay and food and beverage services more than nice to have.
There are still open questions on measurement inside participatory venues. Licensing adoption outside core facilities could vary by market, and performance of live activations versus static displays will need to be proven. Privacy regimes under GDPR, CCPA, and forthcoming FTC guidelines will shape data governance and targeting precision. Brands and agencies will look for lift analysis tied to in-venue behavioral signals and for reporting that balances creative impact with operational logistics.
Topgolf Media Networks puts the company at the intersection of entertainment, sports, and media, with a platform that mixes physical play and digital intelligence. Advertisers chasing high-touch environments and closed-loop measurement will test whether custom activations inside the bays can deliver sales and loyalty at scale. Eyes will be on the first case studies, plus the broader strategy, including venue expansion and the timing of a potential spinoff. If the early partners see returns, this could mark a new chapter in how hospitality experiences carry media weight.
