hospitality<\/a> and technology that smooths the entire journey from booking to the 19th hole. The focus is on quality and connection. Whether through elevated service, innovative programming or more inclusive events, the industry is giving players more reasons to come back, not just reasons to show up.<\/p>\n\n\tAnd the player base itself has transformed. Millennials, Gen Z, women and families\u2014groups historically underrepresented in the game\u2014now make up a significant share of the participation boom. With nearly 50 million on- and off-course participants, golf\u2019s ecosystem is broader than ever. Venues like Topgolf, indoor simulators and short courses aren\u2019t distractions from \u201creal golf\u201d; they\u2019re on-ramps. They introduce the sport in fun, frictionless environments and, more often than not, convert those newcomers into committed, long-term players.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe industry\u2019s most successful operators understand this shift. Today\u2019s players prioritize experience, flexibility, authenticity and community. They want social connection and wellness as much as they want competition. Clubs that embrace this mindset are reaping the cultural and financial rewards.<\/p>\n
\n\tThese trends haven\u2019t gone unnoticed. Private equity and institutional investors, often cautious about the golf sector in the past, are now driving record levels of capital into courses, venues, technology and management companies. After a decade-plus during which more than 10% of U.S. courses closed, supply and demand have realigned: Tee sheets are full, membership waitlists are back and new development is being driven by demonstrated need, not speculation.<\/p>\n
\n\tSo yes, golf is back. But it\u2019s not the same boom we saw 25 years ago. This one is smarter. More sustainable. And built on the experiences and values that today\u2019s players care about.<\/p>\n
\n\tThis time, golf isn\u2019t having a moment. It\u2019s building a future.<\/p>\n
\n\tSteve Skinner is CEO of KemperSports, which owns or manages more than 210 golf courses, private clubs, sports venues and destination resorts nationwide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Today\u2019s guest columnist is Steve Skinner, CEO of KemperSports. Golf is booming again, only this time, the momentum…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":445195,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[443],"tags":[49,48,622,41151,968,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-445194","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-golf","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-golf","11":"tag-hospitality","12":"tag-real-estate","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/445194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=445194"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/445194\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/445195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=445194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=445194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=445194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}