GBR Wednesday | Ball Tracking to Bottom Line: How Modern Driving Ranges Are Adding Six-Figure Revenue
Connecting the dots across golf’s business, media, and professional landscape
We start with some bad news.
A divorce, to be precise. Bryson DeChambeau and LA Golf are going their separate ways. The problem isn’t the product, and DeChambeau will continue to use LA Golf shafts. The split comes as a result of irreconcilable differences in ownership, with DeChambeau seeking a controlling stake in the business, which CEO Reed Dickens wasn’t willing to concede.
A relationship that is continuing to go strong is between Ping and the PGA of GB&I. A relationship that has already lasted thirty years has been extended by another five years as Ping continues to support trainee professionals.
The PGA of GB&I is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, and it was an organization I was proud to be part of.
Elsewhere, a new report by driving range technology experts, Power Tee, looks at seven ways that revenue can be increased in the coming year.
I sometimes feel that golf ranges get left behind as golf entertainment venues are on the increase. I think both are vital for the health of the game, and the insight from Power Tee is valuable for anybody running a driving range, and looking to maximize returns.
In the professional game, a new report from Money In Sport sheds light on the money being put into LIV Golf by PIF, since the league began in 2022. Can the money keep going? Has money been recouped as a result of Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed being the two high-profile leavers of LIV Golf earlier this year?
Enjoy today’s newsletter.
POWER TEE’S SEVEN STRATEGIES TO HELP DRIVING RANGES GROW REVENUE IN 2026
A new industry report by Power Tee outlines seven practical strategies for driving ranges seeking revenue growth in 2026, highlighting modernization, automation, and pricing models as key levers for profitability.
With participation rising and golfers spending more on both practice and entertainment-led formats, the report notes that ranges can expand income by investing in ball-tracking systems such as Toptracer, Trackman Range, or Inrange to increase dwell time and food-and-beverage spend.
Power Tee found that when ranges implemented their technology into their facilities, revenue was boosted by 10–25% while reducing labor costs, and creating premium bay upgrades that can generate significant annual returns.
Power Tee provides an example, where adding six premium bays at a $10 hourly uplift with four hours of daily use could yield $86,400 annually, while extending operating hours with improved lighting across 20 bays could add up to $216,000 per year.
The report also recommends flexible “buy the bucket” and hourly pricing models during peak times, expanded memberships and bundled packages for recurring revenue, and operational efficiencies such as digital scheduling and POS upsells to increase spend per visit, concluding that even adopting two or three of these measures can deliver measurable gains in revenue, customer satisfaction, and operational performance. The full report can be accessed here.
BRYSON DECHAMBEAU AND LA GOLF SPLIT AFTER OWNERSHIP TALKS BREAK DOWN
Bryson DeChambeau and LA Golf have formally ended their partnership after negotiations over majority ownership collapsed, with CEO Reed Dickens confirming discussions stalled when DeChambeau’s consultant sought a 51% stake that the company declined to grant.
DeChambeau, who had 14 LA Golf shafts in his bag during his U.S. Open victories in 2020 and 2024, remains a customer but is no longer an ambassador. Dickens said the company could not structure its business around the bespoke demands of a single player. “Bryson needs someone serving him 24 hours a day… and that’s not scalable for us,” he said, describing their collaboration as an extended R&D phase in which DeChambeau “challenges everything you do.”
The split comes as LA Golf restructures its business model, reducing staff from 75 to 50 employees and shifting from premium wholesale distribution to a direct-to-consumer strategy focused on U.S.-made, high-end equipment, simplified shaft fitting, and performance gains on mishits through its bulge-and-roll face designs. More insight from Reed Dickens’ side can be found in Michael Bamberger’s article for Golf.com.
TURTLESON RENEWS PARTNERSHIP WITH 59CLUB TO SUPPORT GLOBAL SERVICE STANDARDS
Turtleson has renewed its partnership with 59club, extending a collaboration focused on the brand’s shared objectives of service excellence and international growth across key golf markets.
The U.S.-based apparel brand served as the presenting partner of 59club’s inaugural Global Service Excellence Awards held at the Belfry, West Midlands, England, last year, and presented at last month’s USA Service Excellence Awards during PGA Show week.
“Our ongoing partnership with 59club is a reflection of our belief that providing excellent customer service is the foundation of meaningful growth,” said Greg Oakley, co-founder and CEO of Turtleson, adding that alignment with service-led partners supports its expanding global footprint.
59club CEO Simon Wordworth said the brands share a commitment to raising standards across the club sector: “Our shared belief that elevated service is the foundation of strong relationships allows us to work together to support clubs around the globe and deliver world-class experiences.”
PGA AND PING EXTEND PRINCIPAL PARTNERSHIP FOR FIVE MORE YEARS
The PGA of Great Britain and Ireland has agreed a five-year extension of its Principal Partnership with Ping, continuing a collaboration that began in 1996 and has supported the education and professional development of PGA Trainees and Members for three decades.
The partnership originally saw Ping sponsor The PGA Training Academy at The Belfry, now known as Ping House, which has become central to the PGA Training Programme, delivering instruction in product engineering and custom fitting to more than 300 trainees annually.
Ping’s involvement spans the full membership journey, from trainee education to ongoing development through PGA Learn, alongside equipment provision, apparel for education staff, and support of PGA events and awards.
“Ping has been one of our longest-standing and most impactful partners,” said Richard Barker, the Executive Director of Business Development at The PGA, while Executive Director of Education Paul Wiseman noted that Ping House has provided “an outstanding learning environment for Trainees year after year.”
Lisa Lovatt, Managing Director of Ping Europe, added that PGA Professionals remain “an incredibly important part of our retail business,” highlighting the role of custom fitting and education in helping golfers find the right equipment. The renewal comes as the PGA prepares to mark its 125th anniversary in 2026.
GCSAA CONFERENCE AND TRADE SHOW NAMED AMONG AMERICA’S FASTEST-GROWING EVENTS
The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) Conference and Trade Show has been recognized by Trade Show Executive as one of the fastest-growing trade shows in the United States.
The GCSAA earned a place on the TSE Next 50 list for 2025, which ranks events 51st through 100th based on growth in net square feet of exhibit space, number of exhibitors, and attendance. The 2025 show, held in San Diego, received the recognition, with the final Fastest 50 rankings to be announced in April. Momentum continued at the 2026 event in Orlando (Feb. 2–5), where attendance rose for a fourth consecutive year to 12,824 (up 15% year over year), a record 8,074 seminar seats were filled, and the trade show expanded to 523 exhibitors (from 464 in 2025) across 178,600 square feet of exhibit space (up 16%).
The event also spotlighted the Centennial of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, which turns 100 on Sept. 13, 2026. “Seeing continued growth in both attendance and exhibitors speaks to the strength of our industry,” said GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans.
The annual event is produced by GCSAA with presenting partners Golf Course Builders Association of America, United States Golf Association, and American Society of Golf Course Architects, and will move to New Orleans, Jan. 15–21, 2027, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center to conclude the Centennial celebration.
PGA TOUR NAMES PAM OFFICIAL SMART MAP PARTNER THROUGH 2030
The PGA Tour has announced a strategic investment and multi-year marketing partnership with PAM, designating the Sydney and Los Angeles-headquartered firm as the Official Smart Map and Official Smart Map Technology of the PGA Tour through 2030.
The agreement, which launches this week at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, will integrate PAM’s digital interactive mapping and signage across tournament venues to enhance fan navigation and operational efficiency. The platform uses digital maps, mobile phones, websites, and on-site signage to improve wayfinding, routing, ridesharing, security, and workforce coordination for vendors and volunteers.
A test deployment at last season’s Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club allowed spectators to access a 3D modeled map via QR code; more than 40% of attendees engaged with the system. “We are excited to partner with PAM to better connect our PGA Tour fans with the events and communities in which we play,” said John Norris, the Tour’s senior vice president of events.
The partnership also includes a strategic equity investment by the PGA Tour in PAM, with the Tour receiving two board seats and contributing to a case study analyzing fan movement and efficiency across venues. The collaboration supports the Tour’s Fan Forward initiative, launched in 2024 and informed by feedback from more than 50,000 fans, aimed at refining the spectator experience. “Our role is to make those environments feel intuitive,” said PAM CEO Stephen Minning, noting that improved navigation encourages longer stays and deeper engagement. Lance Stover, PGA Tour senior vice president of new ventures and a PAM board member, described the investment as backing an “international leader in smart navigation.”
Founded in 2016 during the development of Hollywood Park and SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, PAM positions itself as a fully digital wayfinding system integrating operational, environmental, and experiential elements across large-scale venues.
LIV GOLF SPENDING PROJECTED TO EXCEED $6 BILLION
With LIV Golf two events into its fifth season, total funding from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is projected to surpass $6 billion by the end of 2026, according to new figures from Money in Sport.
The PIF’s investment has already reached at least $5.3 billion following a $266.6 million capital injection approved on February 1st by Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan. The report states that in 2024 and 2025, LIV’s net spending averaged approximately $100 million per month, financed through regular PIF contributions. Financial disclosures show that LIV Golf Ltd., the U.K.-based entity overseeing non-U.S. operations, recorded losses of $461.8 million in 2024, while U.S.-based LIV Golf Inc., which manages domestic tournaments, remains privately held and does not publish financial results.
Tournament prize money and player compensation remain the league’s largest expenses. Since launching in 2022, LIV is expected to have paid roughly $1.9 billion in purses and bonuses by the end of this year, including just over $500 million allocated for the 2026 season as event purses increase to $32.3 million from $25 million in each of the previous four seasons.
Several headline signings, including Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, and Cam Smith, reportedly secured nine-figure contracts, with numerous early recruits earning at least $10 million. Additional costs include tournament staging and broadcast production, though those figures are not public. The figures reflect revenue streams that include sponsorship agreements, international media rights, ticket and merchandise sales, and host-market government contracts. In January, league executives said they were laying the “groundwork” to sell ownership stakes in the league’s 13 teams, targeting $1 billion valuations per franchise.
LIV GOLF AND BEYOND SPORTS LAUNCH FANTASY PLATFORM AND LIV X GAMING HUB
LIV Golf and Beyond Sports have unveiled LIV Golf Fantasy and LIV X, two interactive gaming products designed to expand fan engagement across the league’s 14-event global season.
The collaboration marks Beyond Sports’ first venture into golf and introduces a free-to-play, season-long fantasy competition featuring hole-by-hole scoring, late-entry flexibility that counts a player’s best four results across the first six events, expert picks and lineup reminders, and 15 prizes awarded during the season, accessible via fantasy.livgolf.com.
LIV X, available at livx.livgolf.com, serves as a digital hub offering quizzes, daily games, event-specific competitions, and polls, with users earning points, unlocking tiered rewards, and accessing benefits such as presale ticket opportunities and professional swing analysis through Beyond Sports’ loyalty platform. “The launch of our LIV Golf Fantasy game takes a major step forward in how we are using technology to drive fan engagement,” said LIV Golf Chief Technology Officer Denise Taylor, while Luke Guppy, Head of.PLAY at Beyond Sports added: “You don’t have to play golf to be a golf fan.” The initiative forms part of a multi-year effort to deepen digital interaction and leverage Beyond Sports’ Playbook toolkit and data-driven gamification strategy to build sustained fan loyalty.
CALLAWAY INTRODUCES OPUS SP+ WEDGES
Callaway Golf has unveiled the Opus SP+, the latest addition to its Opus SP wedge family, featuring a re-engineered three-piece construction (tungsten, MIM face, and cast 8620 body) designed to raise the center of gravity and increase spin and control.
Available at retail from March 6 at $229.99 per wedge, the Opus SP+ incorporates a Spin Pocket construction that is 25% larger than the standard Opus SP, along with 23% more tungsten positioned in the topline compared to Opus Platinum to elevate CG and promote a more penetrating launch.
The model introduces a new 17° groove angle with tighter pitch spacing and a deeper cross-hatch laser pattern under the Spin Gen 2.0 system to enhance friction and deliver more consistent spin across varied lies. Tour-inspired Shape 6 geometry, described as the sixth and final iteration of the Opus prototype phase, offers refined leading-edge shaping and sole design, while grind options include Z Grind (low bounce), a new X Grind (maximum greenside versatility), and S Grind (all-purpose).
Stock specifications include D5 swingweights in lob and sand wedges (D3 in gap and pitching wedges), True Temper DG S200 shafts, and True Temper Icon Velvet grips.