GBR Weekly | Why Brooks Koepka Leaving LIV Golf Doesn’t Mean the League Is Failing
Connecting the dots across golf’s business, media, and professional landscape.
Good morning GBR community,
Happy New Year to you all!
I hope you all had an enjoyable festive period and are ready for a successful 2026.
January is always a busy time in the golf industry calendar. We have a raft of new equipment launches. To start with, we’ll look at TaylorMade’s new offering for 2026, the Qi4D.
As I write this, we are less than two weeks away from the 2026 PGA Show in Orlando. The annual get-together brings its usual mix of innovations, education, and fashion, along with the priceless networking opportunities.
There are numerous announcements of companies and products debuting or following up on previous successful visits. Today, we’ll highlight On-Pin and PLATFORM Golf, the latter claiming Best In Show honors at last year’s PGA Show.
If you are attending, let me know in the comments, maybe we can meet up.
Elsewhere, we look at the annoucement this week of the WTGL, which will debut next winter.
Brooks Koepka announced his debarture from LIV Golf over the festive period and Bryson DeChambeau is unsure whether he will be signing an extension to his existing deal. Does this spell trouble for LIV Golf? We’ll assess how things might pan out in our big read.
Enjoy the first GBR of 2026.
TOPGOLF AND GOLF LIVE FORM ALLIANCE TO EXPAND DIGITAL COACHING
Topgolf and Golf Live have announced a strategic alliance designed to integrate in-person instruction with virtual coaching across Topgolf’s global footprint, with the aim of creating a unified, technology-driven learning ecosystem for golfers.
Under the agreement, players who purchase a Topgolf Coach Lesson will use the Golf Live app to book in-person or virtual sessions, access coach feedback, live streams, and recorded lessons, and engage with digital instructional content, with each lesson delivering 60 minutes of one-to-one coaching. Golf Live CEO and co-founder Keith Scioli said the partnership aims to expand access to world-class instruction “anytime, anywhere,” while Topgolf Las Vegas Director of Instruction Lindsay Hoskins noted the platform enables seamless real-time swing analysis for both in-bay and remote lessons.
Topgolf Senior Operations Program Manager Taylor Nemeth added that Golf Live was selected for its ability to streamline instruction operations and align with Topgolf’s long-term vision for growth and innovation, strengthening the brand’s position across both golf instruction and entertainment.
The full rollout is scheduled for February after initial trials began with the Golf Live app in December. The Golf Live app is available to download for IOS and Android devices. More details of all the features on the Golf Live are available here.
ON-PIN UNVEILS AI-DRIVEN PACE-OF-PLAY UPGRADE AHEAD OF PGA SHOW 2026
On-Pin will debut major enhancements to its patented Verifeye platform at the 2026 PGA Show, introducing an AI-powered Pace-of-Play Lifecycle designed to help golf clubs proactively manage round flow, reduce delays, and improve the on-course experience across all 18 holes.
Building on Verifeye’s existing passive individual RFID tracking, the new release applies artificial intelligence to round management through a three-stage model that spans pre-round prediction, in-round live monitoring, and post-round analytics, allowing operators to identify risks earlier, respond faster, and continuously optimize performance. Before play begins, AI analyzes historical player data, golfer behaviour, and course conditions to forecast likely slow groups, enabling proactive interventions such as spacing adjustments, reminders, or targeted marshal deployment.
During play, real-time maps track individuals, groups, and carts with colour-coded alerts highlighting emerging bottlenecks, while post-round reports surface trends, pinpoint systemic delays, and recommend changes to tee sheets and operational strategies. According to On-Pin, Verifeye customers have reduced average round times by up to 21 minutes, uncovered tee-sheet planning inaccuracies of 15–20 percent, and enabled leading private clubs to add more than 1,500 incremental rounds annually while maintaining sub-four-hour rounds. If you are attending the PGA Show, you’ll find more details for On-Pin here.
PLATFORM GOLF SET FOR PGA SHOW RETURN AFTER BREAKOUT 2025 DEBUT
PLATFORM Golf will return to the PGA Show, showcasing its award-winning TrueSlope™, TrueBreak™, and TruePR™ technologies following a high-profile debut at the 2025 event.
After being recognised as one of the show’s standout innovations last year, PLATFORM Golf will demonstrate how its technology brings authentic slope, green break, and performance data into simulator golf, capabilities previously unavailable indoors, while highlighting its Singularity for Simulated Golf (SSG) solution, which integrates putting, full-swing, and performance data into a single environment. Fully integrated with Science & Motion and presented alongside partners including TruGolf, the platform has drawn praise from elite coaches, with eight-time PGA TOUR winner and putting coach Brad Faxon noting on Golf Channel that it allows players to experience up to four degrees of slope indoors, calling it “a transformational step forward for training and player development.
PLATFORM Golf is looking to build on a strong 2025, which included “Best in Show” honors and a Sky Sports Golf broadcast partnership at The Open at Royal Portrush. More details of PLATFORM Golf’s technology can be found here.
FIVE IRON GOLF OPENS FIRST TENNESSEE VENUE IN NASHVILLE
Five Iron Golf has opened its first Nashville location, marking the brand’s debut in Tennessee with a 14,500-square-foot venue owned and operated by franchise partners Peter McCormick and Alex Zega.
The Music City site features 11 Trackman simulators offering access to more than 300 courses worldwide, alongside Five Iron Golf’s familiar mix of certified coaching, Swing Evaluations, private and group instruction, and Callaway Tour Fitting, while also serving as a hub for the world’s largest indoor golf league, junior clinics, women’s initiatives, and community events. Designed to blend training with entertainment, the venue includes multisport games, augmented-reality darts, lounge seating, a full-service bar, and food offerings suited to social gatherings and corporate functions.
“This location was designed to be more than a place to play, it’s a space to practice, compete, connect, and spend time together,” said CEO and co-founder Jared Solomon, while Peter McCormick added that the focus was on pairing “high-quality golf alongside great hospitality and a social energy that fits the city.” The opening includes a limited Founding Membership for the first 100 members. The Nashville opening is part of a wider plan for McCormick and Zega, who will continue expanding Five Iron’s U.S. footprint with further openings planned in Louisville and Miami. More details of the new Nashville venue can be found through the Five Iron Golf official press release here.
AM GOLF LAUNCHES ALL-IN-ONE PLATFORM FOR GOLFERS AND OPERATORS IN NORTH AMERICA
AM GOLF has launched across the U.S. and Canada, positioning itself as the first all-in-one app for golfers alongside affordable, streamlined management software for golf courses, clubs, and related golf businesses.
AM GOLF has seen success across seventeen countries in Europe, with a system that is designed as a single destination platform that allows golfers to manage official handicaps, book tee times, register for tournaments, communicate with playing partners, track performance and scores, and buy or sell equipment, while operators gain access to intuitive business tools that avoid the complexity and cost of larger, multi-screen systems.
AM GOLF also supports golf associations and tours with in-app tools for membership, handicaps, and events, and provides manufacturers and service providers access to a highly engaged golfer audience. “The rapid adoption among our four distinct yet overlapping user bases has been extraordinary,” said co-founder and CTO Adrian Satmarel, noting that users can now manage their professional and personal golf needs “in one place versus the complexity of several apps and screens.”
Where AM GOLF believes its system can flourish is to solve what it sees as long-standing industry frustrations, such as golfers juggling dozens of single-purpose apps and operators relying on multiple siloed systems, by consolidating core functions into one integrated platform. More details of the AM GOLF platform can be found here.
HERITAGE GOLF GROUP ADDS SOUTHERN HILLS PLANTATION CLUB IN FLORIDA EXPANSION
Heritage Golf Group has completed the acquisition of the Pete Dye-designed Southern Hills Plantation Club from managing partner MG Orender, marking the fourth and final transaction in a multi-club agreement that also included The Plantation Golf & Country Club, Country Club of Ocala, and The Palencia Club, which closed in late October.
The deal increases Heritage’s national portfolio to 47 clubs, including 13 in Florida, with ten of them on the state’s West Coast. “The addition of Southern Hills Plantation Club further strengthens our presence in Florida,” said Jim Oliver, Chief Operating Officer of Heritage Golf Group, adding that early capital improvement plans are under discussion and will be shaped by member and team feedback to ensure future enhancements align with the club’s culture and priorities. Golf Course Industry.
LPGA AND TMRW SPORTS LAUNCH WTGL
LPGA and TMRW Sports have announced the creation of WTGL, a new women’s team golf platform set to launch in winter 2026–27, featuring LPGA Tour stars.
Hosted at the custom-built SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, WTGL will mirror key elements of the men’s TGL presented by SoFi, which means we’ll see the same short-form competition, mic’d-up players, technology-driven shot data, and in-match strategy, while providing an additional global stage for women’s golf. “WTGL brings that spirit of innovation to the women’s game and creates another global stage for our athletes,” said LPGA Commissioner Craig Kessler, while TMRW Sports founder and CEO Mike McCarley described the league as a “modern, media-focused version” of golf aimed at engaging new audiences and complementing the LPGA Tour’s global reach.
Further details on teams, format, and participants will be announced in the coming months. LPGA press release.
Further reading:
The newly announced WTGL will operate on its own schedule and is expected to align closely with the LPGA offseason to avoid direct competition, according to reporting by GOLFWEEK, as organisers prioritise building a distinct platform to showcase players and grow new stars. Mike McCarley, co-founder of TMRW Sports and CEO of TGL, said there is “a possibility down the road” of LPGA and PGA Tour players sharing a stage, though the immediate focus remains on developing WTGL as a standalone product that highlights athlete personality and performance. LPGA Commissioner Craig Kessler has emphasised the need to “develop more stars,” describing the tour’s future as players who sit at the intersection of on-course success, marketability, and willingness to engage with fans, a goal supported by WTGL’s fully mic’d-up broadcast format.
MICHELOB ULTRA NAMED DP WORLD TOUR’S FIRST OFFICIAL BEER PARTNER
The DP World Tour has signed a partnership with Michelob ULTRA, marking the first time the Tour has appointed an Official Beer Partner, as the brand activates across key events to enhance fan engagement worldwide. Under the agreement,
Michelob ULTRA will deliver custom pouring and fan experiences at tournaments, including the Genesis Scottish Open, FedEx Open de France, and BMW PGA Championship, while also supporting digital and social content across the Tour’s platforms. “Golf perfectly embodies the balanced, active lifestyle that Michelob ULTRA stands for,” said Richard Oppy, Global President of Premium Brands at AB InBev, adding that the partnership will bring fans closer to the game they love. Guy Kinnings, CEO of the DP World Tour, said Michelob ULTRA’s global reach and focus on fan experience made it an ideal partner as the Tour continues to grow its international footprint. DP World Tour press release.
TNT SPORTS SECURES MULTI-YEAR UK AND IRELAND BROADCAST DEAL FOR LIV GOLF
TNT Sports has agreed a new multi-year partnership to broadcast the LIV Golf League across the UK and Ireland from January 2026, with all 14 global events shown live on TNT Sports channels and streaming platform discovery+.
Coverage begins February 4–7 with the season opener at LIV Golf Riyadh, played under lights at Riyadh Golf Club, as part of a 14-event calendar, including the league’s first stop in South Africa, alongside tournaments in Adelaide, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mexico, the U.S., Spain, and Great Britain.
The 2026 season will debut the newly-agreed four-day, 72-hole format, in a move that will help bolster the league’s chances of securing official world ranking points.
Scott Young, EVP at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said the deal adds “some of the world’s best male golfers” to TNT Sports’ premium portfolio, while LIV Golf SVP Örjan Olsson called the partnership “a historic moment” that will deliver sharper storytelling and broader access for UK fans. Further broadcast and scheduling details are expected in the coming weeks. LIV Golf press release.
TAYLORMADE REVEALS 2026 QI4D DRIVER FAMILY
TaylorMade has announced its 2026 Qi4D driver family—Qi4D, Qi4D LS, Qi4D Max, and Qi4D Max Lite—positioning the range as its fastest and most adjustable driver lineup to date, with a continued focus on aerodynamics, carbon-face construction, and a reimagined fitting approach.
Built within the company’s “Carbonwood Era,” the Qi4D drivers feature a redesigned carbon face, a new roll radius to reduce spin variability on high and low strikes, and a re-engineered cut-through Speed Pocket to improve flexibility and ball speed on low-face impacts. Extensive aerodynamic modelling informed each head shape to reduce drag while maintaining stability across different player profiles.
The headline change comes with the debut of TaylorMade’s new REAX shaft system, which fits golfers based on swing rotation rate rather than traditional flex labels, following analysis of more than 11 million driver shots. Golfers are grouped into three profiles:
High (Active)
Mid (Balanced)
Low (Hold)
With each Qi4D model paired to REAX shafts featuring tip stiffness designed to match delivery through impact, rotation rate can be identified using a single face-on swing video, according to TaylorMade. The Qi4D line is available now for pre-order and at retail from January 29, priced at $649.99 ($699 with a launch monitor-enabled head), with loft, shaft, and grip options varying across the four models. TaylorMade Golf.
LIV After Koepka
Brooks Koepka’s departure forces LIV Golf into a more revealing phase, where star power, Saudi capital, and media strategy matter more than disruption, and where the league’s long-term shape comes into focus.
When Brooks Koepka confirmed he would leave LIV Golf at the end of the 2025 season, it was tempting to read the decision as a verdict. Add Bryson DeChambeau openly questioning whether he will sign a new contract, and the storyline seems ready-made: stars drifting away, momentum slowing, doubts returning.
But that reading misses something important. LIV Golf is no longer in its insurgent phase. What it is experiencing now is a far more conventional, and arguably more revealing, stage in the life of any heavily capitalised sports property: consolidation.
