Maybe it’s COVID-fatigue, or maybe it’s the doldrums of winter in the days after a brutal cold snap across large parts of the country, because despite COVID concerns rising among the general population, people are already thinking about fun ways to get together. 

In response, CivicScience has taken a look into consumer trends around sports entertainment venues such as Topgolf, a growing venue where adults can hang out, play golf, eat, drink, and socialize. 

At the time of writing, data from the past 90 days show that Topgolf is a popular hangout, as 20% of the Gen Pop has reported having been to a Topgolf or similar establishment. On the other hand, nearly two-fifths (39%) report they that haven’t heard of these types of entertainment venues, implying room for growth for the model. 

Those enjoying Topgolf and similar facilities tend to skew male, younger, and dwell in cities. Surprisingly, there is a bump among fans who make between $25k-$50k that comes second only to those in the highest income grouping.

Perhaps most interestingly, venues such as Topgolf are most popular among sports fans who most closely follow the MLB and NHL, but not as much among NFL or NBA fans. 

NASCAR fans are the least likely to have tried out or have any interest in trying out Topgolf facilities, which is interesting, because if the Topgolf-type experience were to be translated to another sport, NASCAR / Formula 1 is the leading option among the Gen Pop.

Perhaps NASCAR, like with golf, falls under the sentiment of “more fun to play than watch,” or maybe some form of racing cars is something easier to do while socializing, as compared to playing hockey or soccer. 

Regardless, perhaps because of continued COVID concerns, or maybe due to cost or convenience, the vast majority of people see sports entertainment venues as remaining a mostly niche market going forward. 

Surprisingly, the fun thing about sports entertainment venues going forward, is that they could be avenues for less common sports to become more popular.

And while that would be an interesting and likely unintended result of sports entertainment venues, this concept is mostly driven by younger consumers, who may already be more predisposed to sports outside of the big four leagues. 

But maybe there is an outside shot that we’ll see the rise of the national handball association as a direct result of Topgolf and other sports entertainment venues. CivicScience will keep its thumb on the pulse of these types of facilities as they continue to grow.