Topgolf slashes prices in bid to bring more customers in the door

In a push to increase foot traffic, Topgolf will cut gameplay rates by more than 20% on average nationwide, company officials said Monday. 

That includes the Topgolf in Holtsville, where prices for an hourly bay to access a driving range start at $19.99 per hour during the day on weekdays. The permanent price cuts were implemented at all 103 U.S. locations on Monday in direct response to customer feedback, company officials said in a news release.

"After joining Topgolf in February, I spent my first 100 days visiting our more than 100 U.S. venues and I heard a common theme from our guests: our experience is unmatched, from high-quality food to games and the ability to connect through friendly competition, but our prices are too high to keep them coming back," said David McKillips, Topgolf CEO, in a statement. "I want our guests to know that we heard them and are now introducing our lowest prices ever."

McKillips has built a career leading entertainment companies through financial crises, including Six Flags Theme Parks and Chuck E. Cheese. 

Callaway Golf Company sold 60% of its Topgolf shares in January to private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners, L.P. McKillips joined Topgolf a month later and has announced several changes to the company. 

Besides price cuts, the sports entertainment company also plans add to its food and drink menus, and establish new arcade games at all U.S. venues by the end of the year.

The Holtsville Topgolf opened less than a mile from Exit 62 off the Long Island Expressway in 2021, Newsday has reported.

The three-story, 70,000-square-foot facility includes 102 bays with access to a 215-yard outdoor driving range, where golf balls are tracked with a radio frequency identification chip to digitally calculate scores, Newsday reported. Players can order food and drinks from the bays, or eat and drink in other parts of the venue. 

The pandemic delayed the opening of the Holtsville location, a $45 million project and the first Topgolf in New York State, Newsday previously reported.

By Brianne Ledda

brianne.ledda@newsday.com@brianne_ledda

Brianne Ledda covers personal finance and affordability for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.