By Alan M. Watson, President, GOLF+ PCB
This article would be so much easier to write if I had a time machine and could go twenty years into the future. In lieu of that, I will do my best Nostradamus impression and boldly attempt to tell you the future of golf on three fronts: Tour, Retail, and On-Course Play.
I will start with Tour golf as LIV recently made the not-so-surprising announcement that the PFI has pulled funding after the 2026 season. Could the tour continue? It is possible, but without major funding efforts, these pro golfers who have made LIV their home for the past few seasons will be looking to rejoin the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour. And some honestly may not be able to find a home and may have to look at lesser tours like Canada, South America, or even pulling out their diploma from college to see what that will get them in the job market.
Why this all matters is that since LIV became a reality, we have had a less-than-star-studded cast in every professional golf tournament sans the majors. Sure, there are still plenty of stars on the PGA Tour, but without Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau, among others, the leaderboard was missing some star power. Imagine if Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, and Tom Kite had defected from the PGA Tour during Jack Nicklaus’s heyday. We would say, “Oh, well sure he won, but he didn’t even have to face some of his stiffest competition!”
Hopefully, LIV will go away permanently and all the stars can rejoin the PGA Tour. Then we can have full fields of stars playing golf week in and week out. My prediction: LIV is over after 2026 and Bryson wins another major in 2027.
As for retail, the golf landscape is and has been changing for years now. The rise of giant stores like PGA Tour Superstore has happened alongside the cultivation of more boutique fitting shops like mine – GOLF+. Big stores with 2,000-square-foot are putting in greens in one town, and more simulator bays than you can shake a stick at, and in other towns, expert fitters, club-building craftsmen, and mom-and-pop golf retail locations remind golfers that retail isn’t dead yet, just because Amazon exists.
I’ve been in golf retail since 1988. It isn’t easy. It’s damn hard. And with the ease of getting a better selection on things like shoes and clothes online, smaller stores like mine have had to focus on what you can’t get from a website, which is proper fitting and great club repair. And honestly, I don’t mind. I would rather do a few things really well than a whole lot of things halfway. I think our customers appreciate the attention to detail and the level of expertise we bring to help them with their game. Even if we don’t have 5,000 pairs of shoes or a putting green that’s bigger than many people’s homes. My prediction is that large golf shops will stall out and smaller, fitting studios will be the norm for most golfers out club shopping.. And while website shopping won’t go away, things like social shopping on TikTok Shop and Whatnot will take over as the place golfers go to daily to get their fix for shopping and entertainment.
So the elephant in the room with golf in 2026 has to be on-course play. Why, you ask? Well, that is due to the continued expansion of home-based golf simulators that are affordable and the continued growth of simulator room businesses like The Back Nine (which is a franchise with over 217 locations nationwide). Many simulator room businesses choose a theme like a private club, a sports bar, or a hang out spot for casual golfers. Some are franchises, but most are not. Many offer 24/7 access to bays with technology that most golfers can’t afford to put in their homes. The best feature of these facilities is that they are semi-private and air-conditioned. Many new golfers feel less intimidated to go to an indoor room than a course. And the cost is often much less than outdoor golf as well. While I feel like most golfers still prefer outdoor golf if the option exists, many will choose the air-conditioned, no way to lose a ball, data provided by the simulator, takes less time option of a simulator room business in the future. My prediction: In 2027, more facilities will open up to cater to golfers and this will actually expand golf, not hurt it, as more people will be able to play more rounds, although some of those rounds will be digital.
The future of golf is bright but not set in stone. I can’t wait to see what happens!
For more information on Golf +, visit www.gogolfplus.com or stop by the store in Panama City Beach located at 541 N Richard Jackson Blvd.
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