💰 3 Golf Businesses Set to Explode in 2026

September 15, 1985 — Europe won the Ryder Cup for the first time at The Belfry, ending a 28-year drought and igniting the modern era of one of sport’s greatest rivalries.

The PGA Tour is entering a new era. Not just competitively, but structurally - unveiling two financial-stability initiatives designed to protect rising talent and seasoned pros navigating one of the most competitive ecosystems in sport.

With the Tour shrinking the number of fully exempt cards from 125 to just 100 in 2026, the timing could not be more significant.

That contraction has already claimed big names. Ireland’s Séamus Power offered a stark reminder of how fine the margins have become - finishing 117th in the FedExCup standings, missing out on full exemption for 2026, and shifting into a conditional category that should earn him around 20 starts next season. In today’s landscape, one or two swings can redirect an entire career.

This tightening at the top has forced the Tour - now under the leadership of newly appointed CEO Brian Rolapp - to rethink how it supports the players climbing the ladder and those fighting to stay on it. The result: two new programs aimed at giving pros a more predictable financial runway.

How the PGA Tour’s New Support Programs Work

Member Support Program

Pathways Player Achievement Grant

These programs are funded through a reallocation of the Tour’s 2022 Earnings Assurance Program - the same one that previously provided $500,000 advances to fully exempt players. With far fewer pros now holding full status, those advances will shrink dramatically, freeing up capital to support the broader talent pipeline instead.

Separately, the Korn Ferry Tour has announced two competition-focused changes for 2026: distance-measuring devices will be allowed year-round, and its stricter pace-of-play policy (one bad time = one-shot penalty) will be fully enforced. Both signal an acceleration of the Tour’s modernisation push.

In a sport where expenses mount and margins shrink, the message behind these changes is clear: sustaining elite talent requires stability. For the first time, the PGA Tour is treating financial security as part of performance infrastructure - not an optional extra.

By Albert Lindsell & Oliver Wilson

In the past, golf and fitness weren't closely linked, but that's changed dramatically since the pandemic. In the last 5 years we've seen a surge in golfers embracing fitness to improve their Athletic ability for golf, whether it’s yoga, Pilates, or strength training. 

Now, golfers of any age can keep a stronger, more powerful swing for longer, thanks to all the modern experiment, science and expertise tools at our fingertips.

To show what this evolution truly looks like, Ryder Cup champion Oliver Wilson explains how Club Condor’s fitness space will redefine the way golfers train for modern performance.

Club Condor is designed to be the ultimate training ground for golfers.

Our gym and wellness space gives you the rare opportunity to train and recover the same way the best players in the world do every day. Members will have access to a full spectrum of performance tools from traditional strength and conditioning equipment to a dedicated plyo zone, Pilates, cardio, cold plunge pools, sauna, and a complete relaxation and recovery suite with compression technology.

But the real difference isn’t just the equipment, it’s the expertise behind it. Our S&C coaches bring true Tour level knowledge, working with each member to build bespoke, measurable programs that elevate athletic ability and, ultimately, performance on the course.

Over the last 20 years, I’ve worked relentlessly on every part of my game, and the physical side has always been at the heart of it. Daily strength training, mobility work, consistent physio, and continual testing and measuring helped me play longer and stay healthier and relatively injury free, and even get faster as I got older. Without tracking progress and connecting all these pieces, improvement is very hard.

That’s exactly what Club Condor delivers.

Every insight I’ve gained throughout my career has been built into this facility so our members can train with purpose, improve efficiently, and reach their goals with clarity.

Most golfers judge their performance against a fantasy version of “pro golf” - laser irons, fairways split on command, wedges to tap-in range.

The reality, when you see how the best players on the planet really perform, you suddenly understand why Arccos is the most important upgrade in amateur golf today.

1. Pros miss way more than you think

The myth: “Pros hit every iron stiff.”
The data:

In other words:
Tour pros live in 20–40 feet — not 6–10.

So your “bad shot” that ends up 35 feet?
That’s exactly where the world’s best finish from that distance.

2. They miss fairways — a lot

PGA Tour fairways hit: 56–62%.
Big hitters? ~50–55%.

Why it works: their misses are controlled.

Arccos fixes this instantly: it gives you your true left/right bias, dispersion cone, and the high-probability target line that quietly saves 3–5 shots a round.

3. Pros play percentages, not hero golf

From 220+ yards into a par 5: Only ~30% of pros hit the green.

From 250+ yards? Under 15%.

Yet amateurs fire 3-woods over ponds like they’re auditioning for a Netflix series.

4. Club distances are everything

A tour pro’s 7-iron varies ±3 yards.
An amateur’s 7-iron varies 25–35 yards.

That’s the entire difference between:

Arccos gives you true carry numbers - not the one time you flushed it during a demo day in 2021.

Putting: The biggest reality check of all

Pros aren’t magical; they’re predictable:

They win because they don’t 3-putt.
Arccos shows amateurs exactly where the bleeding happens - usually inside 10 feet, not from 40.

The Takeaway

Pros don’t play perfect golf.
They play accurate golf - accurate understanding of their game, their tendencies and their best percentages.

Amateurs don’t need more talent. They need information.

Find black Friday deals on Arccos Golf - code is ‘BACK9BRIEF’

This Friday, before the NFL takes over your screens, golf is stealing the opening slot.
For the first time since 2008, The Skins Game is back - bringing Ryder Cup energy, big-money swings, and full Thanksgiving-weekend nostalgia.

The History

The Skins Game debuted in 1983 at Desert Highlands in Scottsdale.
The lineup?
Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Gary Player.

NBC put it in a prime Thanksgiving slot, handed Vin Scully the mic, and essentially invented the “relaxed, superstar exhibition” format that events like The Match and TGL now copy.

It blew up.

Its mid-80s peak, The Skins Game pulled 8+ million viewers - outperforming some majors.

Fred Couples became Mr. Skins, winning five times and turning the event into his personal ATM.

By 2009, sponsor support dried up and the event quietly vanished.

Until now.

The 2025 Lineup Is Loaded

Seventeen years later, a new foursome heads to Panther National in Palm Beach Gardens to resurrect the tradition:

Format: Classic Skins, Modern Energy

One group. Mic’d up. Caddies wired in. Banter strongly encouraged.

How it works:

Simple. Chaotic. Perfect for casual viewers.

The Money: A Reverse-Purse Curveball

Here’s the 2025 twist:

Instead of starting at $0, each player begins with $1 million already in the bank.

Each hole moves that total:

The reverse purse creates real financial volatility - the kind that makes even seasoned pros visibly uncomfortable.
Think Skins meets trading floor.

Carryovers supercharge the tension. One tie and suddenly the next green is worth six figures.

How to Watch

📅 Friday, Nov 28
⏰ 9:00 a.m. ET
📺 Amazon Prime Video

Prime has engineered this perfectly: The Skins Game feeds directly into its Black Friday NFL game and an NBA doubleheader - turning Thanksgiving Friday into a wall-to-wall streaming takeover.

One of golf’s most recognisable corporate empires has entered Chapter 11, triggering a high-stakes showdown over who ultimately controls the Golden Bear’s name, trademarks and global design legacy.

The filing landed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware just weeks after an explosive Florida jury awarded Jack Nicklaus $50 million in a defamation case against his former company. But that verdict wasn’t the cause - it was merely the spark that lit a years-long powder keg.

What Actually Happened?

According to court documents, Nicklaus Companies - founded in 2007 in a $145 million deal between Nicklaus and New York financier Howard Milstein - was already buckling under the weight of $500 million to $1 billion in liabilities, against only $10 million to $50 million in assets. The maths simply stopped working.

CEO Phil Cotton framed the Chapter 11 filing as a protective move:
“We take this step to protect our brand, our client relationships, and most importantly our employees.”

The filing allows the company to address its long-term debt load and the recent $50 million judgment.

What’s on the Line?

This isn’t about Jack personally - but nearly everything built around his legend sits inside the bankruptcy estate:

In short: the entire commercial identity of golf’s most decorated champion.

Where This Gets Messy

At the centre of the storm is a disputed $462 million “insider loan” owed to Milstein. How the court classifies it will determine the future of the Nicklaus empire:

Milstein also provided $17 million in debtor-in-possession financing, giving him additional influence during restructuring.

The Bottom Line

This isn’t just a bankruptcy. It’s a corporate power struggle over who owns one of the most valuable brands in golf history - a battle mixing legacy, litigation and a billion-dollar balance sheet.

Golf is entering a golden era - not just as a sport, but as a business engine. Participation is still climbing, off-course formats are exploding, and spending is shifting from products to experiences. Against that backdrop, three sectors stand out as the most exciting growth opportunities heading into 2026. Each sits at the intersection of culture, technology and high-value consumers.

The travel boom has hit golf with full force. With golf tourism growing at nearly 9% annually, golfers are no longer booking simple tee times - they’re booking lifetime experiences. Think bucket-list links in Scotland, Masters week in Georgia, Ryder Cup experiences, and corporate leadership retreats that blend golf with business strategy.

A new generation of golf travellers has emerged - they want white-glove planning, rare access and itineraries that feel high-end and personalised. Corporates, meanwhile, are using golf hospitality as an HR, Business Development and culture-building tool.

A 2026 concierge brand can capitalise by designing high-ticket itineraries, hosting limited-edition trips, and offering membership tiers that guarantee priority access to majors and elite resorts. This isn’t travel planning - it’s lifestyle curation. The margins reflect that.

Golf’s product universe has exploded. Thousands of micro-brands - from independent apparel labels to custom putter makers - are serving golfers hungry for originality and storytelling. Add the rise of creator-led merchandise and limited-run drops, and you have a product ecosystem worth $20B+ globally, but completely fragmented.

A curated marketplace that aggregates these brands, powers creator merchandise, runs drop culture, and provides fulfilment solves a massive gap. It becomes the home of modern golf culture.

This platform can take transaction fees, run exclusive collaborations, offer premium memberships for early access, and even incubate new brands. In a world where golfers want to wear their personality on their sleeve (literally), the opportunity is enormous.

Off-course golf is growing faster than traditional play, yet most operators still run on outdated systems or spreadsheets. As simulators, golf lounges and hybrid venues proliferate, they need real software - not booking widgets.

A 2026 SaaS platform that unifies dynamic pricing, utilisation analytics, memberships, CRM, and player profiles can instantly lift revenue by 5–10% for facilities. For golfers, it creates a single identity that travels from simulator bay to championship course.

This is the “operating system” golf has been missing and whoever builds it becomes the infrastructure behind the sport’s next decade of growth.

Golf’s next wave belongs to the entrepreneurs who understand that the real opportunity lies around the course - in travel, culture, technology and curated experience.

2026 is the year these ideas stop being niches and start becoming empires.

One of the most storied sites in world golf just made the news. North Berwick’s West Links - first played in 1832 and home to architectural icons like the Redan, the Pit, and Elysian Fields - has hired global design expert Gil Hanse to create a ‘polish & protect’ master plan that will guide the course for decades to come.

For a club steeped in tradition, this is a strategic decision that feels more like a boardroom hire than a golf course tweak. Hanse, 62, has restored some of the game’s most revered venues - Oakmont, Merion, Seminole, Los Angeles Country Club, and is widely regarded as the world’s leading minimalist architect. When he signs on, it’s usually because the club wants world-class stewardship, not wholesale change.

That’s exactly the brief here.

Beginning in 2026, Hanse will develop a long-term plan focused on subtle refinements, historical preservation, and critically - protecting the West Links against the accelerating threat of coastal erosion. North Berwick sits directly on the Firth of Forth, and rising sea levels are now a strategic risk. Hanse will work closely with Course Manager Kyle Cruickshank and a select member group to build a blueprint that ensures the course’s character doesn’t just survive, but strengthens.

For golf architecture purists, this is a landmark moment. For business minds, it’s a brilliant example of legacy asset management: safeguarding a world-ranked, globally admired product while elevating its long-term value.

The Hero World Challenge is one of golf’s most exclusive gatherings, bringing 20 of the world’s best to Albany for a no-cut, high-class duel on a windswept, links-inspired layout.

Every shot matters, and the week becomes a tactical test that exposes anyone slightly off their game. Small field, big stakes - the perfect stage for the elite to set the tone for the new season.

📆 Date: 4-7 December 2025
📍 Location: Albany Golf Club, Nassau, The Bahamas
⛳ Par / Yardage: Par 72 / 7,749 yards
💰 Tournament Record: 262 - Jordan Spieth
🏆 Defending Champion: Scottie Scheffler

Follow the tournament this week.

📖 Read: “Links From The Road” - a captivating collection of short stories and stunning golf photography from 100+ courses across the U.S., offering a rare, soul-stirring glimpse into the game’s most scenic and storied landscapes.

🎥 Watch: “Round Four Highlights“ - the final round of the 2025 CME Group Tour Championship as Jeeno Thitikul wins the trophy.

🎧 Listen: With green fees climbing, club dues rising and equipment prices surging, The NGC Podcast raises the question: are golfers being priced out, or is this simply the market at work?

📊 Trending Stat: The total prize-money pool for the 2025 LPGA Tour season was US $133.1 million.

The biggest lie in golf will always be: “I’ll just hit a smooth one.”

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