🔥 Inside Bryson’s $45M Digital Empire

October 6, 2016 — After restructuring in the 2000s, Honma was purchased by Chinese entrepreneur Liu Jianguo in 2010 and completed a HK$1.34 billion Hong Kong IPO in 2016 that valued the iconic Japanese brand at roughly US$800 million, highlighting its global luxury repositioning.

The era of golf being a "side activity" to a family vacation is officially over. As we enter 2026, golf has transitioned into the primary driver of high-intent, high-spend global movement. With the industry projected to surge from $27.04 billion in 2025 to a staggering $41 billion by 2030, the way we move across the globe is being redefined by the quest for the perfect tee time.

We are witnessing a "Geography of Growth" that looks beyond the traditional bunkers of St Andrews or Pebble Beach. The modern golf traveler is hunting for asymmetric value and accessible remoteness.

The New Global Map

This shift is fuelled by a desire for "Total Immersion." Whether it's the off-grid solitude of the Bass Strait or the high-octane luxury of a Vietnamese golf precinct, the 2026 traveler is no longer just booking a round—they are underwriting a lifestyle.

As we enter 2026, the traditional sports sponsorship model has been disrupted by a single player: Bryson DeChambeau. In what is now recognised as the "Sovereign Creator" pivot, DeChambeau has built a digital media empire that transforms him from an athlete for hire into a self-sustaining media conglomerate.

The Numbers: Beyond the Tee

As of January 2026, DeChambeau’s YouTube channel has surpassed 2.56 million subscribers, generating an average of 20 million views per month. While his initial LIV contract was a landmark nine-figure deal, his content apparatus—operating under his production company Regecy—is now being valued by analysts at approximately $45 million. This valuation is benchmarked against the $45M capital raise of digital powerhouse Good Good Golf in early 2025.

The "Megaphone" Leverage

The real story is the leverage. DeChambeau recently noted that his "megaphone" makes him indispensable to LIV, yet his YouTube exploits mean he no longer requires a league to maintain a global platform or a primary income. This "Nuclear Option" grants him unprecedented power in contract negotiations; as he navigates his 2026 renewal, his individual marketability is no longer a byproduct of his golf—it is the primary pillar of his professional worth.

The takeaway is clear: the most valuable asset in golf today isn't a Major trophy—it's the attention of 2.5 million loyal subscribers. DeChambeau has effectively turned the professional golfer into a D2C (Direct-to-Consumer) brand, forcing legacy sponsors to rewrite the rules of athlete engagement.

How much Bryson DeChambeau's YouTube is actually worth

This breakdown highlights the shift from tournament earnings to digital equity, establishing DeChambeau as the blueprint for the modern athlete-entrepreneur.

I’ve been looking at the Son Vida residential market lately, where a single frontline villa can easily hit €25m. That’s why seeing an entire operational golf course in the Balearic Islands listed for €9m feels like an asymmetric arbitrage play that the broader market hasn't priced in yet.

The Intelligence Brief

This is a grandfathered asset. In a region where new golf construction is effectively dead due to 2021 water laws and land protection, you aren't just buying grass; you're buying a non-replicable license.

• The Asset: Fully operational 9-hole layout, clubhouse and panoramic restaurant.

• The Alpha: The site includes a dormant 55-room 5-star Hotel/Spa project approval. In Mallorca, that permit is gold.

The Financial Underwrite

If you’re mentally underwriting this, here are the three levers that matter:

1. Hospitality Pivot: Activating that hotel permit moves this from a "green fee" business to a luxury stay-and-play destination. Nightly rates of €800+ in this zip code can triple the asset's valuation upon completion.

2. Land Arbitrage: At €9m, your basis is roughly €13/m². Compare that to the €8,000+/m² commanded by nearby residential plots.

3. Supply Cap: You are holding a monopoly on local play. No competitor can build next door.

The Bottom Line: This is a pure-play scarcity asset. Whether you keep it as a private "members-only" enclave or execute the hotel expansion, you are holding a defensive hedge in the Mediterranean’s most constrained luxury market.

Forget carbon fibres and cold, industrial steel. The most disruptive piece of hardware at the 2026 PGA Show in Orlando isn’t coming from a lab—it’s coming from the forest. Scott Golf is officially launching "The Woody," a putter that feels less like a tool and more like an heirloom.

The secret sauce? A patented wooden face inlay that delivers a "butter-soft" acoustic profile that metal simply cannot replicate. But the real genius—the reason every Director of Golf is reaching for their check book—is the "Heritage Program." Imagine holing the winning putt at your home club with a flat stick featuring a face carved from an oak tree that stood on the 18th hole for a century. Scott Golf allows elite resorts and private clubs to harvest their own timber to create bespoke, site-specific putters. At $849, it is the ultimate "if you know, you know" status symbol. It’s not just a club; it’s a piece of the course you can take home.

If you could carry a piece of your favourite fairway in your bag, which legendary course would you want your putter to be from?

The tech-infused world of TGL returns to the SoFi Center this Tuesday as Tiger Woods makes his highly anticipated Season 2 debut. His squad, Jupiter Links GC, is looking to turn the page on a tough inaugural season and secure a critical opening win against the Season 1 runners-up, New York Golf Club.

Match Essentials

The Rosters

Per league rules, each team carries a four-man roster but selects three players to compete in each match.

How It Works

The contest is a fast-paced, two-hour broadcast designed for maximum engagement.

Storylines to Watch

In the world of golf, the "Royal" title is the ultimate corporate seal of approval—one that cannot be bought, only bestowed. While many assume it refers to course quality, it is actually a formal designation granted by a reigning monarch, usually from the British Crown.

The tradition began in 1833 when King William IV granted the title to the Royal Perth Golfing Society. For a club to earn this prefix, it must typically demonstrate historical significance, maintain exceptional standards, and, most importantly, hold a direct connection to the monarchy (such as having a Royal member as a patron or honorary captain).

Today, there are approximately 66 such clubs globally. While the title is most common in the Commonwealth, other monarchies also participate; for instance, Spain uses the prefix "Real" (e.g., Real Club Valderrama). Interestingly, some "Royal" courses are purely aspirational—Royal Tara in Ireland and Royal Links in Las Vegas use the name for marketing or local geography without official sovereign patronage.

The Gold Standard: Top 5 "Royal" Courses

Based on global rankings and historical prestige, these five stand at the pinnacle of the "Royal" hierarchy:

The data from Arccos and Shot Scope is definitive: amateur golfers don't have a "birdie problem"—they have a "big number" problem. If you are a 20-handicap aiming for scratch, the most efficient path isn't adding more birdies; it's eliminating the 6.66 double bogeys you currently average per round.

The Stats: Scratch vs. 10 vs. 20 Handicap

The separation between these levels isn't found in how they hunt flags. A scratch golfer makes nearly 25 times fewer double bogeys than a 20-handicapper. While the scratch player is making a birdie once every 8 holes, the 20-handicapper is making one roughly every 54 holes. The lesson? You can't out-birdie your blowups.

The Tip: Respect the "Centre of the Green"

Amateurs often compound errors by attempting "hero shots" or aiming at tucked pins when out of position. To slash those doubles, adopt the Conservative Target Strategy:

The Drill: The "Safety Zone" Simulation

Next time you're on the range, stop aiming for the flag stick and start aiming for the green.

In the rapidly evolving landscape of sports media, the announcement of WTGL—a women’s counterpart to Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TGL—marks a sophisticated pivot for the LPGA. By partnering with TMRW Sports, Commissioner Craig Kessler isn't just adding a tournament to the calendar; he is diversifying the LPGA’s "product" to capture a demographic that traditional 72-hole stroke play often misses.

The business logic is airtight. The WTGL will occupy the LPGA’s traditional winter off-season, starting in late 2026. This transforms a period of "dead air" into a primetime revenue stream. By utilizing the existing infrastructure of the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, the league benefits from shared overhead and proven technology, mitigating the massive capital expenditures usually associated with launching a new pro league.

For TMRW Sports CEO Mike McCarley, the move follows the "modern media" playbook: high-energy, two-hour team broadcasts designed for snackable digital content. This is precisely what today’s sponsors crave. With female golf participation hitting all-time highs—over 8 million women played on-course in 2025—the market is primed for a tech-forward, personality-driven format.

Kessler, drawing on his experience at Topgolf, understands that "off-course" participation is the industry’s greatest growth engine. National Golf Foundation data shows that screen golf participants have doubled since 2020 to over 9 million. WTGL bridges the gap between the casual simulator user and the die-hard fan.

Ultimately, the business of WTGL isn't about replacing the tour; it’s about brand extension. It provides LPGA stars a high-visibility platform to showcase their personalities, driving a "virtuous cycle" of engagement that will inevitably lead to higher viewership for the traditional tour. In the battle for attention, the LPGA just gained a massive technological edge.

📖 Read: Contours is a beautifully crafted exploration of golf-course architecture that deepens any golfer’s appreciation of the game by revealing the artistry, strategy, and storytelling woven into the landscapes we play.

🎥 Watch: Match 1 recap - TGL Season 2 off to a roaring start.

🎧 Listen: Smylie Kaufman and Charlie Hulme break down the upcoming year in professional golf with full-season predictions.

📊 Trending Stat: Scottie Pearman hit the longest recorded drive of the 2025 long-drive season at 486 yards during the semifinals of the World Long Drive World Championships.

The deal you regret is usually the putt you rushed the read on.

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