Are You a Beginner? Topgolf Shop Has a Lifeline For You

Nearly everyone reading this has an opinion on Topgolf. Love it, like it or hate it, you’re entitled to your opinion.

Here’s something, however, that’s not an opinion:

There’s not a person on this planet, not even Tiger, who immediately after vacating the womb picked up a golf club and started roping piss missiles down the fairway.

That, dear friends, is as close to a fundamental truth as you’ll find in this great game. The reality is that all of us started as beginners. We’d swing and miss. We’d slice a tee shot into the trees, we’d dribble an approach shot three, maybe four, feet and we’d blade a chip across the green, through the parking lot and down the street.

Honesty, my friends, sets us free.

That’s why a new initiative by Topgolf has us intrigued. It’s probably something Topgolf and Callaway should have done four years ago.

It’s called Topgolf Shop, and it’s a place for beginners to get equipment help.

Topgolf Shop: Gear for newbies

The soon-to-be-independent Topgolf launched Topgolf Shop early last month. It’s a website dedicated to helping beginners outfit themselves with clubs, balls and accessories in a non-threatening environment.

“Making golf less hard and more fun for players has always been the goal at Topgolf,” says Topgolf CEO Artie Starrs. “Callaway’s expertise in the golf equipment space helps bring this to life for players transitioning from the bay to the course for the first time.”

According to the National Golf Foundation, nearly 3.5 million first-timers hit U.S. golf courses in 2023. However, only 25 percent of beginners will stay in the game long-term. Topgolf Callaway’s research says one of the biggest challenges facing new golfers is finding information to help them buy the right equipment.

According to Topgolf, the new Topgolf Shop website provides that information as well as equipment packages to get beginners started in the right direction.

“We’re thrilled to support new golfers by providing high-quality equipment as they start their journey,” says Callaway Golf President Glenn Hickey. “With Topgolf Shop, beginners can easily find the essential gear they need to confidently hit the course and enjoy the game.”

We took the website for a test drive this week. If you’re looking for an easy, non-threatening gateway that doesn’t drown you in techno-babble, Topgolf and Callaway have hit the mark.

Made for the beginner

You won’t find any deep dives into AI-designed variable face thickness, carbon fiber chassis or beta-titanium faces at Topgolf Shop. It’s decidedly non-technical.

What you will find is a non-threatening and easy-to-navigate website. You can get into a set of clubs without analyzing divot patterns or shaft kick-points.

Central to Topgolf Shop is a six-question “quiz.” It’s designed to get you into a packaged set of clubs within three minutes, if you dawdle. The quiz speaks to the golfer conversationally and is mercifully free of golf jargon. It starts by asking if you’re looking for men’s, women’s or junior clubs and includes an explanation as to why that matters (remember this is for beginners). It then asks if you’re a lefty or righty (lefties rejoice, everything is available for you).

Next, it asks for your height. Topgolf Shop does offer what it calls a “Long” set that’s built one inch longer than standard. The last three questions help dial in the recommendations. It asks whether you’re looking for the best technology the site offers or whether you just want to play without breaking the bank. Next is where you plan to play most of your golf. Is it at Topgolf or a driving range, a nine-hole par-3 course or a regulation 18-hole course?

Finally, it wants to know how fast you swing. Since most beginners wouldn’t know how to answer that, Topgolf Shop makes it simple. It asks whether you swing slowly and focus on hitting the ball, controlled but with speed, or do you simply try to “smash it every time.”

Once you finish, the survey will spit out a couple of full-set options for you. It will also invite you to call in and talk with a “team member” if you have any questions.

What’s available?

The clubs, obviously, are under the Callaway umbrella. Topgolf Shop offers five men’s options: three Strata sets ranging from $399.99 to $599.99 and two Callaway XR sets (standard and long) at $1,399.99.

There’s also a new, exclusive-to-Topgolf Shop Mavrik 11-club set that’s currently selling for $1,099.99.

For women, there are three Strata sets (same pricing) and four Callaway REVA sets ranging from $999.99 to $1,499.99.  Two junior sets are available.

Other than the new Mavrik set, these aren’t new products; most have been around for at least three or four years. They range from basic nine-club sets to 14-club sets. Your survey answers determine your recommendations.

Additionally, the site offers beginner-level equipment information that makes zero assumptions. It offers Amazon-like side-by-side set comparisons along with a club guide explaining what each club is used for and why. If you really want technical specs, they have it in a section called, appropriately, “Nerd Stuff.”

Are there “better” beginner sets than the Strata and XR? Probably, but Topgolf Shop is more about the process and making it easy for the beginner to, you know, begin. As Taoism tells us: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Why Topgolf Shop is a good thing

Crapping on Callaway and Topgolf has been a bloodsport for many. Therefore it’s important to keep a few things in mind. Topgolf turned a $56-million profit from operations in Q2 this year. That’s up over 27 percent from Q2 of last year. Callaway golf equipment earned over $77 million in operating profit in Q2. While that’s down from the previous year, it’s still black ink.

Topgolf and Callaway aren’t reeling or teetering and Callaway isn’t “dumping” Topgolf. There are legitimate reasons why the two companies are splitting. However, neither is in danger of going bankrupt any time soon.

That said, Topgolf Shop is a good thing for one simple reason. The National Golf Foundation says nearly 33 million people in the U.S. played off-course “golf” last year. That’s up 41 percent since 2019. Additionally, the NGF reports that 10 percent of current green grass golfers credit Topgolf for getting them into the game. No, Topgolf isn’t a driving range for “serious golfers” to work on their game. It is, however, a gateway that creates beginners. If those beginners want to try the sport for real, Topgolf Shop is one avenue that takes down barriers.

Topgolf Shop also provides direct portals for beginners to book lessons with Topgolf’s on-staff teaching pros at their venues. A beginner can book an individual or group lesson with friends or join a public clinic.

While the two companies are splitting next year, they will remain very much joined at the hip. Topgolf Shop may represent that long-sought-after synergy Topgolf and Callaway have been trying to find since the original merger.