Short Courses Are Not a Trend. They Are the Future.

One of the biggest shifts happening in golf right now is the move toward shorter and more flexible golf experiences. Six holes. Nine holes. Twelve holes. Par-3 courses. That’s where a huge part of golf demand is heading because the modern world simply works differently now. People still want to play golf, but fewer people want to spend five or six hours around a traditional 18-hole round every single time they touch the sport.

And this is exactly why projects like Mad Swans are so interesting. They took an underperforming 18-hole property and converted it into a 12-hole course where people can play six, 12, or 18 holes depending on how much time they have. But the really important part is not only the shorter course. It’s everything else they added around it. Modern driving range. Padel. Pickleball. Hospitality. Lodging. Events. Food and beverage. Mini golf style putting experiences similar to what PopStroke is building. The golf course stops being just a golf course and becomes a social and entertainment destination.

I think this is the playbook many struggling 18-hole golf courses should seriously study. Especially municipal and daily fee facilities. Because a lot of these properties are sitting on huge amounts of land while operating on a business model that depends almost entirely on tee times. Meanwhile maintenance costs keep rising, consumer behavior keeps changing, and newer generations are looking for more flexible and social experiences.

The interesting part is that this is not about removing golf. It’s actually about making golf more accessible. Someone might first come for the driving range, the food, padel, or a putting experience with friends. Then one day they try six holes. Later maybe 12. Eventually some become regular golfers. That journey is much easier to create when the experience feels relaxed, modern, and welcoming instead of built entirely around traditional golf structures.

There will always be premium clubs, destination resorts, and championship golf courses where the full 18-hole experience remains the core product. But for a huge amount of golf properties around the world, the future might not be maximizing golf holes anymore. The future might be maximizing experiences, flexibility, and revenue per acre while making the entire property more social, more approachable, and far more useful throughout the day.

If you want an honest look at whether your golf property is maximizing its potential or simply maximizing golf holes, book a call. Sometimes a single structured conversation is enough to identify entirely new revenue opportunities hiding in plain sight.

https://calendly.com/teemu-gate34/30-minute-meeting

Teemu
Founder
Growth Golf & Country Club
Miami, FL, USA