The original call
Original year: 2016
2026 assessment
Scorecard verdict: Nailed it
Nailed it. Off-course, entertainment-led golf — Topgolf, driving-range experiences, indoor leagues — became the single biggest growth engine the game has seen in a generation, and it did exactly what I said it would: it pulled in young, first-time and non-traditional players. The narrative changed, and this was the change.