Golf

Blockbuster deal: Callaway announces merger with Topgolf


Callaway Golf is one of the biggest and most well-respected golf equipment makers in the world. Topgolf has established itself as a brand that successfully combines technology, entertainment and sports, attracting golfers and non-golfers alike to its 58 locations across America.

On Tuesday evening, it was announced that the two companies are merging.

“Together, Callaway and Topgolf create an unrivaled golf and entertainment business,” said Chip Brewer, president and CEO of Callaway, in a release. “This combination unites proven leaders with a shared passion for delivering exceptional golf experiences for all – from elite touring professionals to new and aspiring entrants to the game.”

Brewer will run the combined company after the completion of the merger. Dolf Berle, Topgolf’s current CEO, will continue to lead the Topgolf business through the transitional period, then step down and leave the company.

Topgolf will join Ogio, Travis Mathew and Jack Wolfskin under the Callaway brand.

Callaway made its first investment in Topgolf in 2006 and already owned 14 percent of the company. The transaction announced on Tuesday is an all-stock deal. Callaway will issue approximately 90 million shares of its common stock to non-Callaway shareholders of Topgolf based upon an implied equity value of Topgolf of $1.986 billion.

Many people’s first exposure to golf has been at a Topgolf venue, attracted by the nightclub-like atmosphere, food and drinks, high-tech games and non-competitive environment. During a conference call on Tuesday evening, Berle said all Topgolf venues in the United States had re-opened by early September. Recent operating sales are back to 80-85 percent of 2019 same-location sales. He added that 33 new venues are in the planning stages and sees approximately 200 possible locations for Topgolf venues in the United States.

Topgolf not only owns 58 locations in the United States, but it also owns Toptracer. This technology is used during television broadcasts to allow viewers to follow balls as they fly through the air. That technology is also being rolled out at driving ranges in the form of Toptracer Range, allowing golfers to see their shots’ ball flight as they practice on screens, smartphones or tablets.

Brewer said that Topgolf is ideally suited to operate within the challenges COVID-19 pandemic during the conference call. Hitting bays are spaced far apart, usually with physical barriers between groups.

Topgolf was especially attractive to Callaway because, according to Topgolf, there were 23 million visits to Topgolf venues in 2019. Fifty-one percent of the people who went to a Topgolf facility last year identified themselves as a non-golfer, but 75 percent of those people said that after visiting Topgolf, they were interested in playing golf on a course. If Callaway can develop a relationship with people as they are discovering the game and learning to love it, it has a better chance of turning those people into Callaway, Odyssey, Ogio and Travis Mathew loyalists.

The merger is expected to be finalized in early 2021.



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