You’re about to tee off at the Augusta National Golf Club with a Pinnacle golf ball using a Titleist driver, wearing a Foot Joy glove and golf shoes, as well as KJUS golf shorts, shirt and jacket.
In just that moment, Acushnet Holdings Corp. (NYSE:GOLF), which owns all of those brands, has shown how it has infiltrated every aspect of your golf game.
Well, maybe not that bogey on the 11th hole (Augusta’s notorious White Dogwood hole.)
• Why is going on with GOLF stock today?
The Rise of Golf
Golf, as few sports have done, has managed to create a cult-like status while weathering controversies such as LIV Golf and PGA merger (still in limbo) and assorted cheating and gambling scandals, while having explosive growth.
According to the National Golf Foundation, “Green-grass golf participation surpassed 29 million in 2025 (all-time record is 30.6 million in 2003), marking an eighth consecutive year of growth and a net increase of roughly one million golfers year-over-year.”
The foundation also noted that with approximately 16,000 courses at nearly 14,000 facilities, the U.S. maintains its position as the world’s largest golf market.
Golf Companies Get Into the Swing of Things
While a few golf companies are still private — such as TaylorMade, Ping and PXG — there are a number that either are pure-play golf or have some sort of golf exposure, be it via clothing, footwear or other related items.
Acushnet Holdings, with some of the biggest and well-known brands, has held a somewhat steadier, consistent performance; its stock is up over $115% over the past five years.
The company’s stock often outperforms Callaway Golf Co. (NYSE:CALY), which until January 2026, was known as Topgolf Callaway and went under the ticker MODG. In this deal, a majority stake of Topgolf (a golf-themed entertainment complex) and Toptracer (a ball-tracing technology) was sold to private equity funds managed by Leonard Green & Partners.
Among Callaway’s current brands are Callaway Golf (clubs, balls and other accessories), Odyssey (among the top putters in the world), Travis Mathew (golf apparel and lifestyle) and OGIO (specializes in durable, specialized storage solutions golf and other sports).
Callaway stock, after a steady decline since 2022, hitting a bottom in 2025, has rebounded and is now up more than $148% over the past year.
Much of this upward swing is credited to the Topgolf sale and restructuring, according to a Golf Week article.
Note: This chart ends on Jan. 2026, when Callaway switched its ticker from MODG to CALY.
Chipping Into Golf
After these two companies, there are several sports-related ones that have exposure in golf.
Nike’s (NYSE:NKE) has had a complicated relationship with golf. In 2016, the company ditched what is called golf hard goods (golf clubs and balls) to focus on golf apparel and footwear.
“It’s a fairly simple equation, that we lost money for 20 years on equipment and balls. We realized next year wasn’t going to be any different,” said company co-founder Phil Knight on Bloomberg Television.
Nike still relies on golf for exposure, even though it is a small portion of the company’s portfolio. Even after Tiger Woods left the company in 2024 after 27 years, top golfers Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Brooks Koepka and Nelly Korda are making the famous swoosh a familiar sight on the greens.
Puma SE Unsponsored ADR (OTC:PUMSY) is the owner of Cobra Golf, but it is a small segment of the company.
Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc (NYSE:DKS) sells golf gear and owns brands such as Top-Flite, which it bought from Callaway Golf in 2012.
Teeing Off
In order to play golf, there needs to be a place to land on the green. That’s where the real estate companies come in. Two of the best-known are Vici Properties (NYSE:VICI) and Vail Resorts (NYSE:MTN).
Vici Properties, a real estate investment trust probably best known for its gaming destinations, also owns four championship golf courses in the U.S., consisting of Cascata and Serket in Las Vegas, Chariot Run in Indiana and Grand Bear (designed by Jack Nicklaus) in Mississippi. The properties are located near the company’s gaming properties.
Similar to Vici Properties, Vail’s golf courses are associated with a larger property. In this case, ski resorts. Courses include Red Sky Golf Club, Beaver Creek Golf Club, Canyons Golf in Park City and Keystone’s Ranch and River.
Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS) is also part of the golf game, with courses at its Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla.
Other publicly traded companies that own golf courses include Avalon Holdings Corp (AMEX:AWX), involved in waste management, also owns the Avalon Golf and Country Club as part of the Grand Resort in Ohio; and homebuilder Toll Brothers Inc (NYSE:TOL), which owns Sterling Grove in Arizona, Riverton Pointe in South Carolina, and Parkland Golf & Country Club in Florida.
The Masters: How to Watch It
The Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta National is April 9-12 (practice rounds started on April 6) and is airing on Walt Disney-owned ESPN for the first and second rounds, while Amazon.com Inc.’s Prime will stream early round coverage. Comcast-owned CBS (and Paramount+ for streaming) is airing the third and final rounds. The tournament will also stream on Masters.com.
Photo: Photoongraphy via Shutterstock
Recent Comments