So why is a state where you can play real golf 365 days a year going crazy for indoor golf? Three reasons. The Florida summer, all heat, humidity, and 3 p.m. thunderstorms, makes a climate-controlled bay look great from June through September. The format fits modern life: four friends can play Pebble in ninety minutes, eat, drink, and be home before dark. And the biggest name in the category planted its flag here on purpose.
That name is TGL
The indoor golf wave is real, and the numbers prove it
Start with the headline stat, because it reframes everything. In 2025, a record 48.1 million Americans age six and up played golf, on-course and off-course combined, according to the National Golf Foundation. Of that group, 29.1 million played on an actual course. The other 19 million played golf exclusively off-course, at driving ranges, entertainment venues, and, increasingly, indoor simulators.
Read that again. Nearly 40 percent of the country's golfers in 2025 never set foot on a traditional course.
Which brings it home to Tampa where Golfers Unite HQ is.. David Snee, a Navy vet who commanded ships, just opened a Back Nine Carrollwood, location behind the Chick-fil-A at Bearss and Dale Mabry. Three Full Swing bays, 75-plus courses, a lobby built for hanging out, and a plan to invite Gaither, Steinbrenner, Carrollwood Day, and Berkeley Prep in for TGL-style team matches. His sales pitch is no pitch at all: come hit a few, see if it fits. Low pressure, high welcome.
