Middleton Enterprises, the family office of HomeServe co-founder Jeremy Middleton, has made a substantial seven-figure investment into UK-based golf simulator company TeeGo. This £1 million-plus injection comes at an opportune time for the indoor golf market, with The Open Championship set to take place this summer.
The funding will significantly accelerate TeeGo's expansion plans, aiming to grow its network from six sites to 20 by year-end 2028. As part of its strategy to become the largest dedicated indoor golf clubhouse network across the UK, TeeGo seeks to capitalise on burgeoning demand for accessible and time-efficient golf experiences.
Jay Patel, chief at TeeGo, predicts a shift in golfing habits, suggesting that within a year more Londoners could be playing golf indoors than outdoors. This trend is driven by high costs and time commitments associated with traditional outdoor golf, coupled with dwindling course availability. The R&A highlighted an increase in indoor golf simulator usage last year, which has been further amplified by hybrid sports technologies showcased at events like the TGL Golf League.
TeeGo's strategy to expand into favourable landlord deals on high street locations is also underway, particularly within London. The company has already demonstrated significant growth, with 6,000 rounds of golf played in the last year alone – a 155 per cent increase compared to the preceding 12 months. This growth underscores a broader trend of rising interest in indoor sports venues across London, where operators like Pitch are also making strides in the golf sector and other sports such as pool, darts, and curling are gaining accessible indoor spaces.
Jeremy Middleton's previous venture, HomeServe, was once a FTSE 100 company before its acquisition by Brookfield for £4.1 billion. The confidence shown by Middleton Enterprises in TeeGo reflects a belief in the indoor golf model's ability to attract new participants to the sport. Julian Liban of Middleton Enterprises noted that TeeGo's model brings genuine innovation by attracting new people into the game, rather than simply catering to existing golfers – a competitive advantage as more operators enter the market.