Youth-Sports-Business-Report-YSBR-Journal-News-Kids-Parents-NIL-SFC-GOLF
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Key Takeaways
- SFC acquires Spirit Golf Management, adding 10 golf facilities and approximately 160 employees to its national network
- Golf programming will be integrated across SFC’s 100+ managed venues, including pilot programs at youth camps and community events
- Spirit Golf founder Mike Attara, a PGA Professional for 35+ years and 2025 NJPGA Golf Professional of the Year, will lead the new division
- SFC generates nearly 30 million guest visits and $1 billion in economic impact annually across its portfolio
- Off-course golf experiences, including indoor simulator venues, are part of SFC’s long-term vision for the division
A Facility Giant Adds Golf to the Playbook
The Sports Facilities Companies, one of the largest managers and developers of multisport recreation and event venues in the United States, has acquired Spirit Golf Management, a Northeast-based golf management company. The deal creates a new Golf Division within SFC, with Spirit Golf continuing to operate under its existing brand.
Spirit Golf currently manages or provides consulting services to 10 golf facilities across New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Properties joining the SFC platform under full management include Makefield Highlands Golf Club in Yardley, Pa., Five Ponds Golf Club in Warminster, Pa., Fairways Golf Club in Warrington, Pa., Oxford Valley Golf Course in Fairless Hills, Pa., Clearbrook Golf Club in Monroe Township, N.J., West Lake Golf & Country Club in Jackson, N.J., and Harlem Valley Golf Club in Wingdale, N.Y.
The acquisition brings approximately 160 full-time and seasonal employees into the SFC network, including a team of PGA of America Golf Professionals.
Why Golf, Why Now
SFC operates more than 100 venues nationwide, producing nearly 30 million guest visits and approximately $1 billion in economic impact each year. Its portfolio includes large-scale tournament complexes like the Wintrust Crossroads Complex outside Chicago and Ontario Sports Empire near Los Angeles, each with 40+ fields, along with the 230,000-square-foot Fort Bend Epicenter in the Houston area.
Adding golf gives SFC a new programming vertical that extends beyond traditional field and court sports. SFC founder and CEO Jason Clement framed the move around community impact and the sport’s accessibility across age groups.
“Golf is as good as any game, any sport, any activity to build character for young people,” Clement said. “The values that come along with playing the game right just fit and align so well with our mission.”
Clement pointed to golf participation growth across every measurable demographic over the past decade as a factor in the timing. He also emphasized the sport’s potential as a counter to early specialization trends in youth athletics.
“What we’re finding around the country is that at age 12 to 14 kids are burning out from whatever sport of choice they were forced to specialize in at age 8, 9 or 10,” Clement said. “We want kids busy. We want them focused. We want them working toward a vision and a goal and an objective.”
Integration Plans Across 100+ Venues
SFC’s strategy goes beyond managing green-grass courses. The company plans to integrate golf programming into its broader recreation ecosystem, starting with pilot golf programs at youth camps and community events designed to introduce young athletes to multiple sports.
Clement noted that golf offerings don’t require a traditional course. SFC is exploring off-course experiences inside existing venues, including indoor simulator setups modeled loosely on the type of technology used by TGL’s SoFi facility, scaled down for community-level use.
“You don’t have to have a golf course to provide some of these services that the Spirit team is so good at,” Clement said. “We can do it inside some of our existing venues with a little ingenuity and creativity.”
SFC conducts roughly 150 feasibility studies per year for indoor and outdoor sports complexes. Clement sees golf technology as a differentiator that fits within SFC’s flexible-venue model and could be incorporated into future builds.
Spirit Golf’s Track Record in Municipal and Youth Programming
Spirit Golf has built its reputation around municipal golf course operations, youth player development, and community engagement. Its Spirit Golf Academy offers instruction and development programs for all ages and skill levels, with a curriculum designed by PGA of America Golf Professionals.
Spirit Golf founder and president Mike Attara, a PGA Professional for more than 35 years, was named the 2025 NJPGA Golf Professional of the Year. He will lead SFC’s new golf division as senior vice president. Kevin Beirne, the current NJPGA president and recipient of the 2024 NJPGA Bill Strausbaugh Award for leadership and integrity, joins as vice president.
“Our focus has always been to make golf more accessible while creating welcoming environments for players of all ages,” Attara said. “Through SFC’s network, we have additional resources allowing us to expand youth programming and integrate the Spirit Golf Academy model to off-course facilities nationwide.”
In 2025, Spirit Golf joined Greenlight Advisors’ Certified Partner Program to provide advisory services to municipalities and municipal golf courses, reinforcing its alignment with SFC’s public-sector partnerships.
What This Means for Youth Sports Facility Operators
SFC’s entry into golf reflects a broader pattern among large facility operators: expanding programming diversity to serve more families under one operational umbrella. The acquisition gives SFC a turnkey golf curriculum, credentialed coaching staff, and a tested municipal management model it can deploy across its national footprint.
For youth sports operators watching the facility landscape, the deal is worth tracking for two reasons. First, it shows how established multisport platforms are layering in lifetime sports like golf to address participation drop-off tied to early specialization. Second, it demonstrates how off-course golf technology could become a standard amenity in large-scale sports complexes, not just standalone entertainment venues.
SFC’s scale, with 100+ venues, nearly 5,000 team members, and a pipeline of 150 feasibility studies per year, gives it the infrastructure to test these concepts quickly and at volume.