Issue No. 357 of Fitt Insider led with golf finding new fans — and the way it's growing is a playbook for the whole fitness industry. Per the issue, of the 28M Americans who hit the course last year, a record 28% were female and 25% were people of color, while another 19M played off-course versions like simulators and mini golf.
Golf isn't growing by getting more serious. It's growing by getting more social, more gamified, and more welcoming. That's the same formula Cadoo brings to gyms, studios, and fitness apps.
Golf's growth is a community-and-culture story
The issue detailed how upstarts are rewriting golf's stuffy reputation:
- Lifestyle label Malbon raised $28M building what the issue calls a cultural movement with a digital country club and member events.
- Eastside Golf reinvests in community with free events and lessons, per Fitt Insider, broadening who feels invited to play.
- Off-course and party-format concepts — from Topgolf to the tech-forward TGL — are pulling in younger players with music, style, and social energy, per the issue.
People are showing up for belonging and fun, not just the sport. The workout is almost incidental to the community around it.
The lesson: gamify the social experience
The issue's takeaway put it plainly — golf is "wellness in disguise," a reason to gather and unplug. Creator-led Good Good Golf secured $45M to grow live experiences, per Fitt Insider, precisely because the entertainment layer is what scales participation.
Every fitness brand can steal this. The activity retains people when it's wrapped in social competition, low-stakes fun, and a sense that everyone belongs. Willpower doesn't build habits; a good game does.
Cadoo is the fitness game layer
Cadoo Games brings golf's winning formula to any fitness brand. Members bet money with friends on reaching fitness goals, so they keep coming back — not out of discipline, but because friends and stakes make it fun. Recurring challenges turn workouts into a social game with real skin in it, filling the space between visits.
It stays reliable, too. Cadoo-verified workouts confirm real effort: the camera counts reps only, for supported strength movements. Steps and distance come from Apple Health or Google Health Connect. And every finished challenge can produce a skinned, shareable video — the same culture-and-content flywheel driving golf's cool factor, now working for your brand.
Fun is a retention strategy
Golf proved that a sport grows fastest when it's social, inclusive, and genuinely fun. A member in a friendly, money-backed challenge with three friends keeps showing up because they're mid-competition and mid-community — the same reason a Topgolf bay stays full on a Friday night.
On our roadmap — not live yet — winnings could convert into credit or perks at your gym or brand, tying member wins back to your business. See how it works for operators at cadoo.games/brands, or reach the team at Tim@cadoo.io.
Frequently asked questions
What can fitness brands learn from golf's recent growth?
Golf is growing by becoming social, gamified, and inclusive rather than more serious. The lesson for gyms and studios is that fun and community retain people better than intensity, which is exactly the experience Cadoo layers onto workouts.
How does Cadoo make working out feel like a game?
Members bet money with friends on reaching fitness goals in recurring challenges, so every workout carries friendly competition and real stakes. That turns solitary exercise into a social game people want to return to, week after week.
How does Cadoo keep the competition fair?
The camera counts reps only, for supported strength movements, and every rep is form-scored. Steps and distance come from Apple Health or Google Health Connect, so operators get trustworthy engagement data and members compete on a level field.
Can members redeem their winnings at my brand?
Redeeming winnings for credit or perks at a partner brand is on our roadmap and not live yet. Today, Cadoo's value is higher engagement, lower churn, and shareable branded content members create for you.
