Amid all the socializing, food and drink, there were 763 million golf balls hit at Topgolf locations in 2016. Over time, all those people with a golf club in their hands can only be a positive for the industry.

An NGF study on Alternative Golf Experiences in 2015 found that 52% of non-golfers who visited a Topgolf facility had an interest in playing golf on an actual course.

Chip Brewer, the CEO of Callaway, is among those in favor of more wide-spread participation measures, regarding Topgolf as an incredible positive for the sport in that it creates an on-ramp for those who otherwise wouldn’t be interested or have an avenue into the game.

Also in 2016, the number of non-golfers who said they are “very interested” in playing golf jumped 7.6% percent to 12.8 million.

But the influence Topgolf has had in welcoming players to its fun, social, non-intimidating version of golf is undeniable, with off-course participation (a figure that also includes regular driving ranges and indoor golf simulators) up a healthy 11.1% in 2016.