Troon LLC, the Scottsdale-based golf management and hospitality company, is continuing to expand with acquisitions, most recently acquiring a company that uses technology to enhance the golfer-caddie experience.
Troon said it will make a significant investment in the newly acquired company, ClubUp, whose technology is in use at 65 golf clubs in the U.S., including in Arizona. It provides an online platform for more than 8,000 independent contractor caddies to make their services available, and its technology helps in the process of scheduling and communicating with caddies working at partner properties.
The Scottsdale company said it plans to expand and enhance the current ClubUp platform, adding features that partner clubs have been asking for.
“We are proud, and extremely excited, to bring ClubUp into the Troon family of brands and services offered to the industry,” Troon President and CEO Tim Schantz said in a statement. “The ClubUp technology is second to none, with smart, dedicated and hard-working leaders who will continue to support the product, business and ClubUp clients moving forward. We are excited to see the next chapter for ClubUp and support their continued dedication to their impressive roster of existing clients and those to come.”
ClubUp was founded in 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina by CEO Matthew Rose and his brother, Michael. The company’s team will remain in place, and Matthew Rose said its business model and operations will remain unchanged. ClubUp made its first foray into the Valley market in 2017, when it partnered with Desert Mountain Golf Club in Scottsdale.
In 2018, the company raised $630 million in funding through a seed round.
Second Troon acquisition so far this year
So far in 2022, ClubUp has added 25 new partner clubs to its roster, which includes National Golf Links, Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Los Angeles Country Club, Ridgewood Country Club and Cherry Hills Country Club.
“The support and investment from Troon will enable us to add even more value to our customers,” Rose said in a statement. “The time was right for ClubUp to be acquired and Troon was the ideal partner to help us take the next step as a leading golf technology company."
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
Troon provides services at more than 680 locations around the world — including the management of more than 665 18-hole equivalent golf courses. It also provides services in homeowner association management, private residence clubs, estate management and associated hospitality venues.
Earlier this year, Troon also acquired Florida-based ICON Management Services, a golf, tennis, amenity and community association management company. Last December Troon added 30 clubs to its portfolio with the acquisition of tennis management company Peter Burwash International, or PBI, saying at the time that it was another step toward its goal to become a leader in the racket sports industry.
