Like sweatpants and sourdough, golf gained an unexpected burst of popularity during the pandemic, earning droves of players looking for an outdoors oasis and socially distant entertainment. Another leisure activity that saw pandemic growth: ready-to-drink cocktails. Now the two are combining.
Like many golfers, Turner Lewis, owner of Fore Craft Cocktails, enjoys a Transfusion while on the course, the golf course cocktail staple made with ginger ale, grape juice, vodka, and a splash of lime.
“But I was struggling with all these plastic cups trying to carry a couple at a time and I just got thinking, why is there no canned version of this where you can put a couple in your bag or the cooler of your golf cart and just keep going?” he said.
Lewis launched in the spring of 2021 with a canned version of the transfusion and other cocktails, now distributed to golf courses and retailers in Virginia and South Carolina. And Fore is not the only one crafting RTDs and mixers specifically for golf operators. Last year, Cutwater Spirits introduced a canned vodka transfusion, while Links Drinks, which debuted in 2019, launched two new RTD flavors this month. Golf-centric hard seltzer Clubby Seltzers is also making inroads into new states after its Oklahoma kick-off last year.
On a similar front, Owen’s Craft Mixers teamed up with Fore Play, the golf-centric podcast from media giant Barstool Sports, to launch a non-alcoholic transfusion mixer in 2020 and is now in over 1,500 golf courses. Elsewhere, World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam also recently joined the RTD surge with her own line, Fizzy Beez.
For operators, RTD cocktails and mixers are appealing for several reasons. A faster turnaround at the bar and drink stations can move more players through the course. Beverage cart attendants are also not necessarily trained bartenders, but a mixer allows them to serve a consistent-tasting cocktail while maintaining partnerships with spirit companies and keeping the profit margins intact. On the other hand, players can grab several RTDs at one time, giving operators a chance to sell a higher-priced beverage with the same frequency as a beer.
“I think it really speeds up our pace of play because people aren’t stopping and waiting for a drink to be made, and people know what they’re getting when they buy the product as well,” said Bill Potter, the Vice President of Communications and Engagement for First Tee Greater Richmond.
When First Tee revamped Virginia’s Belmont Golf Course last year, Fore was a perfect complement to its modernized beverage program that allows players to order refreshments through an app. It also created a workaround for their ABC license, which doesn’t allow for mixing drinks on the course.
Local partners have been a boon for Fore as the Virginia-based company grows— feedback from players encouraged Lewis to bump his cocktails from 5% to 7% ABV.
For other golf operators, a new cocktail program reflects the changes in the food and beverage industry in general, and gives players an experience that better matches the cost of playing golf.
“We wanted to offer a high quality cocktail program on and off the course,” said Ben Bridgers, Director of Golf and Cub Operations at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. “Pinehurst Resort is known for providing the ultimate golf and hospitality experience, so we saw Owen’s as the perfect partner to help create the best cocktail program for our guests to enjoy.”
In addition to providing refreshments at golf tournaments and courses, Owen’s is partnered with Levy Restaurants and Delaware North, two concessionaires that put them in over 100 sports stadiums across the country.
“Live entertainment, sports, golf, recreation has been such a strong avenue for us,” said co-founder Josh Miller. The company offers margarita and cranberry mixes in different bottle formats, as well as consumer-friendly four pack bottles of flavors like mint, cucumber and lime.
While the golf surge of 2020 seems to have continued and is even attracting different demographics, Lewis is looking beyond the lawn as well. He’s doubling down on Fore’s golf-inspired branding on his next three flavors currently in development, but sees golf as part of a larger lifestyle.
“The whole idea is that golfers do other things, so they go to the beach, they ski, they go to the pool, and they’re men and women. Golf is sort of pervasive into the rest of society, and instead of going with a generic outdoor lifestyle brand, we’re basically going with a drink-like-a-golfer theme,” he said.