Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, United States: The PGA of America has announced a partnership with GOLF+, an emerging virtual reality (VR) golf platform, to help build a more traditional and iconic golf gaming experience.

GOLF+, currently listed in the ‘Top Selling’ category within the Meta Quest eco-system, previously focused only on mini-golf putting and its Topgolf driving range gameplay.

But it now features 18-hole courses with a full bag of clubs to give golf fans a more traditional option.

The game currently features three courses, including Wolf Creek in Mesquite, Nevada and its newest offering, PGA-owned Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Coming soon will be another PGA facility, PGA Golf Club in Port St Lucie, Florida.

These acclaimed courses help give gamers and golf enthusiasts an experience that takes them from the clubhouse to the range and to the first tee as if they were at the green-grass facilities in person.

GOLF+ also has unique plans to integrate PGA Professionals into the platform to highlight their teaching and coaching expertise for golf gamers of all skill levels. 

“We are pleased to announce our partnership with the PGA of America and we’re excited to work together to attract more players to the sport through virtual interactions,” said Ryan Engle, GOLF+ Founder and CEO.

“Golf’s greatest challenge is accessibility, and we believe VR is a promising solution to help grow the game to a new demographic of players. As part of our partnership, we are adding Valhalla Golf Club as a free course to our players. In 2022, we’ll continue expanding our virtual offering by working closely with the PGA of America and their teaching professionals,” added Engle.

Making the game accessible to new audiences and connecting people with PGA Professionals are in line with the PGA’s foundational values, and this partnership highlights both.

“The PGA of America is committed to growing interest and participation in golf, and we believe this opportunity with GOLF+ will help more people to experience our game,” said Jim Richerson, President of the PGA of America, an Executive Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.

“With this VR offering, we’re collaborating to reach a new audience of future golfers and introduce them to our network of more than 28,000 PGA Professionals, who work every day to grow the game,” added Richerson.

GOLF+ was co-founded in 2017 by Engle and Robert Holzhauer and has rapidly grown into a top-selling VR application that serves one of the fastest growing areas of technology and golf.

GOLF+ partnered with Topgolf in 2019, allowing players to engage with a virtual Topgolf location 24/7.