What TopGolf Teaches Us About Competitive Entertainment

Entertainment is no longer passive. Guests want to play. They want to challenge themselves. They want to win—or at least try. That’s why competitive entertainment is growing fast. Experiences like TopGolf, axe throwing bars, escape rooms, and esports arenas are changing how we think about guest engagement.

This article explores what TopGolf gets right and how those insights apply to theme park design. Competitive play isn’t just a trend. It’s a toolkit for emotional connection.

1. Competitive Play in Theme Parks

Competition adds a powerful layer to theme park attractions. It turns guests from observers into participants. It creates goals, stakes, and excitement.

Parks have long used games—from midway booths to interactive queues—but today’s guests expect deeper experiences. They want strategy, social dynamics, and feedback. They want their effort to matter.

2. Game-Based Attraction Design

Designing for gameplay requires different thinking. It’s not just about story. It’s about systems. Guests need rules, objectives, and outcomes they can understand.

Attractions with game layers need to balance challenge and accessibility. Winning should feel possible, but not guaranteed. The game should teach itself. And success should feel earned.

3. Guest Participation Planning

Participation creates investment. It gives guests a role. And when designed well, it builds emotion.

Planning for participation means considering team dynamics, physical accessibility, and emotional safety. It means giving people permission to play. Not everyone is a natural competitor—but everyone can enjoy trying.

4. Replayable Attraction Formats

Replayability drives retention. If a guest knows the outcome will change, they will come back. If they can improve over time, they will stay longer.

TopGolf thrives because it combines skill development with fun. Each visit offers new goals. Parks can use this logic to design attractions that evolve with the guest.

5. Social Competition Experiences

Most competitive entertainment works best in groups. Teams bond through shared effort. Friends laugh over failures. Families remember the score.

Parks can design for this by offering group-based attractions with collaborative mechanics. Let the win be shared. Let the moment be memorable.

6. Planning for Interaction

Interactivity isn’t just screens. It’s choice, timing, physical input, and feedback. It’s letting guests affect the world around them.

TopGolf gives guests immediate response—light, sound, points. Parks should aim for the same. Interaction must be tangible and meaningful.

7. Group Activities in Parks

Group play creates social momentum. It turns quiet visitors into cheering squads. It gives families and friends a shared mission.

Designing for group activity means making space for spectators. Offering team modes. Letting guests influence each other’s journey. The more social the experience, the deeper the connection.

8. Competitive Gamification

Points. Levels. Badges. Leaderboards. These tools aren’t gimmicks when used with purpose. They drive engagement, track progress, and reward effort.

Gamification should be optional, not mandatory. It should support emotion, not replace it. A well-scored experience feels transparent and fair.

9. Sport-Themed Master Planning

Sports are universal. They speak to instinct. Parks can learn from the layout of sports venues—visibility, flow, rhythm.

Planners can integrate physical games, digital simulations, and mixed-reality competitions across the park. These spaces offer kinetic energy and flexible programming.

10. Engaging Repeat Visitors

Competitive formats are perfect for bringing guests back. New challenges. Updated leaderboards. Seasonal tournaments.

Parks should build infrastructure to support returning players—account systems, mobile integration, loyalty mechanics. Make the second visit better than the first.