Updated
Updated · Front Office Sports · Jul 6
Versant Buys Full Swing for $530 Million as Tiger Woods’s Stake Reaches Up to $10.6 Million
Updated
Updated · Front Office Sports · Jul 6

Versant Buys Full Swing for $530 Million as Tiger Woods’s Stake Reaches Up to $10.6 Million

3 articles · Updated · Front Office Sports · Jul 6

Summary

  • $530 million will buy Versant full control of golf simulator maker Full Swing, with the all-cash deal expected to close by year-end and CEO Ryan Dotters joining the Comcast spinoff.
  • Tiger Woods owns 1% to 2% of Full Swing after investing again beyond his 2015 entry, putting the value of his stake at as much as $10.6 million under the deal.
  • Full Swing gives Versant deeper ties to golf media and technology: its simulators power TGL, it is the PGA Tour’s licensed simulator, and its products sell from about $5,000 for launch monitors to $11,500-plus for studio kits.
  • Bruin Capital is exiting at roughly a 3x return after buying Full Swing for $160 million in 2021, while the acquisition becomes Versant’s third major deal this year.

Insights

Will Versant's $530M deal create a new sports tech ecosystem or just a costly collection of media and hardware assets?
As home simulators merge with media giants, will personal athletic data become the next major entertainment commodity for consumers?
With new legislation targeting 'vulture investors,' is the private equity boom fueling the multi-billion dollar SportsTech industry now at risk?