Learn How To Turn Your Next Range Session Into a $250,000 Pursuit

Picture this: You’re standing on the tee box of a par 5. Your buddy just snap-hooked his drive into the trees, but instead of taking a mulligan, he turns to you and says, “I raise you fifty.” That’s the World Series of Golf (WSG)—a format that takes the ruthless strategy of Texas Hold’em and injects it directly into every single hole. For 23 years, it’s been the quiet obsession of high-stakes players. But now, Topgolf and WSG are blowing the doors wide open.

Starting September 1st, the first-ever WSG Satellite Series is hitting 30 Topgolf venues across 11 states. The winner at each location advances to a National Championship in Scottsdale, Arizona. Survive that, and you earn a $10,000 seat in the WSG Championship, where the winner takes home a cool $250,000.

This isn’t your standard closest-to-the-pin contest. It’s a completely different game, and the window to get a seat at the table is closing fast.

How Poker-Style Golf Actually Works

If you’ve ever tried to calculate your opponent’s likely score while staring down a tricky approach shot, you already understand the appeal of the WSG format. It neutralizes pure ball-striking dominance because you don’t need to be a scratch golfer to win — you just need to know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em.

Here is the breakdown of how it works when you step into the bay:

The Ante. Before every hole, each player posts an ante starting at 1% of their bankroll. Every three holes, the ante doubles, forcing the action and escalating the pressure as the round progresses.

The Button. Just like at a poker table, play order rotates based on “the button,” not who is furthest from the hole. Position is everything.

The Betting. After tee shots, players check, raise, call, or fold. If you fold, you lose your ante but protect your bankroll. If you stay in, you’re fighting for the pot.

The Payout. The player with the lowest score on the hole scoops the entire pot. Ties split it. The last player with chips wins the round.

“The WSG format was made for this moment. It takes the strategy of poker and puts it into every hole, and now, through our app, anyone can bring that experience to a Topgolf bay or any golf course in the world.” — Robert Davidman, CEO of World Series of Golf

The Topgolf Satellite Series: Your Path to $250K

The Satellite Series brings this high-stakes format to the masses, running over two nights using Topgolf’s virtual golf mode. The bracket structure is clean and brutal.

Venues are spread across Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Tennessee. If you’re in any of those states, there is a Topgolf near you with an open bay and a clock ticking.

The App That Runs the Game

You can’t play the game without the tech, and the tech is genuinely impressive. The entire tournament — from the betting mechanics to the live leaderboard — is powered by the WSG app. When you register for the Satellite Series, you aren’t just signing up for a Topgolf tournament; you’re getting the engine that lets you play this format anywhere.

The app tracks your bankroll, manages the bets, runs a 55-second action timer to keep the game moving, and keeps the score in real time. You can take it to your local muni this weekend and run a WSG game with your regular foursome before September 1st even arrives.

The WSG app home screen — tap New Game to start a round or claim your Satellite Series spot.

Hole 1 of 9, pot sitting at $200. Fold, check, bet, or go all-in — your call.

The final leaderboard. Winner takes the pot. Second place takes home nothing.

The Founding Member Window Is Closing

Here is where the urgency kicks in. Registration for the Topgolf tournament is open right now, and spots are capped at 128 players per venue. When a location fills up, it’s gone.

Right now, you can reserve your spot for $0 — no credit card required. Reserving secures your entry and locks you in as a WSG Founding Member. The full entry fee is $86.49, which covers the $36.50 event entry and a deeply discounted $50.00 first-year app membership. But the real value is the lifetime lock: Founding Members renew at $79.98 a year — a permanent 20% discount off the regular rate — for as long as you remain a member. That rate disappears the moment the founding window closes, and they aren’t announcing when that is.

They don’t even take your credit card today. You reserve your spot in the app, and they email you to complete payment before September 1st. But once those 128 spots at your local Topgolf are gone, you’re locked out of both the tournament and the founding rate.

Your Move

If you’re the player who thrives when the pressure is on — or the poker player who happens to own a set of clubs — this is your arena. The format rewards smart play, not just long drives. Improving your course management and short game will matter far more here than raw distance. Knowing which ball fits your swing speed won’t hurt either when you’re playing nine holes on virtual golf and every shot feeds the pot calculation.

Three steps. That’s all it takes.

Step 1: Download the WSG app and create your account — your first game is free, no card required.

Step 2: Reserve your Satellite Series spot — $0 today — choose your Topgolf location and lock in your founding member rate before the spots fill up.

Step 3: Show up September 1st, logged in and ready to ante up.

The game has changed. The only question is whether you’re sitting at the table when the first cards are dealt.

For more information on the WSG × Topgolf Satellite Series, visit wsg.golf/topgolf-series. Registration is live at scorecard.wsg.golf/satellite/register.