Formerly Great Company Being Run Into the Ground
Pros
- Some really amazing people to work with who aren't at the executive leadership level. - Occasional company lunches and team happy hours - Pay is solid for the sports and entertainment industry
Cons
When I first joined the company, it was fantastic. The management team seemed to have a clear direction for growth while understanding the core customer audience who had helped support and build the company into the $2.6 billion acquisition for Callaway. After the acquisition by Callaway and the overhaul in management, the environment progressively changed. Experienced and valuable VPs, directors, senior managers, and managers all began leaving after years of service. It was made abundantly clear that voicing any discontent or concern with strategies would not only be quickly shut down but could result in that person's firing. The core value of “Caring” became a buzzword for the Executive Leadership Team to throw around while the employees shook their heads knowing how little the company cared. Different teams experienced different issues, but what I heard about the Brand Team (Marketing and Partnerships) was alarming. The CMO may embody the idea of preaching the company’s core values but exhibiting the exact opposite the most of anyone at the company. The CMO fostered a culture of fear and distrust while simultaneously surrounding himself with yes-men/women. He was unforgiving and vengeful towards anyone who disagreed with him and the constant rumors of his back-door dealings with media companies and vindictive handling of companies/partners he felt had “wronged” him were constantly being discussed around the office. To make the situation even worse, the people team (HR) constantly covered for and defended his handling of situations. I genuinely loved this company when I started years ago, but as time progressed, I realized I had compartmentalized many of the company’s issues because I enjoyed the work I did. It wasn’t until I began talking with friends about some of the issues that I saw it was abundantly apparent that the issues at Topgolf corporate were far worse than your standard corporate dilemmas. I cannot in good conscience recommend this company to anyone anymore. They laid off somewhere between 20 – 30% of corporate in November solely to ensure they could provide positive revenue numbers for Q4, and I think many of the employees that survived will be leaving soon after bonuses are paid this month. Avoid this company and your mental health will thank you later.
