Golf is an expensive sport — even for those who just play par 3 courses. Grass League is on it.
Par 3 golf league Grass League has raised $2.75 million in its seed-plus round, which is the round of funding sandwiched between an upstart’s original seed money and its official Series-A round. Most of the money came from Creator Sports Capital, which recently invested $45 million in Good Good Golf, almost inarguably the most influential YouTube Golf group. Old Tom Capital, an investor in golf innovation, also kicked in some skins.
With Creator Sports Capital on board, there will be “some” Good Good collabs “in the works,” Jake Hoselton, co-founder of Grass League, told The Hollywood Reporter. The details of those are “not ready to be announced” though.
Additionally, Paige Spiranac, a pretty big golf influencer in her own right, has joined the league as front-office staffer. Spiranac tells THR that she’s been tasked with building out Grass League’s “entire content strategy,” which of course includes building a brand on social media. With four million followers on Instagram (Spiranac also has a strong presence on Facebook, X, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube and Passes), she’s fully qualified. Spiranac, a pro-golfer-turned-model, will also do some front-of-camera stuff for Grass League as an on-course reporter.
The new Grass League funding will be used to enhance event production, fund a new commissioner role and double its content output — including on social media, YouTube and shorts — Hoselton told THR.
Grass League is a chill alternative to traditional golf, which has a reputation for being rather stuffy and slow-paced. Hoselton’s take is all par 3s, played at night, and in a 2 v. 2 come-as-you-are team format.
Hoselton says he hasn’t caught flack for his relaxed take on the game.
“We still are golf peer,” he said. ”Competition is the utmost important thing of the Grass League.” Plus, Hoselton says he’s “just growing the game in general.”
Grass League was founded in 2023 by Hoselton and his brother Jimmy Hoselton, as well as Pete Wilson and Connor Riley. It’s a duos scramble competition with 11 franchises across 11 different cities in North America and Canada. Team owners include Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (Los Angeles Roses team), 2023 U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark (San Diego Munis), Good Good Golf (Dallas Horsemen) and professional tennis player Mardy Fish (Hollywood Hitters). Fish has played, as has Good Good’s Garrett Clark and Matt Kendrick, and former quarterback Johnny Manziel, among others (including a bunch of professional golfers).
Grass League already has live events that stream on Peacock and Golf Channel (and Golf Channel’s YouTube). NBCUniversal owns both Peacock and Golf Channel, though the latter is leaving for spin-off company Versant.
The Grass League
Courtesy of The Grass League
“The brilliance of Grass League lies in its transformation of a universal pastime into a compelling, creator-driven sport,” Brian Kabot, co-managing partner of Creator Sports Capital, said. “What impressed us most is how they’ve built more than just a league; they’ve cultivated a vibrant digital community where passion and creativity are the main event. We invest in the future of fandom and athlete empowerment, and Grass League is pioneering that in a truly unique and authentic way. We are excited to support their vision as they scale this innovative concept into a household name.”
Grass League events tour the country; its flagship site is at Grass Clipping Rolling Hills in Tempe, Arizona.
“Grass League is building exactly the kind of platform that resonates with where sports, media, and culture are headed,” Matthew Erley, the managing partner of Old Tom Capital, added. “At Old Tom Capital, we believe the future of golf — and sports more broadly — belongs to formats that are inclusive, fast, and designed from the ground up for digital and primetime audiences. Grass League’s franchise-driven, media-first model not only reinvents what a professional golf league can look like, it expands who gets to participate and who gets to watch. In a moment where traditional golf is finding it more challenging to reach younger fans and casual viewers, Grass League is setting the stage for a new generation of players and stories. We couldn’t be more excited to support the team as they bring this vision to life.”
