May 2, 2026, 10:00 a.m. ET
Private equity firm KSL Capital Partners has agreed to purchase Invited Clubs for approximately $3 billion.This marks the second time KSL has owned the company, previously known as ClubCorp.Invited Clubs operates over 150 golf, country, and city clubs across the United States.The sale follows a recent trend of major deals within the golf and private club industry.
Private equity firm KSL Capital Partners has agreed to buy Invited Clubs, an operator of golf and membership clubs, for around $3 billion, including debt, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The deal marks KSL’s second stint as Invited’s owner, having bought the company, then known as ClubCorp, in 2006 for $1.8 billion and taken it public in 2013. It comes after Reuters reported in December that Apollo Global Management, which took Invited back private in 2017 for an enterprise value of $2.2 billion, was exploring options for the company including a sale or initial public offering.
KSL and Apollo declined to comment. Invited did not immediately respond to a comment request.
Founded in 1957, the Irving, Texas-based company has over 150 clubs across the U.S., including golf and country clubs, city clubs and venues within college football stadiums, and over 300,000 members, according to its website.
Marquee clubs include The Metropolitan Club in Chicago and Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. Members pay monthly dues, typically running into hundreds of dollars, after an initiation fee. The company rebranded itself from ClubCorp to Invited in 2022.
Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!
The transaction comes on the heels of a wave of dealmaking in the golf and private club sector.
Last year, Bain Capital acquired golf and country club operator Concert Golf, and Leonard Green & Partners bought a majority stake in the Topgolf business.
Topgolf Callaway Brands sold off a 60 percent stake in its Topgolf and Toptracer division to the large private-equity firm known for investing in fast-growing consumer brands. The deal valued Topgolf at roughly $1.1 billion and brought in about $770 million in cash.
Over the previous decade, Callaway transformed itself into a broader “Modern Golf” business, pairing traditional equipment brands like Callaway and Odyssey with lifestyle and entertainment platforms such as Topgolf, Toptracer, TravisMathew and Ogio. The Topgolf business became one of golf’s public faces of growth, with its big venues, glowing targets and millions of new players taking their first swings while holding a drink rather than a scorecard.
Topgolf Callaway Brands still owns 40 percent of Topgolf, but the move freed up Callaway to refocus on what it has always done best: golf clubs, golf balls, accessories and performance apparel.
The deal closed in 2026, and Topgolf Callaway Brands reverted to the simpler Callaway Golf Company name.
Meanwhile, high-end club operator Soho House was taken private for $2.7 billion last year by a group led by MCR Hotels that included actor Ashton Kutcher and Apollo.
KSL, which focuses on travel and leisure investments, already owns golf and country club operator Heritage Golf Group, as well as resort assets including Fairmont Grand Del Mar in California and Alterra Mountain Company, the ski resort group behind the Ikon Pass, which gives skiers access to dozens of mountains worldwide.Golfweek’s David Dusek contributed reporting to this story.