Topgolf hit with multi-million-dollar payout after woman struck by flying club

An Oregon woman has reached a multi-million-dollar settlement with Topgolf after suffering a serious head injury when a golf club flew into a seating area at the company's Hillsboro venue.

According to Oregonlive.com, Kendal Spencer was visiting Topgolf with friends in June 2023 when she was struck by a club that had slipped from another golfer's hands.

The club travelled from two bays away and hit Spencer while she was sitting on a couch inside the bay her group had reserved.

She was taken to hospital by ambulance and required nine staples to close the wound to her scalp.

Spencer later claimed the incident left her with a traumatic brain injury, as well as ongoing headaches, memory problems, vertigo, blurred vision and chronic pain.

Her legal team at Portland firm Smith Foster King filed a negligence lawsuit against Topgolf in federal court in Portland in early 2025.

The case has now been settled, although the exact amount paid to Spencer has not been disclosed.

According to her lawyers, the settlement is worth several million dollars.

Lawsuit raised concerns over seating near hitting bays

A key allegation in Spencer's lawsuit was that Topgolf had failed to provide adequate protection for customers sitting close to its hitting areas.

Her lawyers argued that seating areas had been positioned near the bays without sufficient barriers to prevent a golf club from entering the area if a player lost their grip during a swing.

Spencer was not playing a shot herself when she was injured.

Instead, she was sitting with friends when the club travelled from another part of the venue.

That detail formed an important part of the case, highlighting the potential risks faced by customers who are inside a bay but not actively hitting golf balls.

Second major Topgolf case in Oregon

The settlement comes less than two years after another major legal case involving Topgolf in Oregon.

In September 2025, a federal jury in Portland found Topgolf negligent after a nine-year-old boy was struck in the head by a golf club.

The boy required surgery and was left with titanium plates in his head.

The jury awarded $16 million in that case.

Smith Foster King represented the family in that lawsuit as well as Spencer, with the firm pointing to similarities between the two incidents.

Sam Smith, a partner at the firm, said the cases involved "remarkably similar allegations", arguing that both clients believed the same type of hazard had resulted in preventable injuries.

The firm has expressed hope that the cases will lead to improvements in customer safety at Topgolf venues.

Topgolf faces fresh safety scrutiny

The latest settlement puts further attention on the safety arrangements surrounding Topgolf's hitting bays, where golfers, friends and spectators share a relatively confined space.

Unlike a traditional golf course, Topgolf facilities bring large numbers of players and non-playing guests into close proximity, with seating areas located alongside active hitting bays.

That creates a different set of safety considerations, particularly when a player loses control of a club.

Spencer's case does not mean every similar incident would result in a multi-million-dollar settlement, and the confidential agreement does not carry the same legal finding as the $16 million jury verdict.

However, the two cases have placed the design and protection of seating areas under increased scrutiny.

For Spencer, what began as a visit to Topgolf with friends resulted in an emergency hospital trip and injuries she says have had lasting effects.

The financial terms of her settlement will remain private, but the case marks another significant legal development for Topgolf in Oregon.