LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Kings center and captain Anze Kopitar will retire after the 2025-26 season, and like many retirees, he will devote his time to another passion: golf.
Kopitar is the newest investor and limited partner in the Los Angeles Golf Club, one of five teams in the TGL Golf League, a newly formed team golf league entering its second season that hosts tournaments in the arena, blending virtual courses and high-tech rotating greens designed to attract a new generation of golf fans and provide an innovative in-arena experience.
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“Being a very passionate golfer myself and really loving the game and following things and seeing TGL get some attention and how fun it was to watch, I hadn’t really thought about getting this opportunity, but when the opportunity came up, I jumped at it,” Kopitar said.
The Kings captain said he was approached by LAGC President Neil Hubman about becoming an investor and he was eager to join.
Obsessed with golf
Kopitar’s personal golf experience has a unique connection to his time in Los Angeles. Originally from Slovenia, he didn’t have much golf experience growing up, but decades after moving to sunny Southern California, he found himself playing golf more and more, especially at charity tournaments hosted by the Kings.
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The drive to compete that made him one of the best hockey players of his generation also led him to take up golf after a disappointing charity tournament performance that left him feeling uncomfortable.
“I wasn’t really interested until the next year when I really embarrassed myself at that charity golf tournament. So I thought I’d try a little harder. And then I hit the sweet spot with a seven-iron and I was hooked,” Kopitar said.
Kopita joins a group of investors that includes several other high-profile athletes and entertainment figures, such as principal owners Alexis Ohanian, Serena Williams and Venus Williams, as well as an expanded investor base that includes Giannis Antetokounmpo, Alex Morgan and Shonda Rhimes.
Stay Connected with Los Angeles
While he plans to move his family back to Slovenia after the NHL season, taking a stake in LAGC provides Kopitar and his family a new way to stay connected to the community he has called home and left his mark on for two decades.
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“It’s a good excuse for me to come out here and see everybody and be a part of this community like I’ve been for 20 years…Both of my kids were born here. We have friends here outside of hockey. Now there’s this thing popping up at L.A. Golf Club,” Kopitar said. “It will be fun to get back here and maybe not be as stressful as I was during the season.”
The LAGC’s season kicked off with a game against Boston Common Golf on January 2 at the SoFi Center in Palm Springs, Florida. Boston Common won 7-5, the first game Kopitar had the opportunity to attend as a new member of the organization.
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“Anze represents everything we value at LAGC: elite competition, leadership, and a deep connection to Los Angeles. He is a world-class athlete, a passionate golfer, and understands what it means to represent this city at the highest level. We are proud to welcome him to our team of investors,” Hubman said in LAGC’s official announcement.
