As Lonnie points out this is a fantasy game that alosso puts in the personal entertainment realm. The basic game is free but there is a cost to play beyond that level. How that cost is covered by individuals is a personal matter.
Like Lonnie, I am a "free" player. I know that the cost to me is my time finding "free" credits.I accept this because I have a great deal of "free" time. Were this not true I would have to decide if I wanted to part with money from my entertainment budget to play WGT golf. Alosso chooses taking money from his entertainment budget which works best for his interests.
Since we, WGT players, are not privy to the internal workings of TopGolf or WGT, we have no idea if the company is phasing out advertising or if various vendors are dropping WGT as a vehicle for their advertising. One thing is clear that here in the states it has become more challenging to mine "free" credits. For me, a good day is no longer 500 plus but more like 150. Because of the reserve I have built, I no longer find a need to chase these "free" credits but realize that new players, or those outside the US, are far more likely to not have a choice on how to get credits.
Also clear is that the players here can give a great deal of advice about how to earn "free" credits as well as how to wisely spend the credits needed to get functional equipment to fit the various player levels. Lonnie and I have tried to help others find ways to earn "free" credits. I have seen posts that alosso has made regarding equipment. We come to these forums to help others even as the game changes for us, the experienced players.
Just remember that putting is totally free as long as you don't take a mulligan.