First rumored at the end of 2014, and confirmed early this year, Topgolf (Target Oriented Practice Golf) is, according to the official website, "the premier golf entertainment complex where the competition of sport meets your favorite local hangout" -- a concept not dissimilar to the sporting-activity-meets-nightclub-and-live-music-venue introduced to Las Vegas by Brooklyn Bowl at The LINQ Promenade, only on far grander scale, since golf takes up a lot more space than bowling. Topgolf was founded in 2000 and currently has three venues in the UK and multiple locations in the U.S., including two in Arizona and six in Texas.
In Las Vegas, the new attraction is a collaboration with MGM Resorts International and, this being Vegas, it promises to be a "flagship" location "unlike anything we have ever endeavored to build," according to Executive Chairman Erik Anderson, comprising a 105,000-square-foot multi-story structure overlooking a 240-yard outfield. At the official groundbreaking, which took place on February 18, other details released included that the attraction will feature 102 hitting bays on the first three "regular" stories, plus a fourth VIP areas with water features. The venue will also offer a stage for live music, dining outlets, and a ranger of private-event spaces able to cater to groups of up to 2,000 or as few as 10 people.
As to its core function, as a recreational golf-practice range, Topgolf aims to cater to all ages and skill levels and uses micro-chipped balls to monitor your result on dartboard-like targets. Three years in the planning, it's slated to open sometime in the spring of 2016 and hopes to attract one million visitors in its first year of operation; in the meantime, you can get a sneak peek at what it may look like courtesy of some renderings on the official website.
