New Age Golf

[Highdraw34]

I apoligize in advance for the lenght of this thread but I think some of you might be interested in this, especially those in the UK. I live in the DC area and an new age driving range\golfing experience has recently opened up called Top Golf. It is a high tech driving range with 11 targets setup ranging from 25 to 260 yards. Each ball has a micro chip inside it that knows your name and before you hit each ball you pass it through a machine that registers the ball as "Active" you then hit the ball at any of the green shaped targets. Each target is setup like a circular grid. The closer you get to the center of the target the more points you register. Each driving bay has a monitor in it that tells you where each ball went. To play a game you get 20 balls. After each ball is hit you get a score. The place is pretty cool. Some balls count double so it challenges you to hit different clubs on different shots. They also have wait staff that brings around drinks and food to your stall. It is kind of like a bowling alley in that respect.

Anyway, they are having a tournament on Saturday. I qualified for the tournament by getting one of the top 50 scores amongst registered entrants. On Saturday I will play a tournament style match against the other 49 competitors. The top prize wins a 7500 dollar complete golf makeover which includes new clubs, a bag, shirts, shoes and 16 rounds of golf at some great local courses. One of the drawbacks is that there is a very high reward for the 260 yard target, so it begs you to hit driver most of the time. Right now my driver is depressed and doesn't seem to function.

I bring this up because the corporation that created Top Golf has a really strong initiative to open facilities all across the country. They originally began in the UK where they have 4 locations. They plan on being in every major market within 10 years. If you see one of these places opening up in your area I suggest giving it a try. It will never replace the pure joy of real golf but it is pretty neat.

Here is the website. This isn't spam, I have no vested interest whatsoever in Top Golf I just think it is something a lot of you would find interesting. With all the latest advancement in equipment, it is kind of cool to see that the driving range has a new style.

http://www.topgolf.com/

[Pa Jayhawk]

That is pretty wild. It would be nice if they got something like that up here. I am hard pressed to even find a decent driving range. It didn't look to terribly expensive either.

[Highdraw34]

Originally Posted by FKA Pa Jayhawk

That is pretty wild. It would be nice if they got something like that up here. I am hard pressed to even find a decent driving range. It didn't look to terribly expensive either.

It really isn't very expensive. During peak hours one game is 4.75 but if you go off peak hours the games are 2 bucks. They are currently in construction in NY, NJ, Atlanta, Vegas, LA. Pretty much all over the place.

[Big Brother Dunk]

That looks very cool!

I doubt if one would ever show up around here, but I can hope.

[eclark53520]

Thought i would bring this one back from the grave(notice the posting date)

Whats the news on these things??? Have they not caught on or what? Anyone been to one? This sounds like fun...

[BigJim13]

Looks cool, actually really cool. To bad I live in a state that has nothing and wants nothing (Vermont).