A modest tee shot away from Boeing’s aircraft assembly plant in Renton, Washington, golf balls fly at the sprawling new top golf sports and entertainment venue that opened Friday.
Topgolf Renton-Seattle is the company’s 78th location and the first in Washington State, and golfers of all skill levels flock here in the heat of the heat to hit a golf ball or play a game. , ate, drank, and savored the atmosphere.
Topgolf uses Toptracer, a ball-tracing technology that enhances the technology-enabled driving range experience. Each ball hit from 102 different bays on three levels is tracked by a camera, with stats such as speed and distance instantly relayed to a video monitor. Golfers can play games like Angry Birds and Jewel Jam, or pretend to shoot at famous courses around the world.
But being a good golfer is not taken for granted.
“75% of the people who come here either don’t consider themselves a golfer or have never swung a golf club,” Paul Howard, the facility’s director of operations, told GeekWire during the tour. Told. “It’s kind of a misconception that top golf is all about golf. It’s about getting together with friends and having a good time.
“All of this, of course,” he adds, gesturing over 65,000 square feet of space that includes numerous bars, outdoor patios, lounge areas, private meeting rooms, executive conference rooms, three indoor Swing Suite simulator bays, and more. I was. .
Topgolf comes at a time when tech-enabled golf culture is booming in the Seattle area. Five Iron Golf is one of 10 high-tech indoor golf experiences in the United States that opened in March in the Capitol Hill area. Hip-hop star Macklemore, who also owns a golf fashion store called Bogey Boys, will take ownership of Five Iron and serve as his ambassador for the brand.
Renton is one of Top Golf’s two “best” locations. That means it has more features than one of the company’s traditional venues.
The ground floor features an architectural design for a central atrium with skylights and two huge video screens for broadcasting big sporting events on TV. It has a retail store, main bar, shuffleboard, air hockey and foosball tables. Outside there are TVs, games and fire pits on patios on every level.
The space can hold hundreds and Howard expects it to be packed this weekend, as Saturday’s reservations have already sold out the venue. During the walk-ins, Topgolf is also hosting special events.
“I’m thinking of an event for two from Johnny’s 10th birthday party. [hitting] Bay, the entire building will be bought by Boeing,” Howard said.
The location, 30 minutes south of Seattle, feels “centrally located,” according to Howard, and TopGolf has attracted major Puget Sound-area technology companies as well as state I’m sure it draws from different directions within.
“Other places, people would drive two to three hours just to get to top golf and have that experience,” Howard said. “British He may have guests from Vancouver, Columbia.”
Topgolf’s arrival in Renton is the latest sign of change in this Seattle suburb rooted in manufacturing. GeekWire spent his time here in 2018 documenting the city’s history and aspirations for growth. Topgolf is just a three-minute drive from the new Southport Complex, a sprawling facility on Lake Washington with over 700,000 square feet of office space.
TopGolf Renton, which will employ approximately 500 people, is located near The Landing, a sprawling shopping and dining development that opened in 2007.
Phil Vannavong drove from Marysville, Washington to the new Topgolf. A government engineer came to visit with seven friends. He’s been to Top Golf in Austin and Las Vegas before and is happy to have closer options than Portland. He might come to Renton once a month, he thought.
“They aren’t working…or they should be!”
Andrew Irvine of Puyallup, Washington was hanging out with his wife Vanessa and young sons Jordan and Trey.
“This is a place where you don’t have to be a golfer to play,” Ervin said. “You can enjoy your swing without being criticized. You get your own bay and do whatever you want.”
I took my swing (see tweet below) from the 3rd floor bay on Thursday. Using a driver from the selection of clubs provided, in an hour he hit 40 balls and sweated trying to reach the farthest target on the range. I was intrigued by the ability to see the trajectory of the ball on a nearby screen and get the distance of each shot.
We had a drink and a snack of sandwiches and a delicious “cheesy McBite” in between swings while watching golf balls fly in all directions.
Misty Skeeter, from Kent, Washington, has never played golf and has three children: Malaysia Myles, Jamaica Myles, and Nekaira Skeeter. Jamaican girlfriend Jordyn Lewis played golf at Garfield High School in Seattle.
Malaysia found out about Topgolf on Instagram and her mom booked them for a few hours.
“It was fun,” said Misty Skeeter. “It was a little difficult to think about the correct way to hit and aim at what I should aim for, but it was fun.”
Joe Lynch of West Seattle and his friend John Blevins of Bothell, Washington, were “playing” on Pebble Beach and enjoying a beer. Blevins has previously played Top Golf in Las Vegas, Arizona, east of Seattle at Google’s Kirkland. I have.
“I drive hours to golf anyway,” Blevins said when asked if he regularly makes the trek to Renton. Attracted to the party atmosphere for. “Perfect for outings with kids or friends.”
Asked if Top Golf is a place to work on his golf game, Lynch said it’s more for fun.
“After you do this a few times, you’re not working on the game anymore,” he laughs, pointing to a pitcher of beer.
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