WASHINGTON — It’s not just a driving range, but rather a concept where golfing and entertainment meet: Target Oriented Practice Golf, or Topgolf.
If you’ve heard of it before, that’s because Alexandria is home to the first such establishment opened in the U.S. in 2005. That was the pilot.
The Topgolf opening in Loudoun next summer will be Generation Two.
Jason Evans, Topgolf media relations manager, says the new location will boast 200 or more big screen TVs, three different levels, several bars and good food.
“It’s like a Friday’s or a Dave and Busters with a golfing range,” said Loudoun County Supervisor Shawn Williams, who attended the groundbreaking on Thursday of the new facility being built near the intersection of Loudoun County Parkway and Route 7 in Ashburn.
Topgolf is a sports entertainment facility with food and drink where players tee off from a driving bay and can hit golf balls installed with microchip technology.
Slated to open next summer, the new business will join 10 Topgolf’s already open in the U.S.
The concept started in the UK, but began taking hold this side of the pond after the first opened in Alexandria in 2005. There are three in the UK.
He says the new facility will be bigger, better and more upscale.
“It’s a cool social atmosphere, whether you’re a golfer or not,” says Willie Wilson, operations director for the Loudoun County location.
There will be 102 bays at the Loudoun location where 612 can be acommodated, Evans says. The company expects it will serve 450,000 visitors in its first year, with an estimated 10-year economic impact of more than $264 million.
They’ll employ 450 full and part-time workers and up to three golf pros. But while serious golfers can work on their game, the company says nearly 40 percent of their patrons identify themselves as non-golfers.
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