A three-level, high-tech golf driving range and entertainment complex is set to open this winter near the Great Lakes Crossing Outlets in Auburn Hills, bolstering the Detroit suburb as an entertainment destination.
Topgolf — a Dallas-based company that bills itself as a “premier golf entertainment complex” and your “favorite local hangout” — announced Monday morning its plans to open a 65,000-square-foot center.
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Topgolf, a premier entertainment destination, to Auburn Hills,” said Auburn Hills Mayor Kevin McDaniel. “Topgolf is the perfect complement to our entertainment district near Great Lakes Crossing Outlets.”
The announcement said the $12.5 million project is its first planned location in Michigan.
In the past year, Auburn Hills lost the Pistons, which moved to Detroit and played their last game at the Palace in April. The Palace — which is nearly 30 years old — is likely to be demolished and the property redeveloped.
The Topgolf sports-entertainment project, on 16-acres along the southwest corner of I-75 and Joslyn Road, is expected to draw about 450,000 visitors in its first year, which, combined with new attractions at the outlet mall, could help make up for lost basketball games and concerts.
Topgolf aims to appeal to folks, including children, who are golf enthusiasts and those who have never played — or even own clubs. It also has been credited with helping to revive interest in the sport and changing the way people play it.
A Topgolf range is much like a traditional one, with infrared heaters when it’s cool and fans when it’s hot.
But more than a place to work on your swing, groups of people go there to compete by winning points for coming closest to targets that are 20-240 yards away using balls that have microchips in them. A computer keeps score.
The range, which is filled with large-screen TVs, also offers chef-prepared food and alcoholic drinks brought to customers by servers.
People who don’t have their own equipment can rent clubs.
In the past few months, visitors to the MGM Grand in downtown Detroit have been able to get a sample of the technology in the company’s swing suite.
Continue reading full article on Detroit Free Press.
