The Takeaway
TopGolf Offers
Alternative Game
Engagement
Experience
Visitors can enjoy a
variety of activities
at TopGolf locations.
by ARTHUR UTLEY
Enjoy a perfect golf vacation
in the scenic Northern Neck at
the Tides Inn, named one of the
state’s best resorts by Condé Nast
Traveler. Accept the challenge of
the stunning Golden Eagle Golf
course designed by George Cobb.
Discover unforgettable signature
holes, enticing elevation changes
and well-placed bunkers for all
skill levels, plus a driving range
and clubhouse. Then relax with
celebrated regional dining and
the full-service spa. Reserve your
getaway today.
480 King Carter Drive | Irvington, VA 22480
800.843.3746 | 804.438.5000
tidesinn.com
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Texas. In addition
to Virginia, there
are locations in
Arizona, California,
Florida, Georgia and
Oklahoma.
Michael Matley, the current operations
manager at T
opGolf Alexandria, started out
at the Watford base. The Virginia hub was
an old driving range that TopGolf converted
because “it offered an ideal location in terms
of our target demographics,” Browne says.
“T
opGolf has been actively evaluating cities
across the globe for potential locations.
There are some cities that also have been
proactive in trying to attract TopGolf. We
have aggressive growth plans. With the
number of locations we have in the pipeline,
we expect to exceed the National Football
League’s average yearly attendance by 2017.”
The working locations currently serve
2.2 million guests per year.
Games using the microchipped golf balls
drove the revenue under the Joliffe brothers.
There are six games from which to choose
in Alexandria. No matter what game or
games you choose, each involves hitting a
ball into a round target (11 of them) that is
20 to 240 yards from one of the hitting bays
(76 on two tiers in Alexandria).
Longer shots and shots landing closer to
the flag produce more points. Each target has
a reader that computes the score and sends it
to a computer screen in the hitting bay. The
technology is a closely guarded secret. How
you fare against other guests that day or night
are posted on the computer screen for all to see.
To play, guests purchase a membership
card that can be loaded with game credits
(20 balls per game). There’s a base price per
game depending on the day of the week and
time of day. Bulk buy specials and monthly
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NICK WASS/ASSOCIATED PRESS
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TOPGOLF (2)
The kind of golf
you’d expect from
one of Virginia’s
leading resorts.
riving range. Social hot spot.
Competition using golf balls with
microchips in them. Food
and beverage items worthy
of a quality gastropub. Plenty of
loud hit music.
Mix everything together
and you get the entertainment
phenomenon known as T
opGolf.
Started in Watford, England,
in 2000 and now based in
Dallas, T
opGolf has a location in
Alexandria, its only facility in Virginia.
Opened in 2007, the Alexandria site was
one of the first in the United States, along
with Dallas and Chicago.
A second location, in Loudoun County on
the western side of northern Virginia, is in the
works for a 2015 opening.
What is T
opGolf?
The answer is on the website at
www.topgolf.com: T
opGolf is flat-out fun.
“TopGolf offers that lively social
environment and interaction that people
seek during family outings, date nights,
corporate team-building events and parties,”
says Adrienne Browne, the company’s senior
communications manager. “It provides people
an entertainment option other than going to
the movies, visiting a theme park or playing
games at an arcade.
“We serve as an entertainment amenity
that has a wide appeal because we also have
activities for non-golfers, like live music,
free pool tables, shuffleboard and Xbox.
The TopGolf team has made it a point
since day one to focus on creating a fun and
memorable guest experience.”
T brothers Steve and David Joliffe were
win
hardcore golfers looking to improve their
games but were bored with just hitting balls
at a range in North London, England, when
they conceived T
opGolf in the late 1990s.
They opened the first location in Watford,
just outside of London.
Today, after the Joliffe brothers sold
TopGolf International in 2011 to private
investors for more than $28 million, 11
TopGolf locations are open. Three are in
the United Kingdom. Seven sites are under
construction; most of the existing ones are in