I have one 20 minutes away from me in Cincinnati. First impression is that It's definitely not for the serious golfer but instead meant to be a fun social avenue for a group of friends or family. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to target any one group needed for long term success.
I walked in with my full set of clubs in hand with my boss, I felt rather out of place... Thankfully there was a designated employee who took and carried clubs to the driving range part. It felt a bit out of place... but it made things go smoother...lol
We played a couple of different game types, we decided the best was the original topgolf game which was the most simple, you can both decide on your own target, the further the target away and the closer to the center of target, the more points you're awarded. So if I was way down in the game I would want to aim at a target further away. It took us awhile to grasp the computer system (you have to select on screen manually to go to next golfer or you keep going) They didn't explain that too well, but it was the day before the official opening. Every game each golfer hits 20 balls and then you have to restart a new one. The balls have a microchip in them, which will tell you the exact distance if you hit and land in one of the targets (pretty cool), to get a golf ball you simply put your club over a sensor and one is dispersed to you. The clubs there seem of high quality and every section has these golf clubs pw through 3 wood in their own slots. I did like knowing exactly how far every ball you hit went, this was the only thing close to worthwhile for a true golfer. The range ends at 220 yards, I would have liked it to be closer to 280 yards to really let my driver fly without worrying about clearing back net. The netting and pillars that hold it up are ENORMOUS! I can't even imagine how much this one facility cost. I hope it doesn't become a ghost town, but it could.... see next thought...
Pricing was a bit steep but maybe worth it. We were there between noon and 5 p.m. which is $35 an hour with unlimited balls. After 5 it's $45 an hour. Before Noon it's $25 an hour. If you're ordering food and beer it doesn't end up being a cheap night. Or for that matter one single hour! It was apparent their payment system was incompetent, if you want to pay at range their amount of time didn't match their hourly pricing point. We had to pay more than required to purchase 30 more minutes of time... It seemed that they didn't plan this thing through all the way.
Service was interesting at a golf range, we ordered beers and sandwiches. It was good service but a bit difficult because we are trying to play golf and servers obviously need to get the sale amount high enough to make money. It was a bit awkward because given the fact that you're paying by hour to hit balls, you don't really want to sit and eat when you're paying that much for playing on an hourly basis. Beer drinking works, I guess you just don't order food, or just go with a small appetizer. The whole experience did feel a bit rushed and awkward if I'm being honest.
At the end you're leaving with a pretty large tab. With 2 beers 2 sandwiches one hour it ended up costing about $80 without tip. Wasn't sure it was worth the money but it was fun for sure. It would be more cost efficient with at least 3-4 people.
So you're not really targeting families, you're not really targeting golfers, all that I can see that they would be targeting are young professionals which West Chester Cincinnati is hugely family oriented. The pricing isn't conducive to long term success. I hope wgt doesn't go down with the ship. It doesn't seem they did their due diligence in demographic studies???
AB