Golfers can play year-round games at new Topgolf venue in Independence

by Erica Peterson

Many residents and motorists along Interstate 480 who have watched the mammoth Topgolf building go up on Rockside Woods Boulevard are anxious to get inside the dining and entertainment venue.

Those working to get the company’s third Ohio location ready are just as excited.

“Everyone here has been champing at the bit to open,” said Topgolf Cleveland Marketing Manager Jordan Brooks on Dec. 10, three days before the venue was to open to the public.

“The community has greeted us with open arms and tells us they can’t wait for us to open,” he said. “We will have some growing pains, as all new places do, but this is going to be a fun place to be.”

The 65,000-square-foot, three-story building offers golfers a driving range paired with technology to offer a new experience, Brooks said. Players hit micro-chipped balls at giant targets, each worth a different number of points. There are nine different games to play.

“You’re hitting an actual ball,” he said. “This is not a virtual reality game.”

There are 102 climate-controlled golf bays in the building, 34 per floor. The bays are outside but are under cover and warmed by three overhead heaters per floor, so golfers can play year-round and in any weather, including snow.

The bays have three TVs: one that keeps score, one that airs Topgolf TV programming and one that airs live TV.

Each bay can accommodate six players or up to eight people, if some just want to watch. “But I guarantee you’ll give it a try the next time you come,” Brooks said.

Fun for everyone

For non-golfers, Topgolf offers three dining areas and bars, one on each floor, that serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as brunch on weekends.

“We have a great culinary team and an 85-90-percent scratch kitchen,” Brooks said. “We offer American comfort food but add a twist.”

The main floor dining area accommodates around 150, and the second and third floors can hold about 100. All three floors offer outdoor seating, including a rooftop terrace with a fire pit and a “beer garden” area with festive lighting on the main floor that Brooks expects will be popular in the summer. 

There are also lounge areas, and the main bar overlooks a two-story TV screen that can be broken into nine different screens or used as one giant screen that can be seen from the first and second floors.

There is a 150-person chairman’s suite on the third floor that can be rented for parties or corporate events, and other areas are also available to be rented for parties, meetings or events.

Brooks recommends that anyone with a group that will use two or more bays consider scheduling ahead. “If you just walk in, we’ll try, but there’s no guarantee the bays can all be next to each other,” he said.

Economic boon

Topgolf hired 500 people for the Independence location, including kitchen and culinary area staff, bay hosts, food and drink runners, guest services personnel, office staff and event sales team members.

City officials expect Topgolf to be a catalyst for more development on Rockside Road, especially the adjacent 3-acre parcel zoned for a hotel and the 6-8 acres available across from Embassy Suites.

They estimate the facility will generate $450,000 annually for the city: $100,000 in income tax from a $5 million payroll, $240,000 from amusement tax and $110,000 from the TIF that the city, school district and Topgolf agreed to.

Brooks said that Cleveland wanted Topgolf to open in the area, but the company preferred the more central locale offered by Independence.

“With I-480 and I-77 right here, it’s the perfect location,” he said.

For more information, visit topgolf.com.

Featured image photo caption: Topgolf opened its third Ohio location on Rockside Woods Boulevard in mid-December, just in time for the holidays. City officials are hoping the three-story entertainment venue that employees 500 proves to be an economic boon for Independence. Photo by J. Kananian