Indoor Golf Facilities Dominate Denver, With More on the Way

(Puttshack)

From modern mini-golf to restaurants with virtual bays, facilities with simulators and food-and-beverage amenities have become all the rage in Colorado’s capital city. Some even brand themselves as “country clubs,” while going out of their way to ensure customers that they aren’t stuffy and are open to all. “ ‘Non-members only’ is going to be our motto forever,” says one operator who is expanding to a third location.

Kelly Huff, owner of the South Broadway Country Club (SBCC) in Denver, Colo., saw the writing on the simulator wall five years ago when he opened his first indoor golf facility and bar in Colorado’s capital city, The Denver Post reported.

“I just kind of knew golf was modernizing,” Huff said of his business idea then. “It wasn’t the old, stuffy country clubs, the ‘take your hat off and tuck your shirt in’ when you walk in the door.”

After more than a decade working as a golf professional, Huff moved from Atlanta to Denver thinking that the future of golf instruction would be indoors, The Post reported.

His plan was to open a golf facility that would take itself less seriously than its predecessors, The Post reported. He even gave it the tongue-in-cheek “Country Club” name as a nod to his past, with the hope that avid players and newcomers alike would be pleasantly surprised after coming on site.

“‘Non-members only’ is going to be our motto forever,” Huff explained. His model combines professional golf instruction and simulator bay games with casual drinks at the bar.

Now the “Country Club” has two locations in Denver, plus a new whiskey bar, The Crow’s Nest, that will be opening early in 2022, The Post reported. And Huff also has plans to open a third SBCC in Fort Collins, Colo. to the north.

These days, though, when it comes to indoor golfing options in Denver, the SBCC is far from the only option now, The Post reported. Two more indoor golf clubs have opened in the past year alone, while another handful are expected to debut sometime in the next 12 months.

The facilities range from modern mini-golf destinations to full restaurants with virtual bays, The Post reported. And Huff welcomes the competition. “It’s awesome for the game of golf,” he says, especially if new players feel comfortable trying any of them out.

“Strangely enough, and I hate to say it, but one of the good things that came out of the pandemic is it created a lot of new golfers,” he adds.

The Post’s report included these capsule description of other facilities that have also already developed a following in the Denver area or are soon to come on stream:

Puttshack

This latest international sensation from the founders of Topgolf will debut sometime next fall in Denver, The Post reported. It looks like a nightclub, or maybe a pinball game that’s life-size. Think live DJ sets, a bumping bar area and the black-lit mini-golf course with “Trackaball” (Topgolf’s own) technology that keeps the score for each players. Signature holes include “Beer Pong” and “Ring of Fire.”

Optimum Golf

For true golfers, there’s Optimum, The Post reported. The business has two Denver locations and rather than including a bar on-site, Optimum focuses solely on golf, with simulator bays, a putting green, retail area and private coaching sessions.

The GC Lounge

This new golf and dining destination plans to open before the end of 2021, pending inspections, The Postreported. It’s run by a local team with a background in fine dining, so the food and service could be as much of a draw as the Trackman simulators. Expect crab cakes, Nicoise salads, club sandwiches, steak frites and more clubhouse options.

The Local Drive

The operators of this facility in the city’s the River North Art District are about to turn a craft brewery into one giant golf simulator, The Post reported. The Local Drive should open in early 2022 with a full bar, clubhouse area and a handful of simulator bays all designed around communal lounge seating. Two longtime friends and recent Colorado transplants decided to bring their love of golf to a year-round setting, with a side of local beer, wine and spirits.

Stick & Feather

Five bays, a bar and a lounge area round out this golf destination coming to the city’s York Street Yardssection in the spring of 2022, The Post reported. Unlike most other Denver golf bars, which use Trackman simulators, Stick & Feather levels up with two Foresight GCQuad sensors (used by professionals looking for accurate clubhead data), as well as three Uneekor EYE XO monitors. There will also be ample space for sitting and sipping Cohesion brews, wine and cocktails.

Tom’s Watch Bar

Three new Swing Suites are the draw here for enthusiasts who want to try their hands at golf, baseball, hockey and more virtual games, The Post reported. The proprietary Topgolf simulators are surrounded by lounge seating and come with food-and-beverage service. Players also get the added bonus of the Watch Bar, which boasts around 100 TV screens as well as an AC Golden Tank Room that serves beers directly from the brewhouse.

RiNo Country Club

A nine-hole “putt putt party bar” coming soon to Denver’s RiNo district, this is the latest local addition to the mini-golf fad that Topgolf and others have bet on, The Post reported. “Caddyshack” comes to mind for this bar and grill that will play up the golf theme via its bartenders’ uniforms, its “Masters-themed” menu and its $5 John Dalys, or spiked Arnold Palmers, and also feature throwback decor and Golden Tee consoles.