Topgolf is slowly rolling out a plan to restart its entertainment venues that mix a golf driving range with eating, drinking and lots of social interaction.
On Monday, the Dallas-based company will reopen its first location in Texas — testing the waters at The Colony along State Highway 121.
The company has been forced to reimagine its three-story venues with their partylike atmospheres as features like “shareable portions” suddenly seem cringe-inducing amidst a pandemic.
The most visible change will be on the venue’s second and third floors, where the 68 hitting bays are divided by 8-by-8 vinyl barriers suspended from the ceiling. On the first floor, every other bay will be open for a total of 17 bays until dividers are installed.
Typically, there are 102 bays at The Colony but on Monday that number will be cut to 85 to allow for the first-floor setup.
After each group of customers completes their games, staff will clean high-touch surfaces, including golf clubs, golf balls and screens. Topgolf also will place social distancing markers in common areas like many grocery stores have done.
The 65,000-square-foot venue includes a restaurant and bar, a rooftop terrace with a fire pit, and meeting spaces. For now, Topgolf is sticking with smaller groups and says it doesn’t know when large group meetings will return.
Topgolf is checking its staff’s temperatures and requiring them to wear masks. Staff handling food or drinks also will be required to wear gloves. Masks aren’t required for customers, although Topgolf encourages it.
To help minimize guest interaction, Topgolf has an online reservation system and guests can wait in their cars until notified by text message that their bay is ready.
Topgolf CEO Dolf Berle said The Colony is the first location to reopen in Texas due to enthusiastic support he received from its city manager and positive responses from the public based on surveys.
Berle said Topgolf is opening locations on a case-by-case basis, depending on state and local restrictions and guidelines. Oklahoma City was the first Topgolf location to reopen on May 11.
On Monday, Topgolf’s Fishers location in Indiana opened for a day before being closed by health officials. Berle said Topgolf received differing instructions on whether it could open because it was considered a golf course — many of which never shut down in the state — or whether it was considered an entertainment facility and needed to wait. Berle said Topgolf doesn’t fit in either category.
Topgolf showed officials the modifications it had made at Fishers and was cleared to reopen Friday with the original safety measures it had in place.
Berle said Topgolf furloughed workers during the shutdown, though he wouldn’t provide specifics. He said Topgolf focused on doing what it could, such as continuing to provide health insurance to furloughed employees.
Staff will be hired back as business volume increases, Berle said. Venues the size of the one at The Colony generally employ 350 to 450 workers, according to Topgolf spokeswoman Kara Barry.
Berle, who had previous stints as president of Dave & Buster’s and Lucky Strike Lanes, said this crisis has caused him to think back to what employees went through during the recession. But, he said, a global pandemic feels different.
“I think there’s a lot more crying in this crisis in companies because there are so many unknowns,” he said. “Businesses need to be dedicated to rebuilding in a way where they’re caring for their employees and have a strong business model.”
Topgolf’s five-year plan is still on track, Berle said. In January, the 20-year-old company selected banks for an IPO that valued it at $4 billion.
It has 60 venues worldwide, including three in the U.K. and one in Australia. It also has 13 “coming soon” locations listed on its website, including three new international venues in Canada, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates. Texas has 11 locations.
Nearly 25 million customers visit a Topgolf location each year, with over half of them considering themselves non-golfers.
“It just doesn’t matter if you’re good or not,” Berle said. “It’s very forgiving.”
Berle said he’s eager for customers to see The Colony’s new safety measures so they’ll feel more confident in returning.
“I think many people look forward to coming somewhere that feels safe and back to what feels like normalcy,” he said. “There are changes, but I think it will feel familiar.”
