“Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening – and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented.” ~ Arnold Palmer
I can still see you summer!
I know I am quite giddy about Christmas, but that doesn’t mean I am not soaking up these warmer temps we have had! From autumn, to winter, to summer again, the temps be fluctuating! If I could skip winter and the muddier aspects of spring I would be so happy. Alas It might be autumn, bordering on winter, but I got a huge dose of summer when I was down in the South and I am not complaining at all! In fact I am soaking up any and all warm days we might have! And those days may or may not have included some golf. Golf? I say, Yes friends. Golf! I am well aware that once again, I am eating my words big time! I finally tried my hand at golf, after saying I would NEVER try golfing. Side note: HOW many times can I say golf in this paragraph!
Anywho, I did not hate it. In fact, I kind of enjoyed it! I KNOW! Who am I? I had always said I would never golf and now here I am. The people I was with, are huge golfers, and so one of the days we were down there, we ended up going to Topgolf, which is a half indoor, half out door venue where you can practice your shots, socialize, have some fun competition, and hang out.
Topgolf
The actual venue is stunning! They have locations through out the country and cater to alot of companies, and larger groups, though they do offer lessons for those trying their hand at golf. The setting is very club-esque with your own private covered booth or “bays” with couches that look out over the green so you are comfortable as you watch other people take their turn. They also have high tops, but I definitely appreciated and found the couches more comfortable as I watched my friends take their shots, and we sat and chatted.
From the moment you walk in, you can tell that customer service is important to them. To the left, they had a huge bar and food set up whether you were just visiting for a drink or waiting for a bay to open up when it gets busy. To the right was the front desk where you would check in and they will set you up with a bay and a bay host. The bay host will explain everything, set you up with profiles, and offer tips and help if you need it and or are a newbie like I am. They also will take drink and food orders and check in on you periodically to see if you need anything. TopGolf also has a pro shop for all your golfing needs or if you want a souvenir from your time there.
Topgolf does provide golf clubs for free, though you can also bring your own, like some of my friends did (like I said, they take golfing incredibly serious). They are also incredibly high tech. The balls have chips in them that make it easier to track your score. You just change the profile to the person putting, hit the ball, and it does the rest by recording the distance, and whether or not it landed in one of the holes.
My experience
My friends had been there before, but it was my first time, and as a golf skeptic, I was super impressed. Everything was sharp, clean and ran incredibly smoothly. I could also tell that they cared about their clients. We got there right when it opened, and while they do recommend making reservations, it wasn’t a problem as it was first thing in the morning and a week day.
We were on the main floor, and our bay host was wonderful setting us up and explaining things especially to me as the newbie. They have different games, but he recommended us playing Topgolf Twenty, where each players takes twenty putts and tries to get the most points, You can either do all twenty at once or break it up which is what we did, by alternating with five hits each.
There was definitely some growing pains, but I did get the hang of it, and once I did it was so much fun. The closest thing I had been to golf, was mini golf, and I was cracking jokes about that. THIS is MUCH different, and I didn’t realize how technical golf actually was, from proper positioning, a good swing, even the right golf club, it all matters. I have a whole new respect for the game, and by the end I didn’t do half bad. While I wasn’t hitting it that far, at Topgolf it isn’t always about how far, but just hitting it into the nets to rack up points which I did, consistently…even if they were the closest ones to the bay, points are points friends! While I don’t know if I would ever take up golf seriously, I would definitely do it again. It was a ton of fun.
Do you know how to golf? Do you like it? Have you ever been to Topgolf?
