BigShots Golf unveils two new franchises, one in Florida and another in Texas

Panama City Beach will be the eighth location of BigShots Golf across the United States and the United Kingdom.

A state-of-the-art golf and entertainment franchise is heading to a resort beach town on the Florida panhandle as well as to one of the nation’s largest markets.

Oasis Resorts and BigShots Golf announced that a BigShots Golf franchise is opening in Panama City Beach. Dozens gathered at the Legacy Golf Club of Panama City Beach on Thursday morning to learn about the new golf entertainment facility and its impact on the community from BigShots Golf representatives and local leaders.

“This is a blessing for our community,” Panama City Beach Mayor Mark Sheldon said. “We have more family-friendly events and activities coming to Panama City Beach, which is just going to enhance us as a whole. So adding this to our home makes us better, and we are overwhelmed with excitement to see what this will do for our community.”

About 13 acres will be transformed into the entertainment facility at 100 Fairway Blvd. at the Legacy Golf Course. The location is expected to open in 2024 and bring approximately 150 new jobs.

The golf entertainment venue boasts allows golfers of all ages and skill levels to engage in virtual golf games.

“It’s such a great opportunity to provide this to our community. There are so many life lessons that are taught through golf, but not everybody has the ability to be able to get involved in the game, and we want to open that opportunity for everyone to experience golf in a new and interactive way,” said Ethan Register, president of Oasis Resorts and Legacy Golf Club.

The franchise also released that a new location in the Dallas suburb of Grand Prairie will open in 2024, marking the second location in the DFW area. A BigShots is already open in Fort Worth, on the western edge of the Metroplex.

Best known for virtual golf games and its culinary experience, BigShots Golf will include 64 climate-controlled tee boxes in a multilevel facility, indoor and outdoor putting courses, an upscale sports bar and a private event space.

T.J. Schier, chief operating officer for BigShots Golf, said the facility will put the best of golf and food into one venue.

“We got the golf, food and drinks,” Schier said. “Our whole purpose is to bring golf to as many people as possible. We want to make everyone feel like a big shot and introduce them to the game of golf.”

Panama City Beach will be the eighth location of BigShots Golf across the United States and the United Kingdom. Schier said the company is on track to open five more locations in the United States by 2024, including a location in Naples. For more information on BigShots Golf, visit BigShotsGolf.com.

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Course that hosted three majors set to unveil a new BigShots driving range, sports bar

There will be a private event space, an outdoor patio and an elevated sports bar.

AKRON, Ohio — Firestone Country Club will be getting a high-tech BigShots entertainment and dining venue this year.

BigShots Golf, part of Dallas-based ClubCorp, on Tuesday said it plans to open a new facility at the Akron club in the fall. Construction starts this month, the company said in a news release. ClubCorp owns and manages the Firestone property.

Firestone hosted a WGC event since its evolution from the World Series of Golf in 1999 until 2018, and has since hosted the Senior Players Championship ever since. The famous course less than an hour from downtown Cleveland has played host to PGA Tour tournaments since it hosted the Rubber City Open from 1954-59. Firestone also hosted PGA Championships in 1960, ’66 and ’75.

BigShots filed plans in February 2020 with the city showing it wanted to build the virtual-and-actual golf-themed venue at the country club.

BigShots open to public

What will be called BigShots Golf Firestone will be the seventh location of its kind in the nation, according to the news release. The facility will be open to the public.

The company said the BigShots will be 22,500 square feet and a “cutting edge golf, dining and entertainment venue” for all ages.

According to ClubCorp, its BigShots facilities have virtual games and courses, full-service food, sports bars, outdoor patios, mini-golf, private event spaces and climate-controlled tee boxes. The Firestone site will have 44 interactive tee boxes in a two-story structure.

The facility’s technology will allow golfers to play full virtual rounds. Beginners, families and children also can take part in other games, the company said.

Justin Thomas poses for photos after winning the 2018 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational golf tournament at Firestone Country Club – South Course. Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Facility replaces Hackers

The BigShots replaces Hackers Bar & Grill and will be alongside the Raymond C. Firestone Public 9 short course.

This particular facility will be the company’s first free-standing outdoor location that is connected to one of its properties. There will be a private event space, an outdoor patio and an elevated sports bar.

Although BigShots Golf operates in a similar way to the popular Top Golf ranges, it doesn’t try to compete with Top Golf; rather the company tries to open locations in areas that have been “underserved in the entertainment aspect,” according to T.J. Schier, the chief operating officer for BigShots.

There are a few main groups that use BigShots including serious golfers who want to practice without worrying about the elements, large groups, including businesses renting out space, and just regular people looking for a social activity that involves some movement, according to Schier.

“BigShots Golf Firestone will bring a new level of entertainment and dining to Akron,” ClubCorp Chief Executive Officer David Pillsbury said in the news release.

“Our concept is rooted in golf, but our passion is centered around creating exceptional experiences that bring people together through our innovative gameplay, elevated sports bar and unexpected events for the whole family,” Schier said in the release.

“Having this location connected to Firestone Country Club allows us to transition beginners who find a passion for the game to the fairways of courses where the best in the game, like Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, have triumphed,” Schier said.

The other BigShots Golf venues are in Florida, Texas, Missouri and Great Britain.

ClubCorp said Firestone Country Club recently updated many of its amenities and on-site accommodations. It also added a fitness center for members and guests and La Vetta, an Italian chophouse.

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ClubCorp’s BigShots premium range concept keeps growing — this time adding a Utah location

This driving range is expected to finish construction and be open to the public in early March 2022.

ST. GEORGE, Utah. — A tech-driven golf driving range is set to open soon in southeastern Utah.

The most prominent new feature along I-15 is the set of giant nets and 150-foot black poles set up for the new driving range. The area’s latest entertainment option is billed as a tech-focused driving range and will be operated by BigShots Golf.

This driving range is expected to finish construction and be open to the public in early March 2022, according to Larry Christensen, an owner of the St. George BigShots location.

The range will have two levels and 52 tee boxes in total, which could ideally accommodate six people per box, according to Christensen. The building will be around 40,000 square feet and include a private event space and a restaurant. The driving range extends out for 235 yards and is 50 yards wide.

Although St. George is known for its golf courses, BigShots will technically be the first driving-range-centric business in the city. As advertised, it will offer options traditionally driving ranges don’t, such as climate-controlled tee boxes, ball tracking software that can tell how fast and far each ball was hit, and interactive games with virtual targets.

BigShots Golf continues construction on their St. George location Monday, Dec. 6, 2021. (Chris Caldwell / The Spectrum & Daily News).

BigShots Golf is owned by ClubCorp, a company that owns and operates more than 200 golf and country clubs. Christen said ClubCorp helps provide expertise on the operations for the restaurant, which is planned to have an alcohol license and serve wine, beer, and liquor. The company already has four other locations either officially planned or currently open, including two in Texas.

“I think with St. George, you’ve got a solid community there. You’ve got a college, tourism, and you’ve got great weather year-round,” Schier said. “It really fits into all the demographics that we’re looking to attract to BigShots.”

This business is set to provide residents with additional late-night entertainment options since it will operate from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. from Monday through Thursday and will be open even later from Friday to Sunday with its weekend hours scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 a.m.

A group of local investors helped bring the driving range to St. George. Christensen, one of those investors, said he has been working toward the project for the last seven years.

This business is planning to hire somewhere between 125 and 150 employees by March, according to Christensen, with the hiring set to begin in February.

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The location of the driving range is within the Desert Color master-planned community, a massive new development being built along the east side of the freeway along the Arizona state line. The area is planned to function as its own community, with single-family houses, overnight vacation rentals, and a hotel. The northern end of the community will feature commercial spaces that will include dining, shopping, and entertainment options.

The BigShots driving range will be the first commercial operation to open in this portion of Desert Color but there are plans for more in the near future, according to Christensen. He said he thinks this wide-ranging development is a testament to the growth of the city and will make a positive impact on both residents and tourists.

“I think there’s a huge benefit because the city is growing so rapidly,” Christensen said. “I think that’s what Desert Color is. If you want to have steak, you go there, if you want to go to a movie, go there. This kind of brings everything together.”

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