There’s more than one Tour Championship in the news this week.
While the best players on the PGA Tour are in Atlanta for the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, Tiger Woods announced the PopStroke Tour Championship presented by TaylorMade on Thursday. The event is set to be held Oct. 26-28 at the Popstroke location in Sarasota, Florida.
PopStroke is a golf and outdoor dining venue that features two 18-hole putting courses designed by Woods. Other Florida locations can also be found in Orlando, Fort Myers and Port St. Lucie, with future locations coming to Tampa, Houston, Scottsdale and Glendale, Arizona.
Player entries and qualifier site applications will be accepted based on the order of receipt. Entries received after the event is full will be placed on an alternate list. There is no age or player status restrictions.
The individual stroke play portion will take place Oct. 26-27. Limited to 100 players, the field will compete for a $25,000 purse over four rounds (72 holes) of individual stroke play with a cut to the top 100 and ties after 36 holes.
The team championship will run Oct. 27-28, where a 200-team field will compete for a $100,000 purse. Teams will play four founds (72 holes) of stroke play, with a cut to top 50 and ties after 36 holes.
There is a $250 entry fee for the individual competition, with a $500 fee per team. Registration closes Oct. 24th at 5 p.m. ET.
Tiger Woods didn’t make it to the ribbon-cutting for the latest PopStroke location but his paw prints are still all over it.
SARASOTA, Fla. – Only the presence of Tiger Woods himself could enhance the grandiosity of Southwest Florida’s newest PopStroke.
One of the greatest golfers of all-time didn’t make it to the ribbon-cutting for the latest location of his golf and entertainment concept just yet.
But his paw prints are still all over it.
At PopStroke, the golf and dining concept Woods founded with partner Greg Bartoli, the golf legend is actively involved with designing the course and tweaking it to perfection, Chris Hubman, chief financial officer of Woods’ TGR Ventures, said.
“Even though this is the third location, every hole is unique and every hole is not just a replica from one city to the next,” Hubman said. “He’s very involved. People would be amazed how much time he spends thinking about that, giving his input and tweaking the final product.”
PopStroke is a golf and outdoor dining venue that features two 18-hole putting courses designed by Tiger Woods. The Sarasota, Florida, location opened on Thursday, April 28, 2022. (Photo: Mike Lang, Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
With Woods’ blessing, PopStroke officially opened its Sarasota, Florida, location on Thursday, April 28. It features two 18-hole golf courses, an ice cream counter with milkshakes, a children’s playground area, outdoor dining, a foosball table, corn hole, and three bars, one of which is upstairs on a rooftop reserved for guests 21 and older.
It’s sure to be a popular place for families looking for weekend activities, couples young and old on date nights, groups of friends looking to party and retirees looking for something to do. Just wear a hat and sunscreen as summertime approaches and brings with it the notoriously brutal Florida heat.
The diversity of ages and family sizes available in the Sarasota market made it an attractive place to bring PopStroke, Bartoli said in an interview.
“This community is thriving and its growing; there are retirees and young professionals and everything between,” Bartoli said. “It really checks the box on everything PopStroke has to offer. It’s an ideal fit for us.”
The Sarasota PopStroke can fit 400 people at once, making it the company’s biggest location so far. It’s also the first to have a rooftop bar, which Bartoli said can be rented for private parties.
PopStroke is a golf and outdoor dining venue that features two 18-hole putting courses designed by Tiger Woods. The Sarasota, Florida, location opened on Thursday, April 28, 2022. (Photo: Mike Lang, Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
Sarasota is only the company’s third location, but PopStroke has a small but mighty world domination strategy planned for the next few months. A location in Orlando is scheduled to open next month, Hubman said, and five more will open before the end of the year, including in Tampa.
Aesthetically, PopStroke is nothing like a traditional vacation town miniature golf course. There’s not a single plastic alligator with its mouth open or wooden windmill in sight. It’s all sleek and stylish, with bright green turf grass and slate colored walls. Plus, what mini golf course has tuna tartare, a black bean veggie burger and reuben eggrolls on its menu?
Of course, the only thing that could have amped up the excitement for the Sarasota opening of PopStroke would be if Woods himself showed up, shook everyone’s hand and then proceeded to play the tougher of the two 18-hole golf courses, hitting a hole-in-one at every turn.
With or without Tiger, PopStroke is bound to be embraced by the Sarasota community as quickly as it opens.
The concept combines food, drink and putting, with further expansion planned in 2022 in Florida, Texas and Arizona.
The Tiger Woods-backed PopStroke, an experiential golf and casual-dining business, has broken ground on the east side of Orlando as the company plans to open seven new locations in 2022.
PopStroke currently has two locations open, one in Fort Myers, Florida, and another in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Each PopStroke location features two 18-hole putting locations designed by Tiger Woods and his TGR Design, which also designs full-size courses. Other amenities at each location will include a jumbotron screen with a putting leaderboard, an outdoor gaming area with pingpong and other games, an open-air restaurant, an ice cream parlor and a playground. PopStroke said in a media release announcing the fresh groundbreaking that the golf experience will be designed for players of all skill levels.
A finished PopStroke facility (Photo submitted)
The Orlando location in Waterford Lakes is one of seven that are scheduled to open in 2022 in Sarasota, Florida; Houston; Salt River/Scottsdale, Arizona; Glendale, Arizona; Tampa, Florida; and Delray, Florida.
The Orlando location is scheduled to open in April and was the second groundbreaking among the list of announced new locations. The Sarasota facility is scheduled to open in March, with the others in line behind that, according to popstroke.com.
“Orlando has long been recognized as one of the premier entertainment destinations in the world and a natural fit for PopStroke’s continued expansion,” company founder Greg Bartoli said in the media release. “We look forward to being a part of such an exciting and rapidly expanding community as we introduce the PopStroke brand to people of all ages across Central Florida.”
Founded in 2018, PopStroke is co-owned by Bartoli and Woods’ TGR Ventures. The company is headquartered in Jupiter, Florida.
PopStroke is growing across Florida and in other states where golf is popular, with locations planned for Texas and Arizona.
SARASOTA, Fla. — When Tiger Woods’ PopStroke opens in Sarasota early next year, it will be the crown jewel of a new commercial development that has been teased for years.
PopStroke, the golf and casual dining concept in which Woods is a partner, broke ground on its newest location in Sarasota, Florida, on Wednesday morning.
It’s the first dining and entertainment project in development for the long-awaited East District. Benderson Development Co., the owner of the entire four million-square-foot University Town Center, has teased the part of the East District adjacent to the highway in various phases for at least five years.
Past plans included an iPic luxury movie theater chain, canals, hotel rooms and high-end residential, retail and office space.
But for now, Benderson is keeping quiet about the rest of its plans for the East District.
What we do know is that construction on Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium’s new building is happening. On Wednesday morning, construction crews were working on the future aquarium site near the roundabout that connects North Cattlemen and DeSoto roads.
Construction has started on east side of the University Town Center Mall, including a new PopStroke golf entertainment facility. Photo by Mike Lang/Sarasota Herald-Tribune
We also know that PopStroke is the kickoff point for all future dining and entertainment offerings at the East District. And it’s a pretty big get.
PopStroke is slowly growing across Florida, as well as in other states where golf is popular. The company currently has locations in Port St. Lucie and Fort Myers.
Another location in Orlando is scheduled to open this year, and in 2022 there will be PopStroke locations opening in Tampa and Delray, Florida, as well as Houston, Texas, and in Scottsdale and Glendale, Arizona.
Direct delivery of craft cocktails
Greg Bartoli, the founder of PopStroke, summed up what his company is all about in remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony.
“Long gone are the days of windmills and clown mouths,” Bartoli said, referencing kitschy miniature golf concepts of the past. “Instead we have professionally designed putting courses by the greatest putter of all time.”
Instead of the clown mouths, he said, PopStroke has direct delivery of craft cocktails to each hole. It has a playground for children of all ages. And it has a restaurant and bar area with trendy food.
“Regardless of age, regardless of skill level, gender, background—it doesn’t matter—there’s something here for everybody,” he said. “When I look at our properties I get most excited and thrilled by the fact that I see a five-year-old having just as much fun as a 75-year-old grandfather would have.”
Stevens Construction held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new PopStroke at University Town Center in Sarasota, Florida. Photo by Mike Lang/Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The Sarasota location has two floorse. Guests will check in on the east side of the building. There’s an open central area with a bar and some tables. On the west side there’s a two-floor restaurant and bar. The upstairs area, which is more of a 21-plus environment, Bartoli said, can be rented out for private events.
“This one is going to be slightly larger,” he said. “We’ve expanded the restaurant footprint a little bit, and the golf course is a little bit wider and longer than the other golf courses are.”
Like other PopStrokes, the Sarasota course will still be 36 holes total—it’s just built on a larger piece of land. In total, the Sarasota location will sit on about three acres and be roughly 13,000-14,000 square feet.
PopStroke makes sense because it’s outdoors, there’s a food and drinks component and every member of the family can find something to do there. Its concept provides a sense of safety for guests that might be worried about COVID. That’s good news for a landlord in this day and age.
Tiger Woods’ new mini-golf and entertainment center PopStroke is expanding beyond Florida, with plans to open in Arizona next year.
Tiger Woods’ new mini-golf and entertainment center PopStroke is expanding beyond Florida, with plans to open in Arizona next year.
PopStroke Entertainment, now open in Port St. Lucie and Fort Myers, Florida, said it has signed agreements for new locations across the South and Southwest that will open over the next 12 to 18 months, including near Scottsdale and in Glendale. The company is co-owned by Tiger Woods and Greg Bartoli.
“PopStroke is a technology-infused golf-entertainment concept featuring Tiger Woods and his TGR Design team’s 36-hole putting facility, coupled with an outdoor dining area with a full menu, expansive variety of craft beer, wine, signature cocktails, ice cream, outdoor games and a playground,” a press release from the company said.
The two 18-hole putting courses will look different at each facility, with synthetic turfs “incorporating fairways, bunkers and rough as seen on traditional golf courses.” A mobile app allows players to order food and drinks from anywhere on the course and have them delivered.
Woods said in a statement, “Each new location will have a different course design and layout, giving players unique putting challenges as they travel across the country.”
On May 6, PopStroke announced four new Florida locations, one in Texas and two in metro Phoenix.
Westgate Entertainment District in Glendale and the Pavilions at Talking Stick on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation near Scottsdale were chosen. The company is working locally with YAM Properties and De Rito Partners Development Inc., respectively.
Reach the reporter at kimi.robinson@gannett.com or at 602-444-4968. Follow her on Twitter @kimirobin and Instagram @ReporterKiMi.
PopStroke, whose original location was opened in Port St. Lucie, is going to be popping up all across Florida later this year and into 2022.
Last September, PopStroke, the golf entertainment facility featuring upscale putting courses, opened in Fort Myers, its first since legend Tiger Woods came on board as a partner.
Facilities in Sarasota and Orlando will open this year, Bartoli said via text, with Delray Beach and Tampa toward the middle of 2022. He said he is still working on bringing one to Naples.
“News on Naples expected to follow this year,” he said.
PopStroke was the first of the trendy golf entertainment facilities to open in Southwest Florida. Topgolf in Fort Myers originally was scheduled to open in 2020, but now is expected to open later this year. Both have high-end food and beverage options, while Topgolf has hitting bays instead of a putting course.
BigShots Golf, which ClubCorp purchased in 2019, had an agreement to be on part of the existing Golden Gate Country Club site in Naples, but that deal fell through late last year, although the company did make another presentation to Golden Gate residents on April 12.
The Sarasota PopStroke will be at University Town Center, and the one in Orlando will be at Waterford Lakes. Delray Beach’s will be on Federal Highway, Bartoli confirmed.
“I can’t disclose the exact location for Tampa just yet,” he said.
Woods doesn’t just have his name attached to the company. His TGR Design is doing the layouts, and he was involved in the designs of the two putting courses in Fort Myers.
Woods has won 15 major championships, second only to Jack Nicklaus with 18, and is tied with Sam Snead for the most PGA Tour victories with 82. He underwent a fifth surgery on his troublesome back in January, and then a month later was involved in a serious SUV accident in Los Angeles that resulted in a fractured right tibia and fibula among other injuries. He has since returned to his home in Jupiter Island to recuperate.
At the Fort Myers PopStroke facility, the two courses are called the Cub, which is more geared toward beginners, and the Tiger, which is more challenging. Golfers can keep their score with an app that also includes the ability to order food and drinks from the on-site restaurant and have them delivered to them on the course.
Woods became involved in PopStroke in late 2019, and soon after, the Fort Myers facility was announced.
Greg Hardwig is a sports reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @NDN_Ghardwig, email him at ghardwig@naplesnews.com.
PopStroke had a soft opening for its second golf entertainment facility, and first with Tiger Woods as an ownership partner.
Tiger Woods didn’t show his stripes, but he still left his mark in Southwest Florida this week.
PopStroke had a soft opening for its second golf entertainment facility, and first with Woods’ involvement that included the PGA star as an ownership partner all the way down to his playing a role in designing the two putting courses. Those courses are the focus of the venue off Six Mile Cypress Parkway that will open to the public Saturday at 10 a.m.
“PopStroke at its core is really about bringing friends and family together and in an outdoor, open-air … dynamic environment,” said Bartoli, who credited TGR Design President Bryon Bell for the layout and Fort Myers-based Stevens Construction for making it through some of the obstacles created by the coronavirus pandemic to get the facility opened on time.
Bartoli said he enjoys seeing the wide range of ages enjoying all of the different aspects of PopStroke, from seniors on date nights with a glass of wine or cocktail, to parents having lunch and a craft beer while their kids play on one of the two putting courses, or have some ice cream. There’s also cornhole boards and table tennis.
I am thrilled to announce the opening of PopStroke in Fort Myers on Sept. 12th. @PopstrokeGolf and @tgrdesignbytw helped bring this unique experience to life, giving people from all different generations an opportunity to participate in golf without any intimidation. pic.twitter.com/Ik9xvrn3X6
“It really is such a unique venue and experience,” he said. “It’s one of the only things I can think of that regardless of age, socioeconomic background or skill level, an 8-year-old can enjoy to the same extent as a 78-year-old.”
Woods wasn’t there Thursday because he is preparing for next week’s U.S. Open at Winged Foot. He has won 15 major championships, second only to Jack Nicklaus with 18, and is tied with Sam Snead for the most PGA Tour victories with 82.
PopStroke also will have at least two more facilities on Florida’s Gulf Coast. One is slated for North Naples, at a soon-to-be-finalized location, and another in Sarasota in the next year.
“We’re getting really close there (in Naples) — very, very close,” said Bartoli, who headed up the original PopStroke in Port St. Lucie.
Woods, a Jupiter Island resident who has won the second-most majors of all-time with 15, became involved in PopStroke almost a year ago, and soon after, the Fort Myers facility was announced. It broke ground in January and finished on schedule despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“Tiger’s been great,” Bartoli said. “He’s really excited about it. You see the work that they did on the design side, and I think this is pretty special.
“Nobody’s had a bigger mark in growing the game of golf than he has, and this is an opportunity for us to continue to play into that, and really expose a whole new generation to the game in a way that’s less intimidating than traditional golf.”
Greg Bartoli, center, the founder of Pop Stroke Golf and Chris Hubman, right, CFO of TGR Ventures along with Lee County commissioners, Ray Sandelli and Cecil Pendergrass cut the ribbon at the new location of Pop Stroke on Six Mile Cypress Parkway in Fort Myers on Thursday.
Chris Hubman, the CFO of Tiger Woods Ventures and a member of the PopStroke board, represented Woods.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you,” he said jokingly to the gathering of county officials and others involved with project, referring to Woods not appearing.
Hubman said he talked to Woods on Wednesday night about PopStroke opening.
“He couldn’t wait to get started on designing this,” Hubman said. “He’s most excited about this facility because it’s the first golf course he’s designed with any kind of putting basis.
“This is not like the mini-golf and the putt-putt that people are used to. This is as close as being on a golf course that you’re going to get.”
I am thrilled to announce the opening of PopStroke in Fort Myers on Sept. 12th. @PopstrokeGolf and @tgrdesignbytw helped bring this unique experience to life, giving people from all different generations an opportunity to participate in golf without any intimidation. pic.twitter.com/Ik9xvrn3X6
Woods did post a promotional video to his 6.5 million Twitter followers Tuesday. He will appear in Fort Myers at some point, perhaps before the end of the year.
“I got involved in PopStroke because I thought it was something pretty neat in which people from all different generations could get together, participate in golf without having the intimidation of having to go to a golf course,” Woods said in the promotional video, “and the fact that I get to create something that is different and unique and an experience I think that people will take home and want to come back and do it again.”
“That’s some of the great memories that I will always cherish,” Woods said. “I think that people who get a chance to experience that with PopStroke with their families will feel the same way.”
Greg Hardwig is a sports reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press, part of the USA Today Network. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @NDN_Ghardwig, email him at ghardwig@naplesnews.com.
Tiger Woods-backed PopStroke sets opening date in Fort Myers, Florida.
Tiger Woods’ PopStroke has a grand opening date.
The Fort Myers facility, the first under his partnership and design team, will open to the public on Saturday, Sept. 12, the company announced Tuesday. Doors will open at 10 a.m. For more information, visit the Popstroke website.
PopStroke founder Greg Bartoli had previously announced locations were coming to Naples, on Tamiami Trail, and in Sarasota. The Naples site location is still being finalized. PopStroke’s original location is in Port St. Lucie.
PopStroke is a golf entertainment venue that features two 18-hole putting courses, designed by Woods and his TGR Design Team. These will be the first since Woods bought a stake in the ownership and agreed to design the courses for PopStroke facilities about a year ago. The facilities also include outdoor dining with a full menu, a variety of craft beer and other alcoholic beverages, ice cream, outdoor games and a kids playground.
PopStroke utilizes an app that includes just about everything needed for contactless payment and ordering. Drinks and food can be ordered and delivered anywhere on the course.
“As a partner in PopStroke, I am excited to use golf and specifically putting to bring families and friends together,” Woods said in a release. “From competitive putting tournaments to kids playing on the playground, PopStroke really does offer something for all ages.
“Keeping families, kids and skilled putters in mind while building the two putting courses was a fun challenge for myself and my TGR Design team. I am proud to be an owner and partner of PopStroke.”
Woods has won 15 major championships, second all-time to Jack Nicklaus. He is tied for first in career PGA Tour victories with 82. Woods will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2021.
The two 18-hole putting courses are entirely with synthetic turfs, incorporating fairways, bunkers and rough as seen on traditional golf courses. The Tiger Course is designed to challenge experienced putters, with strong contouring and tricky hole locations. The Cub Course’s softened contours and less bunkering creates an ideal course for kids, families and anyone new to golf.
“We are extremely excited to open our second PopStroke location in Fort Myers, Florida, – bringing our unique putting and entertainment experience to the west coast of Florida,” Bartoli said in a release. “PopStroke is about bringing friends and family together in a dynamic, fun and interactive environment and Fort Myers is the perfect community to do just that.
“From our 24 flavors of premium ice cream, signature milkshakes and outdoor playground to our 36 holes of golf and mobile app-enabled technology experience, we truly offer something for everyone, regardless of age or skill level. We are equally excited to showcase Tiger and TGR Design’s first ever PopStroke putting courses as we introduce the game of golf to a wider audience of players.”
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held on Thursday, Sept. 10 hosted by Bartoli and attended by TGR Design, Stevens Construction, Lee County officials, and media.
Woods has been busy putting the finishing touches on a Popstroke putting course, a fairly new business venture for his company.
Tiger Woods isn’t playing next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been working hard since we last saw him competing at the Genesis.
While the Honda Classic has been under way this week near Woods’ home in Jupiter, the 15-time major champion has been putting the finishing touches on a new Popstroke course, the first putting course for his TGR Design business. It’s a relatively new business venture for Woods, who announced last October the two companies would be collaborating.
For those who aren’t familiar with Popstroke, it’s a golf entertainment venture that combines a putting course with food and cocktails. The original location is in Port Saint Lucie, Florida, and the second will be built in Fort Myers. It’s the first one Woods’ company is involved in designing and is expected to open in September.
Woods’ longtime friend, Bryon Bell of TGR Design, has headed up designing the course. “This is our first venture into this type of golf course,” he recently told the Naples Daily News. “Tiger started this business to help grow the game and bring people together, and I think this is a perfect fit for us.
“We’re treating it very much like we do our big golf courses, trying to create some strategy, and also a look with bunkers and fairway and rough.”
In announcing the Popstroke deal last falls, Woods said, “Some of my happiest memories are spending time with my pops (Earl) on the golf course having putting contests,” Woods said. “I’m looking forward to others enjoying time with their kids at PopStroke. This is a new way for individuals to experience the game of golf. It’s about bringing people together.”
It’s pretty special to have him and his team design our courses. 
We can’t wait to see the final product in Fort Myers! • • • • • #popstroke #popstrokefortmyers #tgrdesign #tigerwoods #puttputt #putting #minigolf