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.
Now 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, founder Greg Bartoli said Friday.
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.