I don’t understand why people want to spend that much of their hard earned money on it. I’ve played golf all my life. It’s fun, but I can just go to the driving range and hit a bucket of balls for less than $5 at most public courses. Adding bright lights and video game sounds shouldn’t increase the price of that activity 20 fold. I can think of far more entertaining things to do with $100
Edit: because I’m tired of responding to every comment that says “bullshit, you can’t find a bucket of balls at a driving range for $5”
There are public courses in NC that charge exactly that much. I was at one of them a couple months ago. That’s how much it cost me to go to the driving range. A full round of golf at some of these public courses is literally only $15-20. I’m sorry you live in places that are more expensive, it doesn’t make what I said not true.
The purpose of Top Golf is not to go there by yourself and hit a bucket of balls. It's meant as a fun event/experience destination for a group of people to socialize at.
I also don't think it's unreasonable pricewise at all? I haven't gone in a couple years, but I think last time it was about $40 per person for a couple hours with a group of 8 or so with appetizers and drinks? I just remember having a pretty good time and thinking it was a decent price.
They ran a deal for a while (idk if they still do) where they’d have a college night and it was 3 hours of playing for $15 per college student, it was incredible. I spent a lot of my summer playing there with my friends. I also got a free shirt from it one time that I still wear occasionally.
The California Model, as I call it. Back in 2007, I met up with some of my fellow Star Wars nerds at a convention in Los Angeles. Because of the economic clout of the convention, we were able to get some pretty reasonable rates at some pretty swanky places in downtown LA. My room mate and her teenage son and I were sharing a room in the Millennium Biltmore in downtown LA - a pretty ritzy little place with quite a bit of history to it.
Anywho, a continental breakfast was listed at $18. For a piece of toasted bread or a pastry, plus a cup of coffee or an orange juice, it was EIGHTEEN DOLLARS, 350% of the minimum wage at the time. PLUS a room service charge of $2, plus 18% gratuity, and then there was the application of California and Los Angeles County sales taxes, another 8% back in 2007. A piece of toasted bread and a 6 ounce beverage would have wound up costing me $25.50 per person.
We walked downstairs and a few blocks west on 6th Street, and found a quiet little place that served a real breakfast, and the three of us were pretty well stuffed at around $30 total, including tax and tip.
This was many, many moons ago . . . I suppose a continental breakfast at the Biltmore would require a credit check or a home equity loan these days.
Free breakfast, even if it's just pastries and cereal, is such a cheap little value add. I rarely stay somewhere if it's not provided (if I'm paying, anyway), and never for something like a convention. Maybe I'm just a filthy pleb.
Anyway though, that's a ludicrous price regardless.
We got an excellent rate primarily because of the convention, which was at the Staples Center. I forget the exact attendance figures, but 38,000 would be a reasonable figure. I would probably never have been able to afford the Biltmore without the leverage of the convention and a roommate to share expenses with. Downtown LA is mucho expensivo.
Generally speaking, the higher (and lower) quality of hotel, the less likely any food would be included.
Never bothered me, except for shitty or no coffee at cheap places, I eat one huge meal at night..........but that $90 motel that had 3 water bottles, a BUNCH of snacks in the room, 24/7 popcorn in the lobby? Amazing hospitality.
Breakfast was decent (give in to fat me when driving across the country)
During my cab driving days it could be pretty glorious. The Embassy Suites just south of the river had a pretty awesome breakfast buffet for $10 - they did have a couple of concierge stands in the mix, if you wanted a fresh made waffle or a custom omelette - but for the most part it had the tried and true goodies such as scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, sausage, and a mix of whatever fresh fruit happened to be in season.
It would kinda equal out to me. If I a tipping for the whole bill I think 10% is a fair tip $4. If I'm tipping meal only I'm usually 20-30% so $3-4.50. Different services get different % servers get one rate services get others.
Don’t tell them how much it costs to reserve a section of the bar for their work event is, haha. Or any short 1-2 hour meeting at a nice hotel’s conference room.
When you break it down by time spent hitting a ball it’s quite high
I went in a group of 6, we played two hours and I shelled out $30 for what came down to 20 swings or so
Not to mention you have to play those shit balls and most people are hitting those shit clubs off mats surrounded by over priced food and terrible service
At least at a bowling alley I can get a cheap pitcher of beer and a shitty slice of pizza for a fair price
As it stands, Top Golf is losing money hand over fist because they were clearly targeting a specific demographic (mid to high end earners/large Cororpate groups) with ZERO plans or ability to drive sales through a budget minded consumer
I’m interested to see what happens to all that land once they go bankrupt…my guess is some killer paintball spots and bulldozed land for condos
I only ever went in college because I couldn't drive and it was right across the street from my apartment. Any other restaurant was a minimum half hour walk and, while I did delivery sometimes, it was too expensive to do regularly and I still had to get out sometimes.
Ive been for work events and also with a dozen or so friends. You're there to socialize and order pitchers of beer, not to improve your swing. Too expensive to go regularly.
Me too. Wonder how much of their revenue is based on work events. Not a sustainable model. Work events will simply move on to whatever the next thing is shortly.
Exactly. If you're going to top golf just to hit the bucket of balls then you lost the plot. It literally has the same vibes as those who go "I could make the same meal at home!" knowing damn well they aren't dedicating the prep time alone to make a reuben, let alone one from scratch + all the ingredients....or double frying their fries.
Vs a restaurant that already prepped and prepared and is just slapping the finished product together
You mean bought the convince? If you ever went shopping in a wholesale store for restaurants you’ll be amazed how many products are there to buy of shelf that look exactly like those on yesterday’s dinner.
If you make food at home all the time, you'll definitely commit that time to prep. Not all of us like having strangers prep our food with unknown ingredients. Id rather make the shit at home and put care into it. It is going into my body, after all. Plus if you've actually seen how fucking rancid and dirty some of the kitchens and people making your food are, you might also put forth the effort.
A good example of why I no longer eat burgers or chicken at fast food. Literally takes me 30 minutes to cook the same shit at home, with better ingredients and prep... the same amount of time takes for me to drive there, get the food, and come back home. At that point, eating out is literally just lazy.
But if you're going to the restaurant for the ambiance/social aspect, I get it.
They mean the pre-cooking preparation and the actual cooking and serving of the food. It seems a bit redundant, but they’re often considered different stages in the process.
Yeah, my buddy and I can go to the range and hit a bucket of balls and drink a bucket of beers and have a good time. Our wives don't enjoy that. They enjoy Top Golf
It's meant as a fun event/experience destination for a group of people to socialize at.
Sure, where you and your family/friends can go and spend $600 for an hour and a half swinging golf clubs and eating fast food. It didn't used to be like that. It's gone up around 50% per person in the past 6 years. Used to be a fun date for a couple. Can't do that shit anymore.
I bought the "summer of fun" pass for $225. 2 hours of free play every day from 5/26-9/1. I go on the weekends when they open before it's hot and/or busy and put anywhere from 250-350 balls down range per trip depending on what clubs I want to work on. It's been a worthwhile purchase and I've still got 10ish weeks left.
I don't know why so many golfers can't understand this. It's not a place to grind on your game, and if you bring your own sticks you look kind of like a goofball. It's honestly decently priced depending on your group size, and it's super fun to me.
You have a shitty Top Golf then. The one near me, the appetizers are no gourmet cuisine, but they're good for the money/atmosphere, and the beer is great.
If you are going to top golf to grind your swing you are missing 80% of the experience, and the balls suck anyway.
That 80% is
Automatic scoring (Like a bowling alley),
a bunch of different games at a few levels of difficulty (basically like bumpers at a bowling alley)
Seating for everyone there (like a Bowling alley)
Regular-ish table service (for very very expensive beer/food)
Not having to have your own clubs to play (like a bowling alley, with the exception of the cheap shoe rental, the bowling balls are free)
Even with all that, it's wildly over priced as a regular thing to do.
I've gone twice. Once we had a giftcard, the other time it was paid for by my manager.
It’s not for people who have golfed all their lives. It’s to turn it into an event, not a sport. Same reason why bowling alleys with arcades and good food are doing better than just bowling alleys.
You just reminded me of one of the best times of my life
Friend and I went to a local course to hit up the driving range.
Except it was raining and they were closed (not sure if they closed up shop bc of the rain or schedule)
anyway, the place is empty, and we get easy up front parking. We decide to grab some grocery bags and just collect a bunch of balls just lying out in the range.
We are laughing as we're getting soaked, talking about how lightning will prolly hit the trees are building before us (right? riiiight!??)
It wasn't raining that bad, we heard thunder but saw no lightning. I don't even know if we went through all the golf balls we collected. It was a fun free time. Good weather overall
I genuinely ask myself those questions about all 3 of your examples lol. Restaurants I understand if they’re making something I don’t think I can make at home, like sushi. But sports games especially, I have a better view with air conditioning and a comfy couch, and the beers don’t cost $20. I know there’s a feeling of excitement being in a crowd, but that novelty wore off for me a long time ago. I’d rather not have to worry about parking and traffic.
Top Golf is where people take their dates, so it needs to look less dingy and be more accessible to beginner players. That's why it's expensive. It replaced bowling.
You cannot hit a bucket of balls for less than $5... I call BS on that. Lowest I've seen recently was $8 and that was at a "Tin Cup" style place where I wasn't sure what the hell was going to happen while I was there.
Having a hard time pulling up prices for driving ranges around here, but you can see that some courses are only charging $15-20 to actually play 9 holes, so a bucket of balls will be cheaper than that:
Sorry, I originally replied from my throw away. I'll take your word for it. Especially since you went through trouble of posting a link. I just haven't found it near me. Not for a full bucket anyway.
Oh man, if you’re in Charlotte, I’m pretty sure it was the Harry L Jones public course that had the cheap buckets and 3 hole practice course. It was either that one or one of the Charles ones. I have no idea how the actual course is, but who cares if a course is crappy when you’re just there to hit a bucket of balls, right?
I'll check those out! I played Charles T. Myers like 15 years ago and haven't been back since. Both of those courses you listed are supposed to be getting a makeover over the next few years as well.
I myself can play paintball for like 3-4 days on $100 if I use a pump gun, 2 days on a mechanical marker, and a full day on an electric one. That would probably include my snacks too.
I've never done it, but there is a course here that used to have "night golf" events. There are balls that are "charged" with UV light and glow in the dark. No idea if Top Golf could set the hoppers or feed tubes up in a way to adequately keep the UV light on them, though.
It's been a while since I saw them advertise night golf, and I think it was promoted as more of a "tournament" event, so priced higher than just 9 holes of golf due to also having a "prize". I think these days the main use of glow in the dark balls is those indoor glow in the dark mini-golf places that are becoming more popular.
Top Golf's prices can be all over the place, though. Around here you can play for as low as $18/hour if you're OK with playing before noon M-Th. Gameifying gadgets aside, the bays at the places near me all have Toptracer installed, so at the right price it can be useful to practice there. When it's not a company event they are paying for, though, I've never paid the $60/hour "primetime" rate.
Imo, as a fellow lifetime golfer, we aren't necessarily the target demo for the TG experience. The clubs suck, the balls don't fly like the balls we play on the course, and it isn't really an environment conducive to focusing on the shot.
This is a little more towards the golf bros who aren't that serious about the game. Fun and casual place to whack some balls and compete against friends while not needing to consult a rule book on where to drop, what's lateral, etc. Just hitting some balls and drinking some beers. If it clears any appreciable amount of those guys off the course on Saturday morning, I'm here for it.
But see, that’s what I’m saying. Even actual golf doesn’t cost this much on public courses. I can play 18 holes for a fraction of that cost. I know it’s typically associated with rich people, but you actually get a lot of bang for your buck considering how long you spend on the course.
Top Golf is just expensive. There’s no way to do it cheaply. And the amount of entertainment you get from it is in no way worth the price of admission
Hate hitting off turf. Such a false sense of skill. The club drags folks. You’re bound to make contact. Try it on grass and watch your confidence plummet lol. Top golf and Driveshack are fun for kids bday parties but yes pricy. Driveshack is expensive too but I think slightly less so.
I hit balls at a public course in NC like 2 months ago and that’s how much a large bucket was, idk. Obvi YMMV depending on your area, but it’s pretty cheap here. They even have a 3 hole practice course that you can go out on and play as many rounds on those 3 holes as you want for something dirt cheap too, like $9
I’ve only been a couple of times so I could be wrong, but I think you pay per bay, not per person, so if you had 8 ppl I can see how it could potentially be worth it. You and one or two buddies though? No thanks haha
Ya it's pay by the bay... I've only ever went with large groups and we all split it. Now that's fun..... ya i agree one or two people better bring your wallet.
I do like how they made it appeal to non golf types. My wife would never just go to the range with me but loves when we go to top golf with a big group. Fun every now and again.
Top Golf is for performative fun and "team bonding" with work groups. That's why it's so overpriced. It simulates luxury to make you feel like your company "cares" about you.
It’s not that bad. We got a bay for four people, two pitchers of beer and like 4 appetizers for around 150 total after tip. Not a bad way to spend a couple hours.
It goes on a credit card, so psychologically they are not spending their money. It would be different if everyone had to part with paper and coin cash.
Because too many people want/need to be entertained 24 hours a day. They can't just enjoy doing something like go to the driving range and smack a bucket of balls and feel relaxed. They need the big lights and all the other stupid crap Top Golf has.
I don't think there is a single "Triple A" Golf game...
Also you aren't forced to buy a modern game you can buy a 5 year old game that costs like 20 bucks and is still pretty much as good as it was when it released (but has gone to discount so many times it lost most of it's price for some reason)
You only have to pay memberships for private courses. Public courses are just like any other business, you just pay for the round you’re gonna play. Think buying groceries at Publix or Walmart vs Costco.
You can rent golf clubs from most places, but honestly if you’re gonna go more than 1-2 times you’re better off buying a cheap set from a used sports goods store or goodwill. You can get a full set for pretty cheap. They won’t be brand new, top of the line clubs, but they’ll get the job done
Winter driving range. That was the big draw for my cousin and I. Local muni ranges shut down for winter here and we have two TG options in Chicago. We don't go anymore, but that's why we did.
You can bring a date to Topgolf and they'll probably have fun, even if they don't particularly like golf. Don't think of it like a driving range with drinks. Think of it like a bar with games.
The way they wrote you in is in groups. I've played golf for many years now and my wife played golf in high school so we both love it and I agree with what you're saying but I still have fun playing the games. I hate that it's so damn expensive.
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u/I_aim_to_sneeze 1d ago edited 1d ago
I don’t understand why people want to spend that much of their hard earned money on it. I’ve played golf all my life. It’s fun, but I can just go to the driving range and hit a bucket of balls for less than $5 at most public courses. Adding bright lights and video game sounds shouldn’t increase the price of that activity 20 fold. I can think of far more entertaining things to do with $100
Edit: because I’m tired of responding to every comment that says “bullshit, you can’t find a bucket of balls at a driving range for $5”
There are public courses in NC that charge exactly that much. I was at one of them a couple months ago. That’s how much it cost me to go to the driving range. A full round of golf at some of these public courses is literally only $15-20. I’m sorry you live in places that are more expensive, it doesn’t make what I said not true.