Founders Group International is introducing a new golf concept to the Myrtle Beach market.
The Bridge, a covered, open-air driving range facility with 16 hitting bays equipped with Toptracer technology, will soon open at International World Tour Golf Links.
Each bay will have monitor screens displaying Toptracer-tracked ball flights and other information, and artificial turf mats.
“We’ve been trying to do this for years. This is probably over four years in the making,” said Matt Daly, director of operations for FGI, which owns and operates 21 Grand Strand golf courses including World Tour.
“Just with the growth of the game and growth of Topgolf, we looked at it as an opportunity to bring Topgolf to the golf course and just be able to have that as an enhanced feature,” Daly said. “We’re excited and we want to utilize if for growing the game and we want to utilize it for getting more people to hang at the golf course longer. I think it’s poised to do really well at World Tour.”
World Tour is located off River Oaks Boulevard, not far from the U.S. 501 bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway, so it is centrally located in the Myrtle Beach area.
“We couldn’t think of a better place than World Tour,” Daly said. “It’s a good location and all the holes are inspired by other holes throughout the world and the Toptracer Technology piece kind of fits the World Tour model.”
It will have a soft opening as early as next week, with a grand opening celebration possibly on Father’s Day weekend, which also coincides with the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in Southampton, N.Y., from June 18-21, or thereafter.
The Bridge details
Toptracer is used at Topgolf, so The Bridge will have the same games and capabilities as the popular indoor-outdoor venue, with numerous famous courses from around the world and multiple games to play like Angry Birds.
Players can use a bay simply for practice as well, tracking ball flight and distance. The Toptracer app can store practice data for individual users.
The Bridge will replace the grass driving range at World Tour for everyday use, for the time being at least. Bays will fit approximately six to eight people apiece. Daly said The Bridge and range may eventually be expanded with natural grass hitting areas.
“We want to make sure we have everything set up and ready to roll before we do a grand opening,” Daly said.
The motto for The Bridge is ‘Practice, Play, Learn.’
With The Bridge, FGI wants to try to attract people who are on the fringes of the game and taking part in off-course golf-related activities.
“From a golfer development standpoint, we really want to utilize The Bridge to get more people playing and comfortable with playing the game at the golf course level,” Daly said. “I think it kind of bridges generations too, where we can go out and play golf like we normally would, but if we want to do simulator golf or bring families out there, we’ll have that opportunity too.”
Daly believes The Bridge will be most popular with younger adults.
“I think the Toptracer technology is really suited for your younger clientele,” he said. “I think teenagers and college-age students and young adults are really going to eat up the technology. I take my kids out and they’ll hit a ball and not even watch the flight, they’ll go immediately to the monitor and see what it’s doing.”
The bays each have tables and chairs.
The cost of a bay is based on the amount of balls hit rather than time. Daly believes the cost will be approximately $10 to $15 per bucket of 50 balls.
Additional amenities
Daly said FGI plans to have mobile ordering for food and beverage service, and possibly add a mobile beverage cart or built food and beverage unit specifically for the range itself, focusing mostly on beverages at first.
In the meantime, Daly said passenger golf carts will be available to ride from the range to the clubhouse to get food and beverage or use the restrooms. Daly anticipates an attendant being available to assist customers with the technology if needed.
Daly said the hours of operation will last at least until 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. this summer, with a long-term goal for the facility to remain open after sunset.
“Really it’s just going to be based on demand and what type of numbers we’re seeing at certain times of day,” Daly said.
The Bridge will be the base of instruction as well.
Andrew Cheek has been hired as the director of player development at World Tour and Tyler Foust is the teaching pro.
The Bridge name is also an ode to the replicas of the iconic bridges that exist at World Tour, which has 18 holes that are inspired by famous holes around the globe.
Daly predicts The Bridge may not be the last of its kind in the market.
“I think you’ll see more and more of these things pop up,” he said. “I think it’s good for golf. There’s actually more people playing virtual or simulator golf, or non-green grass golf, than actual golfers, so hopefully The Bridge will bring more of those people closer to the course and they’ll be more apt to start playing real golf as well.”
