Topgolf is officially bringing one of its high-tech sports and entertainment venues to Seattle area

A representation of the planned Topgolf facility in Renton, Washington. (Topgolf Image)

Sports and entertainment company Topgolf is officially bringing a complete high-tech golf and game complex to the Seattle area. The groundbreaking is scheduled for Tuesday in Renton, Washington, at the southern end of Lake Washington.

Topgolf Renton-Seattle will be located on Logan Avenue near The Landing, a sprawling shopping and dining community that opened in 2007, according to Topgolf and a recommendation from the City of Renton. GeekWire first reported in December 2018 that Topgolf was considering the site and a 14-acre property as a possible location.

The three-story venue is expected to open in 2022 and will employ more than 500 people. It will include 102 outdoor bays for hitting golf balls, a full-service restaurant and bar, and a function room for corporate and social events. It will integrate the new “Skylit Central Atrium Design” from Topgolf with seating, garden games and a huge video wall. The room is intended to connect the hitting bays with the scene around the patio, bars and roof terraces.

The Mayor of Renton, Armondo Pavone, city councilors and Topgolf executives are expected at the groundbreaking on Tuesday.

“This exciting development will allow us not only to entertain the community, but also to further improve the south end of Lake Washington by serving as anchors in the entertainment district of Renton,” said Chris Callaway, Topgolf’s chief development officer, in an explanation.

Topgolf operates more than 70 locations in five countries and serves 20 million customers annually. The venues offer ball tracking and scoring functions as well as built-in games to turn a trip to the golf driving range into a high-tech affair – with an added touch of food, drink and music.

The company opened a location in the Portland, Oregon area four years ago and first made an appearance in the Seattle area in January 2020 with its very first “Lounge by Topgolf” concept, an indoor facility that combines virtual sports with food and drink options . The 9,200-square-foot lounge is located on the second floor of Kirkland Urban, a 1.2-million-square-foot mixed-use condominium east of Seattle in Kirkland, Washington. Google acquired the site in September 2019.

(Topgolf picture)

GeekWire spent a week in Renton in 2018 researching whether the city 12 miles south of Seattle could be the closest technology hub in the Pacific Northwest. The city describes itself as “Home to Boeing, PACCAR, IKEA, the Seattle Seahawks and the eternal resting place of Jimi Hendrix. “

The Landing is just off Interstate 405, not far from a Boeing assembly plant and the Southport Project, a triumvirate of office towers for tech companies that includes an apartment project and a hotel. Topgolf will also be located 3 1/2 miles south of the Seahawks’ training facility.

“This is an exciting moment for the Renton community and I look forward to breaking ground and completing the project,” Pavone said in a statement. “The addition of Topgolf to The Landing will serve as another source of entertainment for those who visit the area frequently and will provide more job opportunities for Renton residents.”

Topgolf, which started 20 years ago in London, brought its pop-up concept Topgolf Crush to Seattle in 2017. Topgolf has also installed its Toptracer technology on various driving ranges in Seattle and its Swing Suite technology is featured in the Forum Social House in. used Bellevue, wash.

At its multi-story locations, golfers are set up in deluxe driving range bays for six, where they aim at huge targets on the field with microchip balls that hold the score themselves. Facilities also include bars, restaurants, hundreds of TV screens, indoor games, free WiFi, and space for music shows and corporate events. More than half of the Topgolf guests are non-golfers.

“We are able to develop a game that is much more accessible to everyone,” a former Topgolf representative told GeekWire in 2016. With this technology, we can gradually reward players for their actions. It’s much more open and there’s less friction; it rewards all participating people. “

Golfers can play a variety of games in selected locations, such as Angry Birds, where golf balls act as virtual characters from the popular video game and are used to knock down buildings, defeat pigs and score points.