TopGolf
TopGolf Birmingham is a 65,000-square-foot golf-themed entertainment venue developed in 2017 as the 36th location for the Dallas, Texas-based chain. It is located on a two-block parcel of BJCC-owned land between 23rd and 25th Streets and between 11th and 12th Avenues North, just northeast of the "Uptown" entertainment district in Druid Hills.
The venue includes 102 climate-controlled hitting bays where visitors can practice tee shots onto a 240-yard deep range of targets. The golf balls contain RFID chips, enabling instant scoring. Tyler McCarthy is the director of operations for the Birmingham location. The venue also features a full-service restaurant, multiple bars, a rooftop terrace, business lounges, and hundreds of large-screen televisions.
The City of Birmingham approved an incentive package worth up to $1.5 million over eight years to secure development of the venue. A condition of the incentives was compliance with the city's policies on minority contractor participation. In July 2017 Mayor William Bell informed the company that it had not provided required reports to the Birmingham Construction Industry Authority. Representatives from the company and its contractors met with city representatives to resolve the matter. In 2019 Mayor Randall Woodfin informed the company that it was terminating the incentives agreement for failure to meet its goals. In September 2017, during construction of the facility, a man trespassing at the site fell to his death from an open stairwell.
TopGolf's 170-foot tall pylon-supported net is the tallest structure in Birmingham north of I-59/20. It is about 10 feet taller than the nearby Patriot Center office building.
References
- Edgemon, Erin (November 29, 2016) "Birmingham approves financial incentives, rezoning for Topgolf." The Birmingham News
- Poe, Kelly (January 31, 2017) "TopGolf begins construction, eyeing December opening." The Birmingham News
- Edgemon, Erin (July 17, 2017) "Topgolf to meet with Birmingham officials about minority contractor claims." The Birmingham News
- Robinson, Carol (September 14, 2017) "Man falls to death at Birmingham's Topgolf construction site." The Birmingham News
- Edgemon, Eron (September 24, 2017) "What's the new addition to the Birmingham skyline?" The Birmingham News
- Johnson, Roy S. (April 14, 2020) "After Top Golf shanked on minority- and women-owned participation in construction, Birmingham terminated tax incentives." The Birmingham News
External links
- TopGolf Birmingham at topgolf.com