The Great Indoors

Bad weather doesn’t have to end your season — stick these indoor hot spots on your GPS and hit ‘em up

BY TONY DEAR • CG EDITOR

Consistently poor weather can make golf outdoors thoroughly unpleasant to the point of actually CHOOSING NOT TO PLAY! Okay, it takes particularly nasty conditions to prevent a typical western Washingtonian from downing their clubs, but it happens.

We need a golf fix, though. Winter might be the time to do jobs around the house that have needed doing for months, but somewhere in amongst the painting, building, caulking, erecting, rewiring, tiling, cleaning, repairing, flooring, etc., we have to squeeze in some golf time.

Lucky then that America is currently enjoying an indoor golf moment — well, we believe and hope it will last significantly longer than a moment. Topgolf Callaway Brands may have announced in September that it intends to spin off its two main entities — Topgolf and Callaway — into separate, independent companies, with President and CEO Chip Brewer saying that while Topgolf remained a healthy and “high-quality, free cash flow-generating business”, he has been disappointed in the company’s stock performance for some time (it dropped 24 percent between January and September).

But the National Golf Foundation said in April there are now an astonishing 1,200 indoor golf facilities in the U.S. while New York City-based Straits Research says the home simulator market is expected to grow from $1.3 billion in 2021 to $3.3 billion by 2030, at a compound annual growth rate of 10.1 percent.

It wasn’t very long ago that western Washington had a handful (small hands) of locations where you could have a beer and some nachos while hitting a golf ball into a screen. We now know of 17 such places including everything from intimate, one or two-simulator “rooms” in residential neighborhoods, to large, nationally-ranked businesses which cater to thousands of golfers both casual and seasoned, offer full food and drinks menus, and have extensive merchandise lines.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of indoor golf facilities in Puget Sound. We’ve covered most, if not all, of them in recent years and will continue to do so. For now though, we felt this was a nice pinch of top spots to ponder this winter.

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EVERGREEN GOLF CLUB — Redmond & Tacoma

EvergreenGolfClub.com

Co-founded by former Seattle Seahawk Jermaine Kearse, and Greg Bodine — who caddies for Bryson DeChambeau and was on the bag when the 2020 winner won his second U.S. Open at North Carlina’s Pinehurst No. 2 in June — Evergreen Golf Club opened its doors at a 13,000-square-foot space in Redmond in 2022.

In October, the company built on its impressive start by adding a second space, a block north of Fircrest GC in Tacoma that, at an incredible 22,000 square feet, is thought to be the largest indoor golf complex in the country. There are 13 bays with Trackman launch monitors and a 7,000-square-feet area dedicated to the short game, which includes a large putting green and real sand bunker. There’s also space for members where they can work and even a room that can be rented.

The two owners both grew up in Tacoma, so had always intended to have a location there.

“And we had the chance to purchase a space that was ideal for us,” says Bodine. “Its openness with the Clearspan design (Clearspan has been making fabric structures and canvas buildings since 1979) made it very attractive.”

By the end of October, the Tacoma location had passed 50 members and, says Bodine, was proving very popular with people wanting to combine work with a little play.

“We wanted to make it a place people wanted to spend a lot of time at,” he adds. “We have a conference room for business meetings, a lounge on the mezzanine where people can get work done, a fitness center, plus a private bay room with a ping pong table and multiple TVs for smaller events and parties. And then there’s the snack bar with coffee, food, popcorn and drinks.”

Bodine says Evergreen will take its time to get the Tacoma location running effectively and that, once that happens, he and Kearse will start looking for a third location.

“We’d like to end up with four or five in the Pacific Northwest,” he adds.

Memberships at Evergreen start at $199 a month which includes 10 hours of simulator time a month and access to the simulators before 3 p.m. during the week and anytime at weekends. The $399/month Rainier membership gives you unlimited simulator time at any time of the day (remote access). Yes, you can hit balls with a Trackman at four in the morning if you’re so inclined.

In January, Evergreen will launch its Elite Program, which caters to competitive junior golfers who want to develop their skills throughout the winter.

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THE GOLF LOFT — Tumwater

GolfLoftTumwater.com

Owned by former Salish Cliffs teaching professional Chris Koch, The Golf Loft also offers junior programs as well as leagues on three stateof-the-art Foresight simulators, memberships, private events, lessons, club-fitting, and a TaylorMade store at its 1,500 square foot property in Tumwater.

Since opening in December 2021, the Golf Loft has expanded its instructional programs and now offers PGA HOPE classes that introduce military veterans to the game.

“We’ve worked hard at building a culture where every player can thrive,” says Koch. “We like to think of the Golf Loft as a hub for both skill development and a love for the game.”

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IRON EAGLE GOLF — Monroe

GolfIronEagle.com

Located on Main St. in Monroe and opened in early 2023, Iron Eagle Golf was named after the town’s old Iron Eagle driving range. Dennis Niemala, a Snohomish High School graduate and one of Iron Eagle’s co-owners explains how the 1,200-square-foot, unstaffed facility works.

“We’re open to the public who are given temporary access during the time of their reservation,” he says. “The majority of our business comes from members, though.”

Niemala is excited for the winter having launched reduced-price access passes and punch cards. “And we’re eager to get our winter leagues kicked off as there is nothing more fun than competing against your friends,” he says.

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FIVE IRON GOLF — Capitol Hill & Kirkland

FiveIronGolf.com

Other indoor golf facilities to check out in Western Washington if the weather remains unconducive to outdoor play (anytime, really) are the superb Five Iron Golf establishments in Capitol Hill and Kirkland. Five Iron Golf, founded in 2017, now has 27 locations in 16 U.S. cities and began life on Fifth Avenue in New York City’s Flatiron District (hence Five Iron). The 12,000-square-foot Capitol Hill location opened in early 2022 partnering with avid golfer Macklemore, who said he “loved having Five Iron in my city.”

The Kirkland operation opened in October and replaced the old Lounge by Topgolf. Regional manager Mike Julian spoke with kirklandurban.com shortly before it welcomed its first guests, saying: “We see Five Iron Golf as a place that offers two unique experiences — both a social, fun scene for those hanging out with friends and casually playing golf, and a place for the more serious golfer who wants to up their game.”

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STADIUM GOLF — Tacoma

StadiumGolfTacoma.com

We also highly recommend the attractively-designed space at Stadium Golf on Division Avenue in Tacoma which offers six Trackman-enabled simulators, memberships, private events, league play, and a great menu of food and cocktails. Downing some Pork Katsu sliders or sipping on a Boulevardier (or a cold beer is always good) while playing Pebble Beach, Gozzer Ranch, Cape Wickham, Valhalla or any of the other 300-plus courses that are available sounds like a great evening to us.

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