Development of the Year 2023: best golf entertainment facilities

For the first time, we added a Golf Entertainment category to honor those who have made great strides in off-course golfing venues. Golfinity won the top prize for its flagship location in Austin, Texas, by taking a high-level approach and making golf accessible to players of all shapes and sizes.

“Our overall vision is to remove barriers to the game of golf and make it all-inclusive and all-encompassing,” said owner Aaron Bergman. “We value making golf accessible by being a resource and service to our community at large.”

Winners were judged according to how well the vision of the project was executed, the course aesthetics, economic and environmental sustainability, course routing, and land usage. The judges were Darryl Bartlett, senior project manager at NMP Golf Construction Corp.; Casey Paulson, project president at Driftwood Golf and Ranch Club; Kevin Norby of Norby Golf Course Design; Mike Nuzzo of Nuzzo Course Design; and Tripp Davis, president of Tripp Davis and Associates.

(Excerpted from the May/June 2023 issue of Golf Inc.)

Click here to check out the winners for the Best Resort/Daily Fee courses and the Best Private courses.

FIRST PLACE

Golfinity
Austin, Texas
Owner/Developer: Aaron Bergman / Golfinity
Architects: HUO Architects
Contractor: A&A 1st Choice
Cost: About $6 million

Golfinity’s Austin location is the largest indoor golf facility in the United States. The two-story facility has 21 high-end golf simulators where golfers of all ages and skill levels can learn, practice and receive instruction from PGA-certified coaches.

The simulators offer a breadth of experiences, from simple driving ranges to simulations of more than 100 renowned golf courses around the globe. Each hitting bay collects hundreds of data points during play to help golfers improve their games.

The facility covers 20,000 square feet and includes a full restaurant and bar, along with hosting space for events.

Since its opening last July, Golfinity has averaged 600 golf lessons and 1,200 practice sessions a month.

The goal was to provide a safe haven for people to learn the game of golf without fear of judgment, and to grow the love of the game among golfers of all skill levels.

“We have reimagined what an indoor golf facility can be, but with a multidimensional atmosphere by encompassing a holistic approach, focusing on development, club services, dining and entertainment,” owner Aaron Bergman said. “We can achieve a country club experience for a tenth of the…