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by Greg Kuhs, CPRP, and Tony Perry
T O P G O L F
Wood Dale





A new golf entertainment experience for golfers and a new opportunity for a park district.
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Thanks to a public-private venture, golfers (and non-golfers) in the greater Chicagoland area now have the chance to experience a new twist to the game of golf in Wood Dale. The district has leased its former driving range to TopGolf USA. TopGolf is a skill-building game in which players use golf balls that contain microchips. Players drive these golf balls toward specific targets on a the high-tech range, and balls are tracked and scored with computer technology that gives golfers immediate feedback.



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TopGolf takes place at a full-size driving range on a landscaped 250+ yard outfield. Targets range from 25 to 250 yards. The more distant targets are the size of an average golf green. Each target is divided into several different subsections, each containing an ID ball scanner, which registers back to a computer in the hitting bay every time a ball lands inside that section.


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The innovative game - and the innovative relationship between the Wood Dale Park District and TopGolf USA - isn't designed to replace any aspect of the district's golf offerings. Rather, the idea is to complement the existing golf facility. The Wood Dale Park District sees its cooperative agreement with TopGolf USA as an opportunity to work together as a means of securing added revenue through the 30-year lease agreement. By cross-marketing both facilities, the joint venture will boost golf rounds and banquet business by introducing new and existing golfers to the nearby Salt Creek Golf Club.

A Great Opportunity for a Public-Private Partnership

Several years ago, TopGolf USA approached Wood Dale Park District and expressed interest in building one of its facilities adjacent to the district's Salt Creek Golf Club. The district facility offers two nine-hole executive courses, a restaurant, deluxe indoor and outdoor banquet accommodations, a pro shop, and, of course, leagues, golf outings and special events. While Salt Creek Golf Club enjoyed great local popularity, park agency officials saw that, as with many courses across the country, innovative programs and services were required to counteract the downturn in the number of rounds. (In this respect, the club mirrored an industry-wide trend.)

TopGolf USA believed the Salt Creek Golf Club location was a great choice to build its first facility in the Midwest, based on a variety of desirable demographics, including proximity to Chicago's O'Hare Airport and Woodfield Mall and area convention traffic. This location also provides the benefit of having more than 40,000 vehicles travel along the Thorndale Avenue corridor on a daily basis.

Although TopGolf Wood Dale opened to the public in October 2007, a grand opening extravaganza is planned for spring 2008 and will coincide with special events and various promotions offered at Salt Creek Golf Club.

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What is TopGolf?

TopGolf Wood Dale features a state-of-the-art driving range, a teaching academy and a miniature golf course (slated to open in spring 2008) all located next to the Salt Creek Golf Club, at the corner of Thorndale and Prospect Avenues in Wood Dale.

TopGolf is a new game of golf with breakthrough technology that allows each ball to be personalized to each player. Computer technology allows the tracking of each ball hit and displays points based on accuracy for an individual player or teams of players. TopGolf can be enjoyed by players of all ages and skill levels, while accommodating up to five people per hitting bay.

The TopGolf game itself is quite simple. Think of it like 10-pin bowling, but for golf. Players hit a regulation golf ball that has been approved and promoted by Callaway Golf that just happens to contain an imbedded microchip. To play the game, each golfer gets a preselected number of golf balls with microchips. Players hit one of their golf balls, aiming for one of the 11 recessed target greens in the driving range, located from 25 to 250 yards away. When a golf ball lands inside one of the targets, players receive immediate personalized feedback sent to the electronic monitor screen located inside their hitting bay. The monitor screen shows players exactly how far each ball was hit and how close it came to the center flag-pin. These two components (accuracy and distance) are then used to award a point value for that ball.

A unique and enjoyable aspect of TopGolf is that the technology allows players to compete against themselves or up to four other players in their hitting bay. After playing three games, handicaps are established for each player to ensure fair point scoring.

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The Anatomy of
this Joint Venture




Timeline with Milestones - Wood Dale Park District and TopGoIfUSA

Fall 2004 - TopGolf approaches Wood Dale Park District and expresses interest in leasing the existing driving range to build a TopGolf facility. TopGolf was attracted to the Salt Creek Golf Club for several reasons:

  • Its location.
  • Its two existing executive length 9-hole golf courses, high quality restaurant and banquet facility adjacent to the TopGolf site.
  • Its customer service: TopGolf "shopped" Salt Creek Golf Club several times prior to approaching the Wood Dale Park District and TopGolf executives were impressed with how they were treated by the staff at the golf club.

Summer 2005 - TopGolf continues to pursue Wood Dale for one of its facilities. TopGolf construction is also completed on its first site in the United States (Kingstowne, Virginia, near Washington D.C.).

Fall 2005 - Several Wood Dale Board Members and staff visit the Washington D.C. facility to see the operation in action.

Winter 2006 through fall 2006 - TopGolf and Wood Dale Park District negotiate a buyout plan for an existing lease between the GolfDome at Salt Creek Golf Club and Wood Dale Park District. As part of this agreement, Wood Dale Park District re-negotiates and extends a lease agreement with Commonwealth Edison for use of a portion of its property for the TopGolf facility and Salt Creek Golf Club. The zoning classification of the leased property is modified to allow for the operation of a TopGolf facility.

Fall 2006 through winter 2007- The new lease agreement is finalized and approved between Wood Dale Park District and TopGolf USA to develop and build TopGolf Wood Dale.

Februrary 2007 - Construction of TopGolf Wood Dale.

October 2007 - TopGolf Wood Dale officially opens for business.

Giving up the Traditional Driving Range

For a number of years, Salt Creek Golf Club's driving range had been used as a traditional driving range from April to October. A private enterprise GolfDome, leased the driving range for the winter months, and as its name suggests, erected a temporary dome to operate during that time.

For the past several years, overall use of the driving range during the golf season had steadily declined. The range was also due for some significant capital improvements to make it a better facility. Based on these factors, the timing seemed right for the Wood Dale Park District to enter into an agreement with TopGolf to build one of its facilities.

The Board was on Board

Once some of the park board members visited the TopGolf facility in Virginia, they saw the potential benefits of bringing TopGolf to Wood Dale.

The primary goal (shared by the board and staff) is to have the relationship with TopGolf Wood Dale result in additional business for the Salt Creek Golf Club amenities by attracting new customers (golfers) and offering existing customers a new approach fo improve their golf games and have fun.

Basic Terms of the Lease Agreement

  • 30 year lease.
  • Lease payments are for guaranteed amounts that escalate over the life of the lease.
  • Salt Creek Golf Club is the exclusive food and spirits caterer for private TopGolf groups of 50 or more participants.
  • TopGolf re-designed and re-built Salt Creek's first fairway (complete with a new water feature and tee-box), constructed additional parking spaces and put an asphalt overlay on the parking lot all at no cost to the Wood Dale Park District.
  • TopGolf Wood Dale and Salt Creek Golf Club share the cost and use of a new digital message sign that replaces an older wood sign on the corner of Thorndale and Prospect Avenue.
  • Snow removal costs and parking lot maintenance are shared 50/50 between TopGolf Wood Dale and the Wood Dale Park District.
  • Golfers who are waiting to play golf (whether that be an individual or a group, league or outing) may purchase a warm-up bucket of 20 golf balls at TopGolf Wood Dale at a discount. All participants must present their greens fee receipts within one hour of purchase from the Salt Creek Golf Club to the TopGolf reception area for the discount.

What the Wood Dale Park District's Salt Creek Golf Club Gains from the Venture

  • Guaranteed revenue in the form of lease payments that will gradually increase over the term of the lease.
  • A partnership between existing customers from the Salt Creek Golf Club using TopGolf Wood Dale facilities and vise versa.
  • Increased local traffic throughout the community, as well as increased dollars spent throughout the community.



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Is TopGolf a Virtual or a Real Driving Range?

There is nothing virtual about TopGolf. TopGolf takes place at a full-size driving range with real clubs, real balls and a landscaped 270+ yard outfield with ip080332-2.jpgreal, live targets. TopGolf provides the ideal practice facility for both the serious and aspiring golfer, with real-time accurate feedback on shots. Golf clubs are loaned to each customer free of charge. Men's, ladies' and junior clubs are available, as well as left- and right-handed sets. Premium club sets are also available for a leaner fee. Golfers are allowed to bring their own clubs if they choose to do so. TopGolf only uses official tour quality golf balls, as opposed to the lesser quality range balls. Extensive testing of the golf balls proves Top Golf's premium golf balls behave exactly the same as golf balls used by top golfers all over the world.

The targets range from 25 to 250 yards. The more distant targets are 25 yards in diameter, the size of an average golf green. Each target is divided into several different subsections, each containing an ID ball scanner, which registers back to the appropriate computer monitor screen in the hitting bay every time a ball lands inside that section. The ID ball system tracks each ball to the specific hitting bay and player.

The hitting bays are outdoors but are under cover and sheltered from rain, snow, heavy winds and the direct heat of the sun. The bays are heated during the winter for added comfort. Beverage and snack delivery service is also available to the hitting bays.



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Guests attending outings and special functions can use the banquet facility, patio and traditional golf course at Salt Creek Golf Club, as well as enjoy the action at TopGolf Wood Dale.

Who Can Play TopGolf?

Anyone who can physically swing a golf club can play TopGolf. TopGolf is a fun, interactive and competitive activity for experienced golfers, beginning golfers and people interested in learning the game. Expert professional teaching staff will frequently visit each bay to offer free advice on how to hold and swing a golf club. Their efforts will reinforce that lessons or independent play can be enjoyed at Salt Creek Golf Club on the beautifully landscaped adjacent nine-hole course.

What Types of Games May be Played at TopGolf?

TopGolf is the flagship game and is the one that is most commonly played at the facility. However, there are several other games that are designed to test and perfect skill levels and increase enjoyment. Some of the additional games require players to hit at specific targets in a certain order, ideal for the serious golfer who wants to practice and receive valuable feedback for using every club in the bag. Often, more experienced TopGolfers like to play TopPractice, where no points are awarded but each shot is still monitored and exact yardage and placement are displayed on the computer screen in the bay. With this method, players still receive valuable feedback regarding their shot without having to keep score.

Who Invented TopGolf?

TopGolf was invented by World Golf Systems, a British company based just north of London. World Golf Systems has spent more than $20 million and seven years developing, testing and perfecting the technology, systems and facilities behind TopGolf.

Best New Combo

The cooperative venture between Salt Creek Golf Club and TopGolf provides a novel way to learn how to play the sport and an alternative to the traditional game of golf. The adjacent facilities offer opportunities for social and recreational events and are perfect for family gatherings or corporate outings. Day camps and park and recreation groups are invited to try out the new and reasonably priced activity. And, the TopGolf facility is open year-round.

Individually tailored packages for golf, food and beverage services - ranging from individual and small group functions to large scale corporate events, weddings and banquets are available. The Salt Creek Golf Club and TopGolf Wood Dale are planning to collaborate on a number of these activities. Special golf outing packages using both facilities are available. One example of creative cooperative planning is an upcoming wedding rehearsal dinner booked at Salt Creek Golf Club's banquet facility, followed by a short walk over to the TopGolf facility where the wedding party, out-of-towners, family and friends will be invited to enjoy rounds of TopGolf. This is just one of many options and packages that will allow customization of joint facility usage at both Salt Creek Golf Club and TopGolf Wood Dale.

Greg Kuhs
is the executive director of the Wood Dale Park District.

Tony Perry
is the general manager of the Salt Creek Golf Club.



Find Out
For more information, please call TopGolf Wood Dale (630-595-4653) or Salt Creek Golf Club (630-773-0184). The Web sites for the facilities are: www.topgolfusa.com or www.saltcreekgolfclub.com.

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