The Club Company converts driving ranges into entertainment centres
By Alistair Dunsmuir
The Club Company, which runs 16 golf clubs in the UK, has converted the driving ranges of eight of them into entertainment centres.
The eight ranges in England operate under the ‘Strike Shack’ brand and are powered by the latest Toptracer Range technology.
Strike Shack, which launched in 2022, combines a fun and interactive driving range experience, with many sites offering food and drink options for players within comfortable, heated bays.
Using cutting-edge ball-tracking technology with dynamic graphics and data analysis, Toptracer Range enhances the practice experience for golfers of all levels. A range of refreshing beverages, quick snacks and light bites are all available to order to the bays at several locations, ensuring an enjoyable and relaxing driving range experience.
The latest range transformations include The Warwickshire, Devon-based Woodbury Park and the group’s newest acquisition, The Club at High Legh Park.
“We are thrilled to bring the excitement of Strike Shack to even more of our clubs across England,” commented Richard Calvert, CEO of The Club Company.
“As a collection of country clubs, part of our commitment is to provide exceptional golf experiences, and with projections of over 30 million shots across our collection of Strike Shack ranges over the next 12 months we’re delighted to see these ranges becoming go-to destinations for anyone looking to improve their golf game, have fun and socialise with friends and family.”
Driving range entertainment has been a booming business in recent years with, for example, Topgolf opening its fourth facility in the UK in 2022 and BigShots Golf opening its third and fourth facilities in the UK in 2023.
By Alistair Dunsmuir
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100% approve of any promotion that will grow the game, especially where youngsters are concerned, after all, they are the future! However, with this fun/family element being particularly attractive, has thought been given to the golfer that just wants to practice? Recent visits to local driving ranges have resulted in sometimes a 1 hour wait with all bays occupied by junior fun seekers. Whilst this an excellent money spinner for the operators with expensive (we now have top-tracer technology) range fees plus the ‘add on’ for coffees, cokes, chocolate bars etc, it does nothing for the average golfer wishing to improve their game by practicing? Comments please!
I’ve had exactly the same experience and agree with that anything to encourage people into golf is a great idea. I’ve nearly been hit by rebounding balls on numerous occasions which isn’t great for anyone. I mention it to the staff and they’re not interested. The screens and technology are very compelling and attractive. It also means you end up paying a lot more just for a bucket of balls. The queues and waits are a real pain too.