Tiger Woods' Putting Entertainment Venue PopStroke To Make DFW Debut
Tiger Woods’ tech-infused golf entertainment center PopStroke is headed for Dallas-Fort Worth.
Work on the 13K SF putting complex will get underway in June at The Colony’s 400-acre Grandscape development, according to a permit filed with the state’s licensing department. Construction is expected to take about six months.
PopStroke Entertainment Group entered into a strategic partnership with Woods and his golf course design firm TGR in 2019, according to the business’s website. Woods is behind the design of the putting courses at the majority of PopStroke’s locations, which include five in Florida, one in Arizona and another in Katy, Texas.
“Some of my happiest memories are spending time with my pops on the golf course having putting contests,” Woods said in a statement on PopStroke’s website. “I’m looking forward to others enjoying time with their kids at PopStroke. This is a new way for individuals to experience the game of golf. It’s about bringing people together.”
The Grandscape location will include two 18-hole courses, a full-service restaurant and bar, a private event space for parties and an outdoor playground.
PopStroke founder Greg Bartoli told the Palm Beach Post in 2018 that he aimed for "a true putting experience without the tacky windmills and goofy tricked-up surfaces.”
He said he also hoped to lure young people to golf, which according to Factset, saw a decline of close to 7 million players between 2003 and 2018. But pent-up demand in the wake of the pandemic and the proliferation of tech-infused driving ranges like Topgolf have renewed interest in the sport, with rounds played in 2021 up 19% compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to Golf.com.
PopStroke is among a wave of new competitive socializing venues that have taken the U.S. by storm. A new report by Cushman & Wakefield found the trend has grown by 386% since the beginning of 2021, with popular concepts including Swingers, Flight Club and Chicken N Pickle.
PopStroke won’t be the only tech-enabled golf concept at Grandscape. Puttery, an adults-only mini-golf venue backed by PGA winner Rory McIlroy, has been open at the development since August 2021, according to Dallas Innovates.
