“Golf entertainment” is the latest craze that’s sweeping the nation, and Austin Engineering has the incredible opportunity to be on the ground floor of erecting new facilities throughout the US. Austin Engineering is partnering with BigShots Golf to bring the enjoyable experience of golfing, video gaming and sports bars to popular cities near you. As the primary corporate engineer for BigShots Golf, we provide the template for the development of this unique entertainment facility.
If you’ve never been to a BigShots Golf before, you’re missing out! Here’s the pitch (or swing) for their facilities, per the BigShots Golf website:
BigShots Golf provides the ultimate gaming experience with full-service food, sports bars, outdoor patio, mini-golf, private event space and climate-controlled tee boxes welcoming every level of player. Players can enjoy a social, entertaining atmosphere, and step up and swing on.
Or, if you’ve ever been to a TopGolf facility, BigShots Golf is another take on the concept known as “golf entertainment.” And although BigShots Golf is newer to the scene, they’re already making a splash.
BigShots Golf was founded by Jason Payne, out of the Peoria area. Jason is also the owner of Turf Solutions Group, which does golf course designs and designs for other sports facilities. As for the original idea of BigShots Golf, Jason saw what TopGolf was doing and believed he could use his experience with technology and sports field design to improve on the concept.
While each facility features a sports bar, patios, and other fun activities, the main draw of BigShots Golf is the tee boxes. Each box uses an advanced ball-tracking system and state-of-the-art technology to allow players of all skill levels to participate in a “live video game,” where your ball and club are the controllers.
Previously, Austin Engineering had worked with Jason Payne on projects involving his other company, Turf Solutions Group. When Payne began working on his idea for BigShots Golf, he wanted to include opportunities for others to franchise his business, bringing it to their respective cities. So, to make it easier for franchisees looking to build a BigShots Golf, Austin Engineering brought forth the idea of being the company’s corporate civil engineer. This meant we would help new franchisees analyze sites, find the best locations, manage civil site permitting, and provide a template for franchise owners to follow when developing their own facilities.
With a few first successful openings of BigShots Golf locations, the new golf entertainment facility caught the eye of ClubCorp, the largest holder of golf course land in the United States. Seeing BigShots Golf as an incredible opportunity to expand their company into golf entertainment, ClubCorp bought majority ownership of Jason’s golf and gaming tech innovation.
Today, Austin Engineering continues to act as the corporate civil engineer for BigShots Golf. And while BigShots is no longer franchised out, our team provides guidance for ClubCorp when they find new locations to open a golf entertainment facility. The first facility we were directly involved in developing for ClubCorp is located in Fort Worth, TX. Specifically, Austin Engineering designed the parking lot, grading, and stormwater management for this facility. They also teamed with Scott Pierce of Turf Solutions Group to design the driving range, landscaping and putting course for this location.
Recently, another BigShots Golf location opened in Springfield, MO, with two more locations breaking ground in Bryan, TX and St. George, UT. Needless to say, Austin Engineering has had our hands full in helping to open numerous new facilities. However, we are incredibly humbled to have first worked with Jason Payne and now ClubCorp, to bring this incredibly innovative take on golf entertainment to cities throughout the US.
In our next project spotlight, we’ll talk about a client that we’ve already mentioned quite a bit in this spotlight: Turf Solutions Group. Of course, if you’re interested in any of the work Austin Engineering does, whether that be civil engineering, land surveying, landscape design or otherwise, feel free to contact us today! You can call us at 309-204-0694 to discuss your next development project with our team. Also, our corporate office is located at 311 SW Water St, Ste 215, Peoria, IL 61602.
