I arrived without incident at daughter LJ’s place outside Cincinnati on Sunday night and have enjoyed the past couple of days here. The Little Guy’s furnace is performing like a champion as the nighttime temperatures have been in the high 30sF since I arrived — I guess I brought the Maine weather with me. Daytime temps are forecast to rebound into the 70s after I leave, go figure.

Today the family visited Topgolf, a relatively new entrant into the golf space and one about which I have read with interest, but until now had never had the opportunity to experience for myself as there are no Topgolf facilities in New England. The Topgolf facility houses dozens of hitting stations on multiple floors, all facing outward onto an enclosed driving range with numerous targets embedded into the outdoor carpeting which covers the surface of the range.

Below you can see granddaughter Layla lining up a shot (note her excellent form!):

Notice the various targets embedded into the surface of the driving range in the photo above. Each golf ball contains a computer chip which tracks where it enters into a target. Balls entering at the outer edge of the target receive a score of three points; the closer to the center of the target where your ball lands, the higher the score you receive. More distant targets generate more points than closer ones.

The photo above illustrates the control module installed in each “bay”. Behind the golfer is a television screen which displays the players’ names and scores. There are numerous targeting games available for play, or players can simply try to shoot for the highest score. I noticed with amusement the dings on the left side of the control module, doubtless imparted over the course of time by a multitude of mis-hits. I myself made the mistake of hitting a 3-wood off the tee, resulting in a rocket ball which went screaming straight up into the air, bounced off the roof and back down off the bay, where I caught it and hit it again. Thereafter I hit my 3-woods from the turf!

I consider this Topgolf to be a great concept, because anybody can “score” here and have fun golfing, regardless of their level of skill at the game; even those who have never held a golf club can somehow find a way to knock the ball off the bay and roll it into one of the generously-sized targets. In this way, everyone can score — beginners can have fun and experienced golfers can hone their skills at target golf.

I brought my own clubs, but each “bay” is outfitted with both mens’ and womens’ clubs.

A friendly server was never far away to take our food and drink orders, and overhead heaters kept the open-air bays tolerably warm despite the ambient temperature in the low 40sF. The bays are covered so that Topgolf can be played even in the rain. Sessions are two hours long; you can play as many games as your party can fit into the allotted time. We really enjoyed our time at Topgolf and all agreed that it would be well worth subsequent visits. Highly recommended as a fun outing regardless of your age or golfing skill!

One more day for me in Cincinnati and then I head for home. Look for subsequent posts as I have lined up Harvest Hosts outside Cleveland and Buffalo, and then once more at Peaceful Acres Horses before my RV season comes to a close.