Golfers in Gainesville who have ever wanted to tee it up at Pebble Beach or the Old Course at St. Andrews will soon get the chance thanks to a new experience coming to Celebration Pointe.
X-Golf, which offers “the most innovative and accurate golf simulator in the world,” according to its website, is set to open this fall in the space previously occupied by Tommy Hilfiger.
Local franchisee Tim Dean, who co-owns Escapology Gainesville with his wife, Ruth, told The Sun on June 17 that after family expressed interest in partnering on another business, he began researching other entertainment venues when he came across the X-Golf concept.
Dean and his wife then went down to West Palm Beach to experience first-hand what X-Golf has to offer.
“We had a really great time,” Dean said. “They had a really great set up, too.”
Dean expressed great appreciation for X-Golf’s automatic retrieval and setup system.
“It keeps the pace going, plus, if you’re older like I am, it helps save your back as well, which is really nice,” Dean said.
Dean said the Gainesville location will be about 6,000 square feet and include six golf simulators with each accommodating up to six guests.
Pricing has yet to be set, according to Dean, but the hourly rate for a simulator at the X-Golf Tampa location in Trinity runs $59 per hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, $69 after 4 p.m., and $79 all day Friday through Saturday.
The Trinity location also offers private and small group lessons, leagues, club sales and fittings, three augmented reality dart lanes, and 13 TVs.
Dean said those in Gainesville also can expect a full bar and a fast-casual menu.
Some of the food offerings in Trinity include breakfast sandwiches, pretzels, chicken tenders, a chicken Caesar salad, hotdog and a Margherita flatbread.
X-Golf locations can currently be found in 37 states and the District of Columbia. Its brand ambassadors include two-time major champion John Daly, and golfer, model and influencer Paige Spiranac.
“X-Golf’s state of the art indoor golf simulators offers players unparalleled accuracy and realism through a combination of camera systems, infrared lasers, impact sensors and advanced gaming software,” its website boasts.
