AKRON, Ohio – BigShots Golf is coming to Akron.
The interactive golf experience is similar to Topgolf, a competitor. BigShots will feature a full menu in an onsite restaurant and 44 heated bays where golfers will tee off year-round. It will cover 22,500 square feet and replace the former Hackers Bar & Grill.
It bills itself as a “tech-driven entertainment and culinary experience” for all ages and skill levels. The facility, at Firestone Country Club, is scheduled to open this fall to the public, although the specific target date remains to be seen.
It’s the seventh location and first in Ohio for the Dallas-based company.
Full rounds or interactive games are available for golfers, who will have two levels of bays to hit from.
“We’re in the home stretch right now” Mike Dzura, BigShots’ vice president of marketing, said about the pending opening. “We are golf entertainment, but the hero of our brand is the food.”
About 30 items will be featured in the Anthem Kitchen and Bar restaurant, which will be on the lower level. Three burgers include a double smash with Martin’s potato bun. Philly-cheese steak, chicken sandwich, multiple styles of wings and accompanying sauces will also be offered. Three salads will include sesame chicken.
Drinks include beer, frozen cherry limeaid and a watermelon mojito, which prompted corporate chief Brian Campbell to say: “To us, it’s like summer all year round.”
Also available: Dirty Dr. Pepper, which has non-alcoholic and alcoholic options. It’s a mix of the soda, Half and Half and coconut syrup. The loaded version includes Captain Morgan’s spiced rum.
Dzura calls Bigshots an “elevated sports bar.”
The golf differs from other similar interactive games that include a chip in the ball. TrackMan technology employs radar to track shots in play at BigShots facilities. Screens in the bays will flash dimensions and details on the shots.
TrackMan’s Kevin Maust describes the technology as having the ability to track the “full-ball flight.” The company, he said, started out using the technology for missiles but expanded to leisure. He said Major League Baseball also uses Trackman.
Prices – whether by hour or per person – are being worked out, said Brooke Desrosiers, who will be general manager at the Firestone BigShots. The facility is also available for private events, birthday parties, corporate outings and holiday get-togethers.
But in the end it’s about fun.
“We just like to go outside and hit golf balls all year round,” Campbell said.
About BigShots in Akron
Where: Firestone Country Club, 600 Swartz Road.
Opening: Fall 2022.
Parking: Lot.
Sports betting comes to Ohio on Jan. 1, 2023: Your questions answered
I am on cleveland.com‘s life and culture team and cover food, beer, wine and sports-related topics. If you want to see my stories, here’s a directory on cleveland.com. Bill Wills of WTAM-1100 and I talk food and drink usually at 8:20 am Thursday morning. Twitter: @mbona30.
Get a jumpstart on the weekend and sign up for Cleveland.com’s weekly “In the CLE” email newsletter, your essential guide to the top things to do in Greater Cleveland. It will arrive in your inbox on Friday mornings – an exclusive to-do list, focusing on the best of the weekend fun. Restaurants, music, movies, performing arts, family fun and more. Just click here to subscribe. All cleveland.com newsletters are free.
Like cool local food + drinks photos and videos? Follow @DineDrinkCLE on Instagram.