Topgolf plans new entertainment venue

Entertainment company seeks approval to open at old water park location

Topgolf, a sports entertainment company, is planning to open a new venue near Montano Road and Interstate 25, the firm announced Wednesday.

The location, which would open in spring 2019, would feature point-scoring games in which customers use microchipped balls that instantly score themselves. Players are shown the accuracy and distance of their shots on a video screen in their hitting bay.

Topgolf said it is seeking city approval to open on 14.4 acres at the southwest corner of Montano and I-25, once the site of The Beach Waterpark. It would lease the land from Albuquerque Investors LLC and serve about 300,000 customers annually, said Topgolf Chief Development Officer Chris Callaway.

It is the second golf-related entertainment company to announce it would be opening in the city over the past month. BigShots Golf in December announced it would be building a venue on a 20-acre site off Balloon Fiesta Parkway.

Topgolf features “a chef-driven menu, top-shelf drinks, big-screen TVs, f lexible private event spaces and music in climate-controlled hitting bays for all-seasons comfort,” according to a news release.

The business would create 325 full-and part-time jobs. The three-level venue would include 1,500 square feet of private event space and 72 climate-controlled hitting bays.

“With 310 days of sunshine every year, Albuquerque is the perfect location for Topgolf because we offer fun outdoor recreation as well as entertainment in our indoor spaces,” Callaway said in the news release.