I had never played golf when it was 17 degrees, but I did last week, and I’m pretty sure I’ll never do it again. We were driving to Atlanta to spend Christmas with Jimmie and his family. I had facetiously called and told my son to get us a tee time at 11 am on the next day. And he did!
Jimmie, James, Virginia, and I teed it up at Top Golf. It was my first experience in a game that is now sweeping the nation in popularity.
I asked Jimmie if we would be playing indoors. He said, “sort of.”
In Top Golf, there are three tiers of tee boxes. Hundreds can play at a time when it’s full, but on this frigid Christmas Eve morning, only about 25 of us were brave (?) enough to venture out.
There were overhead heaters in each tee station, but the Northeast Wind was not at all impressed. Whatever little bit of radiant heat that descended was quickly blown away to Alabama. We froze our buns off.
The object for most players who play Top Golf is to hit multiple balls into designated areas and win points. My goal was to somehow make it back to the car without frostbite.
Top Golf is like a driving range in a sports bar. You can order drinks and food and have it delivered to your booth like in a restaurant. In Top Golf, electronically tracked golf balls allow plyers of all levels to whack away and have a good time – unless it’s 17 degrees.
At first, Top Golf struggled to get off the ground and the PGA foolishly refused to get involved. The Callaway-owned company now has 70 locations and continues to expand.
I intend to play again – as soon as it’s 70 degrees.