Being a college freshman this year, I came into a new city and state with the goal of making Tucson feel like my new home. As Jackson, Hayden, Antonio, Reid, and I are still pretty new to Tucson, my friends and I searched for an activity where we could compete with each other and still have a good time. Our search for this experience led us to Tucson Top Golf and our experience there was everything we could have asked for and more.
Arriving with my friends, we came with plenty of excitement and a wide variety of golfing skills. I tend to golf for fun, mainly with friends to pass some time over the summer. Having never properly trained and learned to swing a golf club, so I learned through playing and getting tips from my friends who were better than me. I have been to multiple driving ranges in the past including a Top Golf near my hometown in the Bay Area. Hayden and Jackson share similar backgrounds as me, as they both never had proper teachings, but have played with friends. Reid had golfed when he was younger, so he had learned the fundamentals but had not played as much as he had gotten older. On the other hand, Antonio is an avid golf enthusiast, golfing multiple times a week and who started golfing at a young age.
An Opportunity for Help
Antonio’s experience was evident by multiple of his drives hitting the back net which was 350 ft away. “Golf is a sport very dependent on swing form,” he said to us, “and constant practice is what has allowed me to always improve and get to the point I am at now.” Although the game was set up for us to be competing with each other for the furthest total distance, we also helped each other improve as it still was a friendly competition.
Antonio and occasionally Reid gave pointers to help us hit straighter and farther. To me specifically, he told me to keep my front foot down when I pivot on my backswing. Every time that my foot lifted off the ground I would be off-balanced and my drive wouldn’t be straight or as powerful. Another helpful tip I was given was to keep my lead arm straight during my backswing. Antonio explained that this was key to aiming and having that arm bent would reduce the accuracy of my shot.
Our Gameplay Setup
Our setup was our own bay which had a TV, an electronic scoreboard, couches, a table, and obviously our tee area, where we tee off our drives. The couches and game were a nice addition as we were watching the NBA as we waited our turns and played. The first game we played was standard highest score wins, and each player had 20 balls to hit. The scoreboard was touch-screen and interactive allowing us to put in all our names, and it would automatically put in our score after each shot. The game awarded you a certain amount of points for the distance of each drive, and would give bonus points if you made it in the hole or hit one of the flags or special targets. The first game’s score is not the most accurate representation of our skills as we were messing around and teaching each other during the beginning. The pointers given to me by Antonio and Reid were pretty effective showing in my score trend as a majority of my points came on the laters balls.
Top Golf’s high-tech range has special features which allow us to have different competitions besides just farthest drive. Rather than always aiming for the furthest shot, there was a game mode where certain parts of the range would have light up targets. The goal was to land your shot as close to or on the target and the points were given based on that distance. This game was a lot harder for the inexperienced golfers as aiming is more challenging that swinging with power. Antonio and Reid finished first and second but I at least managed to beat Hayden and get fourth.
The Full Experience
Amidst the constant jeers to each other and high energy competition, our waitress Christine came by to see if we wanted to start on some food and drinks. We planned to grab In-n-out so we ordered some drinks along with buffalo wings and chips and guacamole. After ordering we continued to play and the food came out shortly after. We paused our game and enjoyed the food sitting at the table and coaches in our bay. The Tv was nice as we all tuned into the NBA action and we devoured some wings. The energy boost from the food, in my opinion, improved my gameplay and added that extra power to my swings. I managed to record my longest drive of the day right after eating at 232ft, which is really good for me.
Constant banter and competition made our playing time fly by causing our ending to feel abrupt.As we headed out, the lights on the range were beautiful and colorful illuminating the golf balls as they flew through the air and the sight capped off our great experience. Asking Jackson about his experience prompted his response, “Even though I am not too good of a golfer, Top Golf created an experience where regardless of your skill level, you can enjoy a good time with your friends.” I agree to this also, as even though the majority of us were casual golfers, we still got to compete and have fun. Overall, if you’re looking for some friendly competition, high-end facility, and some great food Top Golf Tucson is the place for you.
Nadeem Yassin is a freshman at the University of Arizona studying Pre-Business with the goal of Corporate Law following an undergraduate degree.