New Golf Complex Proposed in Monona

By Ayelen Flores Ruiz, age 14

Topgolf, a sports entertainment company, has revealed plans to build a driving range and golf center in Monona. It will be located just off the Beltline on West Broadway. The site is between WPS Health Solutions and South Towne Mall.

Topgolf is a Dallas-based company which has over 90 golf complexes across the U.S. and locations in 10 other countries. There are two located in the suburbs of Chicago and another near Minneapolis. There is also a planned golf complex in West Des Moines, Iowa. That facility will open this fall.

Finding a location was not easy. The company has been looking in the Madison market for five years. In Monona, the company plans a project worth $30 million that would replace five current buildings. The location was discussed with the city plan commission in June. The company's real estate development director Todd Waldo said, “We feel that we have found the right spot.”

Chris Homburg, a member of the city plan commission, who was also involved, said, “We have nowhere in Monona that is better set up for this kind of traffic than this spot.” However, the commission has also raised concerns about lighting, signs, and green spaces.

The new Topgolf location would be at the corner of Gisholt Drive and Engel Street. It will be a 36,000-square-foot, two-story building, with 72 golf ball hitting bays and 11.5 acres of golf usage. The complex is usable all year long and will have a restaurant, a bar, an event space, an outdoor patio open to the public, and 350 parking spots. When finished, the complex expects about 250,000 visitors per year. There should be roughly about 300 jobs available, with 50 of them being full-time.

The company is currently waiting for the City's pending review and approval. If everything goes accordingly, the company plans to begin construction next year and open in 2026. Topgolf is hoping to make golf more accessible for the public.

[Sources: Wisconsin State Journal; HNG News]