Three golf entertainment venues have been proposed for the Des Moines area: Bombers, Topgolf and Suite Shots. 

Here are updates on the proposed developments:

Bombers: Plans for an entertainment venue in Johnston have expanded to include a wider variety of activity options for guests, who will be able to bowl, throw axes, play pickleball, and drive or putt golf balls, Allen Stoye, a principal in the Bombers development said. Originally, the entertainment venue was expected to have 60 climate-controlled bays from which golf balls could be hit onto a driving range. That was revised after Topgolf announced plans to open a venue in West Des Moines. The development project has refocused the venue from golf to family entertainment. “It’s almost like a Topgolf, SpareTime and Dave & Buster’s all rolled into one,” Stoye said. To read an article about changes to the project, click here.

Suite Shots: In fall 2021, developer Paul Cownie announced plans to partner with a North Dakota group to develop a golf entertainment facility on 25 acres south of Grand Avenue and west of Interstate 35 in West Des Moines. The three-level Suite Shots would include 60 climate-controlled bays from which golfers would hit balls onto a range. A restaurant and bar would also be included. A group of people who live in the nearby Glen Oaks country club development oppose the development and filed two lawsuits in an effort to stop the development from moving forward. One of the lawsuits has been dismissed. A portion of the second lawsuit has been dismissed; another part is pending. Cownie said the project is moving forward. “We really love the location,” he said.

Topgolf: The Dallas-based golf entertainment company announced plans last June to open a venue on the northwest corner of South Jordan Creek Parkway and Mills Civic Parkway in West Des Moines. Developer Richard Hurd owns the land on which Topgolf is interested in developing a venue.

Since the announcement, Topgolf has been quiet about its development plans, which is typical for the company. Hurd told the Business Record that he remains in “constant contact” with Topgolf representatives and that the project is beginning to move through the process of gaining necessary city approvals.

Lynne Twedt, West Des Moines’ development services director, wrote in an email that a permitted conditional use request has been submitted to the city that will be considered by the Board of Adjustment in either February or March. A traffic impact study is underway, she wrote. A site plan has not yet been submitted.

One issue that will be reviewed is whether the tall poles that hold up netting surrounding the driving range will cause interference between the antenna at the WestCom Emergency Communications Center at 8055 Mills Civic Parkway and an antenna that is on top of a water tower at South 50th Street. Twedt wrote that WestCom will coordinate a study of the radio pathways.