SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ The mission was specific: Determine whether Topgolf is like golf or not like golf.
The conclusion wasn't so specific: Yes and no, but it's worth checking out.
Topgolf's hulking facility alongside Highway 65 in Roseville looks part driving range on steroids, part casino, part bowling alley, part laser tag and part Disneyland with its modern touches and neon lights. It's billed as a golf entertainment complex. When it opens Sept. 2, it will be the company's 26th location in the United States _ and first in California _ since the first opened in 2005. Seven others are in the pipeline.
The positive feedback from those who've tried it elsewhere and the rapid and expensive expansion suggest Topgolf has a winning formula.
But is it like golf?
The concept was developed in England by two brothers who wanted better feedback from their shots on the driving range. But in its own literature, Topgolf states: "It's not golf _ it's Topgolf."
Three open-minded and impartial golf fanatics from the Sacramento area, ranging from 17 to 78 _ not in Topgolf's sweet spot of males 18 to 34 _ were recruited to answer that question. Edda Ashe, Nicole Schroeder and Jay Verhaag spent a few hours this week amid the chaos of last-minute construction. Here's what they discovered about Topgolf.
