Grown Up Sports Dreams
As a kid, you probably had a dream of hitting a home run at Wrigley Field or scoring a touchdown at Michigan’s Big House. As an adult reading this site, your athletic dreams may center on that elusive hole-in-one. What if you could put the two together?
Playing golf in the most iconic sporting venues on earth is what Upper Deck Golf is all about, and it’s one of the best experiences I’ve had in a long time.
How Does It Work?
When I first heard about Upper Deck Golf, I loved the idea, but I had no idea how it would work. It’s surprisingly simple. You check in at the stadium entrance, just as if you were attending a game.
The staff hands you a small bag with 18 golf balls, a scorecard, and directs you toward the first tee box.
When you step out into the stands, you’ll find nine tee boxes, spread around the entire stadium, aimed down at the field. On the field there are nine flags, each with a white ring around them, placed on a handful of “greens”. Each tee is paired with one of the colored flags, and the yardage is provided for you. Your goal, naturally, is to hit your shot to the flag.
Every hole is a par 3, where a ball on the green is par, a ball inside the white circle (which lights up when a ball enters) is a birdie, and a hole-in-one is an eagle. Missing the green is a bogey.
Immaculate Vibes
While there is a competitive, scorekeeping element, Upper Deck Golf is all about the vibes. Everyone in the building is having a blast because they’re in a place they love, doing something they never thought they’d do. Blending our love of golf with all the memories of our team’s triumphs (or failures) is a recipe for ear-to-ear grins from the first swing to the last.
A Model for Growing Golf
Golf has been talking about “growing the game” for as long as I’ve been around it. Upper Deck Golf may actually be doing it.
The first key to this model is having a compelling place for golfers to bring their non-golfer friends. What’s unique about Upper Deck Golf is that it’s as interesting for the golfer as the non-golfer. Everyone is doing something totally novel in a place that they love. The core golfer isn’t “dumbing down” their experience to teach the non-golfer, and the non-golfer isn’t struggling to keep up.
Second, the event itself is super fun. When I looked around Wrigley Field, I couldn’t tell the scratch golfers from the newbies because everyone was jumping up and down when they got the ring to light up. Because all the shots are short (the longest was about 120 yards), no one felt like they couldn’t succeed. And even if someone did hit a bad shot (I saw a couple that never left the seats), there were no consequences: drop another one and hit again.
Finally, Upper Deck Golf has partnered with PXG to make sure everyone is playing with premium golf clubs. You’re welcome to bring your own, but every tee box has a full selection of the clubs you’ll need (wedges on the shorter shots, short irons for the longer ones). Maybe this is me being a gear nerd, but I think this is a big deal. No one wants to use hand me downs or garage sale junk. Giving a potential golfer the chance to swing a “real” golf club makes them feel like a “real” golfer and boosts the chances that they’ll get hooked.
Bring a Friend, Take a Lot of Pictures
If it weren’t obvious, I’m incredibly high on Upper Deck Golf. If there’s a stadium you feel an emotional connection with, I can’t recommend it enough. I only have one reseveration: do not go alone. This is an experience you want to share with a friend. Plus, you’ll need a witness for your hole-in-one.
Click HERE to Find an Upper Deck Golf Event Near You
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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