Golf season in Minnesota usually ends the moment the first hard frost settles in. A company called CityGolf USA wants to change that, and the Twin Cities sits near the top of its list.
CityGolf USA is considering the Twin Cities for a roughly $15 million, 18-hole indoor golf facility. The company is opening its first U.S. location in Nashville by the end of the year, and Minnesota could be its very next stop. Here is what locals should know.
How CityGolf Is Different From a Simulator
The Twin Cities already has plenty of indoor golf simulators, so what sets this apart? The format. You hit your tee and approach shots into a simulator bay, then walk through a retractable screen onto a real 5,000 square foot green complete with real-sand bunkers.
That means chip shots of up to 80 feet and actual putting on grass. The company estimates a full 18-hole round takes about two to two and a half hours, with one group playing the green while the next group starts on the simulator. The courses themselves are being built specifically for CityGolf, so you are not playing a copy of Pebble Beach, you are playing something designed for the space.
Why Minnesota Made the List
The reasoning is refreshingly honest. From October to May, the CEO noted, CityGolf would have almost no competition in a golf-loving state that spends half the year under snow.
Golf participation has climbed in Minnesota nearly every year since 2020, and public tee times can be tough to come by in peak months. An indoor course also lowers the barrier for beginners who feel intimidated by the etiquette of a traditional course. The facility would be mostly open to the public, with roughly 500 memberships per location and tee times expected to run from about $60 off-peak to $125 at peak, with lower rates for juniors and seniors.
What It Could Mean for the East Metro
CityGolf has hired a national commercial real estate firm to identify possible Twin Cities sites and expects to review options soon. If a suitable property and permitting line up, the Twin Cities could become the company's second market in the country.
For the east metro, a year-round golf destination would add another reason to stay local through the winter, alongside the restaurants, breweries, and entertainment already drawing people out. A facility targeting well over 150,000 rounds a year also brings jobs and steady foot traffic to whatever community lands it. Where the course ends up will come down to real estate, and that is worth watching. [INTERNAL LINK: relevant blog post or listings page]
Nothing is final yet, but the fact that Minnesota winters are now a selling point rather than a drawback says a lot about where this concept is headed.
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