For a long time, the 19th hole meant one thing: finish the round, put the clubs away, and head inside for a drink. It was where you settled the bets, replayed the shots that almost worked, and explained why that triple bogey definitely wasn’t your fault. But golf has changed, and so has the way people fit it into their lives.
You don’t always have four-plus hours for 18 holes. You might have an hour after work, a free afternoon, a date night that needs something more interesting than another dinner, or a group of friends looking for somewhere to hang out. At The Local Drive, you don’t have to choose between playing golf and having a night out. The two can happen in the same place.
Golf That Fits Your Schedule
A traditional round is a commitment. Between getting to the course, warming up, playing 18 holes, and everything that comes with it, golf can easily claim a big part of your day. When you have the time, that’s part of what makes a day on the course great. When you don’t, it shouldn’t mean golf is off the table.
An hour or two at The Local Drive can be whatever you want it to be. Work through the bag and dial in your distances. Play a few holes on a course you’ve always wanted to experience. Grab a friend and turn the session into a closest-to-the-pin competition. Play a full virtual round when you have more time. There isn’t one right way to use a bay, and you don’t need to build the rest of your day around getting there.
That also makes it easier to play more often. A random opening in your schedule can become time to work on your swing instead of waiting until you can carve out an entire morning or afternoon.
Bring the Golfer. Bring the Non-Golfer Too.
Golf can be intimidating when everyone else seems to know what they’re doing. Indoor golf takes a lot of that pressure away. Your group doesn’t need matching handicaps, and everyone doesn’t need to approach the game the same way.
The serious golfer can watch the TrackMan numbers and analyze every shot. Someone else can jump in for a few swings, try a game, or see who can get closest to the pin. A first-timer can figure things out without worrying about pace of play or the group waiting on the tee box behind them. That mix is part of what makes indoor golf work so well for friends, families, dates, coworkers, and larger groups.
It’s still golf. It just leaves a little more room for everyone to enjoy it their own way.
Make Golf Part of the Night
There’s also no reason the social side of golf needs to wait until the scorecard is finished. Grab a cocktail or beer between shots, catch a game on TV, talk a little trash after somebody misses an easy putt, and keep playing.
That changes the feel of the experience. You aren’t necessarily heading somewhere else after golf because golf can already be part of where the night is happening.
It works particularly well when everyone in the group isn’t there for exactly the same reason. One person may want to play Pebble Beach. Another might care much more about what’s behind the bar. Somebody else may suddenly become deeply invested in winning a closest-to-the-pin challenge despite insisting 20 minutes earlier that they “don’t really golf.”
That’s fine. There’s room for all of them.
A Different Kind of Date Night
Dinner and drinks have their place, but adding something to actually do together changes the night. A simulator bay gives you a little competition without requiring either person to be an experienced golfer.
Play a few holes, try a challenge, order cocktails, and find out how competitive the other person really is. You don’t need your own clubs or a great swing to have fun with it, and nobody has to pretend they know what their launch angle should be.
For couples who do golf, it’s a chance to play together without committing an entire day. For couples who don’t, it can simply be something new to try. Either way, sitting across a table isn’t the only option.
When You Want to Get Serious, Get Serious
The relaxed atmosphere doesn’t change what TrackMan can do when you want to work on your game. Every swing produces information that can help you understand what the ball is actually doing and why.
Instead of guessing how far you carry your 7-iron, you can measure it. If a particular miss keeps showing up, you can start looking at the numbers behind it. You can work through different clubs, practice specific distances, hit different shot shapes, and see the results immediately.
That makes The Local Drive useful on completely different kinds of days. One visit might be focused practice with a purpose. The next might be drinks and golf with six friends. Neither one has to look like the other.
Two Locations, Two Different Experiences
The Local Drive RiNo gives you access to Denver’s largest indoor golf facility, with plenty of room to practice, play, grab a drink, or make golf part of a night in RiNo. You can come in to work seriously on your game, meet friends for a virtual round, or do a little of both.
The Local Drive Hangar at Stanley Marketplace takes the social side even further. Along with 12 TrackMan bays, the multi-level space has two bars, multiple huge TVs, two regulation pool tables, arcade games, a large patio with cornhole, and plenty of room to hang out when you aren’t swinging a club. Groups looking for their own space can also book the VIP Room, an enclosed private bay for up to 12 guests with complimentary premium clubs, private music, and TV.
They’re two different settings built around the same idea: golf can fit the day you actually have instead of requiring you to build a day around golf.
Play Golf Your Way
There will always be days for 18 holes outside. Early tee times, long afternoons on the course, the turn, the back nine, and that final putt are part of why people love the game.
The Local Drive isn’t trying to replace that experience. It gives you another way to enjoy golf when four hours on the course isn’t what you’re looking for.
Come in for an hour after work. Bring friends who have never played. Work on the club that’s been giving you trouble. Make it a date night. Play a virtual course you’ve always wanted to see. Grab a cocktail, shoot some pool, watch the game, or stay for another round.
Golf doesn’t always have to end at the 19th hole. Sometimes, that’s a pretty good place to start.