Ryan Kneller/The Morning Call
XGOLF Lehigh Valley, a 10,000-square-foot golf-themed sports bar and family entertainment center, is set to open Monday at 80 Kunkle Drive in Palmer Township.
Ryan Kneller/The Morning Call
XGOLF Lehigh Valley, a 10,000-square-foot golf-themed sports bar and family entertainment center, is set to open Monday at 80 Kunkle Drive in Palmer Township.
Golfers looking to swing and putt year-round — rain-or-shine — will soon have a new entertainment facility to frequent in Northampton County.
XGOLF Lehigh Valley, a 10,000-square-foot golf-themed sports bar and family entertainment center, is set to open Monday at 80 Kunkle Drive in Palmer Township, according to franchise co-owner Robert Barlow.
The building previously housed a handful of restaurants, including Don Pablo’s Mexican Kitchen, Celtic-themed sports pub Tilted Kilt and, most recently, The Cask Taphouse and Grill.
XGOLF Lehigh Valley, with seating for more than 100 customers, will be open daily for golf, drinks and food, serving pub staples such as burgers, wings, fries and flatbread pizzas, Robert said. Breakfast sandwiches also will be available.
A 40-seat center bar will feature televisions and a wall-mounted tap system, featuring beers from Weyerbacher Brewing Co., Saucony Brewing Co and other local breweries.
“We’ll have 28 draft beers – 18 craft beers and 10 traditional beers as well as four tapped lines from the Easton Wine Project,” Barlow said. “We’re trying to stay as local as possible.”
The venuey, featuring seven golf simulators with state-of-the-art technology, is part of a national franchise, XGOLF America, that’s being brought to the Lehigh Valley by Barlow and his wife, Robin, of Williams Township.
XGOLF America has more than 25 locations throughout the country, including two other Pennsylvania venues in Pittsburgh and Chadds Ford Township, Delaware County. Ten additional locations are set to open in the Northeast in 2021.
The Los Angeles-based company, founded in 2015, features golf simulator bays with bright and durable hitting screens, luxury memory foam enclosures and cutting-edge technology, including automatic ball feeders, high-definition projectors, high-performance 3-D graphics, precision sensor systems, sophisticated swing analysis and 93 of the world’s most popular golf courses.
The simulators are perfect for golfers who value “the replication of all shots” as if they were on a real course, a message on the business’ website reads.
“Through the combination of high-speed light sensors and cameras, the X-Golf NEX system is the most accurate simulator in the world when it comes to gauging ball direction, speed, spin, and launch angles in three dimensions,” the message reads.
Golf lessons, leagues, club fitting and open play will be available, and an 80-seat outdoor deck with games, a putting area and an awning is also planned.
The business will follow the opening of another area golf-centric venue, The Sweet Spot, which opened in 2019 at 2805 Lehigh St. in Allentown. That facility combines a full-service restaurant and bar with five Topgolf Swing Suite simulator bays, offering golf as well as other virtual activities such as hockey, soccer, baseball pitching and carnival games.
Sign up for email newsletters
Copyright © 2023 The Morning Call