WESTLAKE, Ohio — With TopGolf coming soon to Avon, the City of Westlake is moving ahead with its plans to build a new state-of-the-art practice facility and driving range at the city-owned Meadowood Golf Course.
Paula Horner, the City of Westlake's director of recreation, told News 5 that this project has been years in the making.
"Over the years, the question just became, you know, what do we do with the golf course?" Horner said.
“So at this point, we decided to go ahead and just do phase one as the practice facility with the state-of-the-art driving range," Horner said, "And phase two will then be a nine or 18-hole renovation.”
The practice facility will allow the golf course to remain open year-round to generate revenue.
"There'll be 18 indoor heated bays and one practice training bay," said Horner. "There will also be outdoor open-air bays.
Horner added that golfers, both avid and novice, will have options at the tee.
"So instead of just hitting off the mats, players will also have the option to use grass tees, which will really make it a state-of-the-art facility and not like anything else in the area," said Horner.
Like TopGolf, there will be technology involved for the family to enjoy, albeit a scaled-down version of what you would find at the private driving range.
“With the technology, you'll still be able to, you know, play games and golf different courses and things like that. But it's just a different technology," said Horner.
Westlake is investing $5 million of general fund money in the facility, which will be used as enterprise funds. The revenue from the facility will help pay back the city's coffers.
"I think it's a great idea," said Michelle Schuefler of Westlake, who has been playing golf at Meadowood since the 1980s.
“I think it's a great asset to Westlake to improve things over there," Schuefler said. "It's gotten a lot of use over the years and I think being refreshed will get a lot of use. It's a nice place for beginners to start out.”
News 5 emailed TopGolf to see if they were up for the city's friendly competition. As of Friday night, they had not responded.
Jason Miller of North Ridgeville believes having both driving ranges will work.
"I think people will go to both. I think it kind of depends on their budget and kind of what they're trying to get that day,' Miller said. "Some people want to go outside, some people want to be inside. Some people want to have an event. Some people just want to go and not be bothered."
According to Horner, prices are not set yet, but they will be less expensive than TopGolf. Golfers will be able to play while the driving range is under construction.
"It's very exciting. It's special to be a part of such a big project like this. I have had the opportunity in my career to build a recreation facility, and it's something I'll never forget," added Horner, who had a big hand in the building of the facility in Broadview Heights.
The city will soon send out surveys to residents of Westlake to find out what they would like to see. The driving range and practice facility could be open for business as early as fall of 2026.
