For those people who tend to be indecisive, one of the most difficult aspects of dating is choosing a place to go. I was faced with this difficulty a few weeks ago. The date was scheduled to take place on a Friday, just a few days after a friend of mine went to Top Golf for the first time. We were talking about my plans, and he convinced me that Top Golf would be an appropriate place to go on a date.
I was looking for something more active than dinner or a movie. Movie dates involve almost zero interaction, and dinner dates can have awkward moments early on in a relationship. Top Golf offers food, alongside a healthy amount of physical activity.
Walk through the door at Top Golf and the first thing required is some serious cash. Since it was the first time for both of us, Top Golf required that we buy a game card, which includes $40 in credits. I’m the kind of guy who pays for dates, so that was immediately $80 out of my pocket.
After waiting for less than 10 seconds, we were provided with clubs, and not much instruction other than a point in the direction towards our booth. The booth consisted of a table with four bar stools and a computer to help us keep score. After studying the computer for a few minutes, we realized we needed to go get some balls, and walked toward the ball machine.
The ball machine was an experience in and of itself. I went first, putting my card in and selecting one game’s worth of balls. Without warning it started spitting them out, and I quickly placed the bucket underneath the machine. Lesson learned.
The golfing experience was fun. People of all skill levels were enjoying themselves. The clubs were not great, but I wasn’t really there to practice my golf or impress anyone with my expertise. I was there to have fun. My date had never golfed in her life, and if she was only pretending to have fun, she fooled me.
The food experience was mediocre. I was already a little upset about spending all that money, but hey–I can use some of these credits on my card to pay for dinner, right? Nope! I had to shell out another $35 to cover dinner. We didn’t even get any drinks. The service was a little slow, but when the food finally arrived, at least it tasted good.
After way too many rounds of golf (I felt the need to use all the credit on my game card) we departed, satisfied of our hunger, and ready to do something else. We both enjoyed our time at Top Golf. There was no wait, people were having fun, and the food tasted good. The only down side was the price. I would recommend Top Golf for a date night if you don’t mind dropping some cash, or if your date already has a game card.
