Drive Shack Inc (DSHK)

[Enterprising Investor]

Three-story, high-end driving range headed to Lake Nona (9/13/16)

By Kyle Arnold

Lake Nona's developer is planning a three-story, high-end driving range and restaurant complex in the southeast Orlando neighborhood.

Tavistock Development filed an application for a 66,000-square-foot building and golf range with a restaurant, bar and event space, according to documents submitted to the City of Orlando.

Floor diagrams show about 90 golfing bays as well.

The 15-acre project is dubbed "Drive Shack" in documents. The facility would have about 450 parking spaces.

The Drive Shack project is planned for 7675 Lake Nona Boulevard, in an area Tavistock has labeled the "Lake Nona Sports & Performance District." Drive Shack would be just south of the new U.S. Tennis Association campus and the upcoming Orlando City Soccer Club training facility.

The USTA campus is 63 acres and is slated to start business next year. Orlando City will take a 23-acre spot and plans to start playing Orlando City B games there.

Drive Shack is the same name of a golf-range brand being developed by equipment maker TaylorMade and real estate firm Newcastle Investments Corp. TaylorMade owner Adidas said in May it intends to sell TaylorMade as well as clubmaker Adams and apparel maker Ashworth, amid falling sales that saw competitor Nike announce in August it will stop making golf clubs.

A spokeswoman for Tavistock said she could not comment on the project, and Newcastle did not return a request for comment.

Tavistock also said that Drive Shack would have some interactive golf elements with its driving range, but did not give specifics.

At Drive Shack, the three-story building would have outdoor golfing bays that overlook the range. The first floor calls for a kitchen and lounge as well as a pro shop retail area.

The second floor plans call for a restaurant, lobby and event space as well as an additional retail area. The third floor is mostly golfing bays and a rooftop terrace.

Drive Shack would be one of two high-end golf driving ranges heading to Orlando, along with the Topgolf project in Orlando tourist district.

Topgolf is another three-story driving range project, which uses interactive game elements along with the traditional driving range format. That project is now under construction at Convention Way and Universal Boulevard and is expected to finished sometime in 2017.

Sports bars in Orlando that have interactive golfing simulators, in which customers can hit balls into a screen displaying golf courses, include Caddyshanks and Dewey's. Those simulators also have training elements.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/consumer/os-lake-nona-driving-range-20160912-story.html