GOLFZON<\/a> simulator screens until they reach the green area. At that point, the screen lifts and participants walk through to finish the hole at the realistic green complex.<\/p>\nUnlike the version that first launched in China, which has poured concrete under relatively flat greens, the Fazio-designed greens at CityGolf USA locations will have crushed rock and padding beneath the undulating synthetic grass surfaces to replicate the feel of real putting and chipping. Bunkers around the green will have real sand and can have steep-faced walls up to three feet high. <\/p>\n
With real-world short game play, there are safety concerns too, such as having berms around the various green complexes and some kind of plexiglass of similar dividers in certain areas \u2013 not unlike the protection found at a hockey rink \u2013 in case someone blades a 70-foot chip shot that flies over their green. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I was most impressed by is it\u2019s real golf,\u201d said CityGolf USA CEO Tony Graffia Jr., who is also the Managing Partner of Nessie Capital and tried the concept internationally before bringing what he calls a \u2018uniquely American\u2019 version to the U.S. \u201cIt didn\u2019t feel like a video game. I felt the pressure of making the putts and 3-putted my first hole with a group watching me play. And then I was wowed by the technology.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fazio Partnership<\/p>\n
Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas, Nevada, is one of Tom Fazio’s most famous designs. (Photo by Harry How\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
The partnership with the Fazio brand adds cache and legitimacy to the concept, with a concerted effort to integrate real-world course strategy with both digital and live shot making. <\/p>\n
Gavin Fazio, who is Tom\u2019s son and the founder of Fazio Design Technologies (FDT), said he\u2019s excited to help bring a completely new and innovative golf concept to a U.S. market that continues to embrace alternative forms of \u201coff-course\u201d participation. <\/p>\n
The past four years have seen more Americans playing away from the course \u2013 at golf entertainment complexes, indoor simulator facilities or driving ranges \u2013 than the number of golfers who play on a real course, according to the National Golf Foundation. That off-course participation number climbed to almost 38 million in 2025, even as traditional golf has enjoyed surges in play and players. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe are looking forward to introducing a concept that will appeal to everyone \u2014 from passionate golf enthusiasts and social players to beginners who are just discovering the game,\u201d said Gavin Fazio. \u201cCreating new and unique digital golf environments that would traditionally require a much bigger footprint expands what is possible in the world of golf.\u201d<\/p>\n
Indoor Golf Model<\/p>\n
The indoor golf concept can allow a foursome to tee off just before midnight, even if there\u2019s snow on the ground or a storm outside. <\/p>\n
A smaller version of an indoor green used to promote the CityGolf concept at the PGA Merchandise Show in January 2026.<\/p>\n
Erik Matuszewski<\/p>\n
And while the model in China is largely private, the CityGolf USA focus is on keeping it largely open to the public, with a small membership that gets access to premium tee times. As for the cost, pricing will fluctuate depending on time and day of week, with discounts for juniors, seniors, military, and other groups. <\/p>\n
\u201cI keep telling people, I\u2019ve got to deliver a $300 experience for a $100 price point,\u201d said Graffia, who\u2019s made a career out of finding and investing in products outside the U.S. that he believes will have real traction with the American consumer. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf I do that, people will just continue to keep coming and coming. Now, will it always be $100? No, sometimes it’s going to be $30 because we’re off hours. Sometimes it’ll be $60. At 9 o’clock on a Friday night, you know that’s going to be a more expensive time to play than a Tuesday at 10 a.m.\u201d<\/p>\n
First Location and Others to Come<\/p>\n
While there had been plans to have the first CityGolf USA location in Chicago, the permitting process slowed things down considerably. Chicago is still in the future plans, along with markets such as Indianapolis, Columbus and Minneapolis. <\/p>\n
After players tee off and play their approach shots in a simulator bay at CityGolf, the screen rises up to let them walk through to the physical green complex.<\/p>\n
Erik Matuszewski<\/p>\n
Graffia said he\u2019s had city leaders in states such as Texas and California reach out and offer to pay for entire CityGolf venue builds, which can run between $10 million and $15 million, with essentials such as technology, air conditioning, and hospitality helping drive prices up well beyond green complex designs. One positive is that indoor courses don\u2019t need to worry about drainage or irrigation. <\/p>\n
Graffia said there\u2019s even been interest from a golf mecca like Myrtle Beach, where a CityGolf USA venue could provide an all-day indoor option to help satisfy the enormous existing demand in the area. <\/p>\n
And when it comes to actual course design, there\u2019s far more flexibility in this new medium \u2013 one that other true golf architects, including Beau Welling, Agustin Piza and Gil Hanse \u2013 have ventured into with fully simulated holes for the TGL indoor league. The landscape upon which holes are laid out can be much more severe at CityGolf USA than a normal course, at least up to the greens. Designers on the Fazio team don\u2019t have to be concerned about whether golf carts can traverse the terrain, or if the mountain or desert setting is too inhospitable.<\/p>\n
A rendering of the CityGolf venue in China. The ‘Americanized’ version in the U.S. will be considerably different in look and feel, including a more social feel and entertainment concept along with more realistic play on the greens.<\/p>\n
Golfzon<\/p>\n
And soon golfers will get to experience the newest entry in the world of off-course golf for themselves. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve designed a bunch of different holes in different places that just weren\u2019t playable. Those are the kinds of things they can bring in,\u201d said Graffia. \u201cI saw the 18th hole of one of the greens they\u2019ve designed and it\u2019s literally on an island. You\u2019re on an island hitting to the fairway and then hitting to another island. So, we can make some really cool experiences that you can\u2019t do on a regular golf course.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tom Fazio’s design company will be creating courses \u2014 including simulated holes and physical greens \u2014for CityGolf USA,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":872143,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[443],"tags":[49,48,302728,302730,302729,622,84862,302731,302732,82,118573],"class_list":["post-872142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-citygolf-usa","tag-fazio-design","tag-fazio-design-technologies","tag-golf","tag-indoor-golf","tag-indoor-golf-course","tag-off-course-golf","tag-sports","tag-tom-fazio"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=872142"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872142\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/872143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=872142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=872142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=872142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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