Erica Breunlin and Margie Hagen

Knoxville News Sentinel

As Farragut takes a swing at developing an entertainment district along a corridor near Interstate 40, the city is in talks with Topgolf about building what would be East Tennessee's first location, according to Wendy Smith, Farragut's public relations and marketing coordinator.

Topgolf bills itself as a family-friendly, high-tech twist on golf that allows anyone to have fun with the game, whether they've ever been on a course or not.

Groups gather in bays that have their own clubs and receive food and beverage service (with a full bar). The golf balls have trackers inside them and groups can play a variety of games where the scores appear automatically on screens in their bay.

Headquartered in Dallas, Topgolf employs over 20,000 associates and serves around 17 million guests per year.

The 19-year-old company has 50 locations, including four international properties and one in Nashville.

$20 million complex

Farragut's entertainment complex, which would sit on a vacant property on Outlet Drive west of Cotton Eyed Joe, would feature two stories with a restaurant, bar, electronic games and 72 golf bays. Customers would rent the golf bays by the hour or just come in to eat and drink.

More:Topgolf seeking Knoxville location, hopes to open in 2020

The project would add up to $20 million, would have the potential to create around 300 jobs and would draw customers from about an hour away in any direction, according to Topgolf’s Director of Real Estate Development Todd Waldo.

Preliminary plans for the sports facility were presented by Topgolf representatives during a special-called meeting of the Municipal Planning Commission on June 6.

The Topgolf project, which Smith said could also include a restaurant and hotel adjacent to the sports building, has unique characteristics that would require rezoning and text amendments to bring it into compliance.

Smith was not clear on the specifics of the necessary rezoning and text amendments.

The city does not yet have an opening date nailed down for the facility as it continues to work out zoning issues, she said.

A launchpad for an entertainment district

The corridor north of I-40 is ripe for development and is looked at as a logical spot for entertainment uses just like Topgolf.

Interstate visibility and ease of access make Farragut attractive for Topgolf, Smith said.

Those factors also make the location a natural for other businesses like restaurants, hotels and family-oriented recreation.

The city is eager to develop the Outlet Drive area in a way that would entice some new businesses to move in, "maybe some things that aren't currently available like Topgolf," Smith said.

Farragut is looking at tweaking its zoning right now for Topgolf with the hopes that it will attract more entertainment, she said.

Smith said that the push to draw Topgolf to Farragut has been in the works for years.

"The town has really courted Topgolf, trying to get them to come here," she said, explaining "it's been a long process."

Reached by email, Topgolf spokeswoman Morgan Schaaf would not confirm whether Topgolf is coming to Farragut, stating, "We don’t have any information to share at this time."