The alternative versions of golf "bubbling up today," including Topgolf, FootGolf and simulator golf, are "attempts to make the game appealing to people who feel put off or excluded by traditional long golf," according to John Paul Newport of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Topgolf "may be the closest modern counterpart to 15th century short golf." It "doesn’t require much space, like street and churchyard golf back then, and alcohol is usually part of the deal." Newport "recently spent a very enjoyable two hours at a Topgolf facility" near O’Hare Int'l Airport in Chicago. He writes, "I basically just practiced. The targets used in Topgolf focus one’s attention far better than at normal ranges and the scoring creates a sense of pressure as you try to beat your best score. But as a singleton just practicing, I was in the minority. (I also might have been the only customer over 40.)" Topgolf is "date-night golf, where 'one more round' typically means more drinks, not another batch of balls." Newport: "When I left there was an hour-long line out the door." Newport also "recently tried FootGolf, which involves kicking a soccer ball around a golf course into 21-inch-diameter cups." Newport: "I wasn’t much good at it, but I finished out my round, at the Meadow Park course in Tacoma, Wash., with a family of four having great fun" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/1).
