Alex Mascioli, assistant director of racket sports at Aronimink, plays the first hole of the famed Great Waters course in Georgia at the new Back Nine in Paoli Shopping Center. New to golf, Mascioli says he’s already “addicted” and has signed on as a Back Nine founding member.
Aronimink is prepping for the PGA Championship.
Merion is gearing up for the U.S. Amateur.
St. Davids is getting a major facelift.
Hopefuls languish on country-club waitlists.
Forget cabin fever. It’s golf fever – deep freeze, be damned – that’s raging ’round here this February.
The sport’s so hot, it stretches to four seasons.
Simulators – driving ranges for the digital age – are popping up here, there and everywhere. In homes, in country clubs, and in new indoor golf venues that are challenging the near-monopoly long enjoyed by Play-a-Round Golfs in Frazer and Ardmore.
The two newest, Back Nine in Paoli Shopping Center and The Willows Golf Lounge in The Grove, just opened within weeks – and two miles – of each other.
And don’t forget splashy Intown Golf Club, a members-only social club with eight simulators that rolled into the Radnor Financial Center last year, the chain’s largest U.S. location.
In Paoli, the new Back Nine (below) is a total redo of the old Kitchen Kapers.
Back Nine’s owners call their new facility a “low key” place for golfers of all handicaps and ages to work on their games year-round.
You won’t get the bar, gourmet restaurant and pro-shop of an Intown, but there’s plenty to like at Back Nine: 24/7 access for members, cross-play at other Back Nine franchises, and advanced Full Swing-powered simulators personally endorsed by Tiger Woods.
With just three bays and the ability to BYOB, it’s also cozier and cheaper than, say, TopGolf in King of Prussia, which charges for all food and drink delivered to its 102 bays.
Co-owners Phil Stoops and Paul Latella tout members’ round-the-clock, unlimited access to simulators at their new Back Nine in Paoli Shopping Center. Riding the surge in golf since COVID, Back Nine has 100+ locations with 200 more in development. In Paoli, a pro will offer lessons; Leagues and tournaments are planned.
Co-owner Phil Stoops’ tells us his first Back Nine in Wilmington has been a smash, attracting everyone from enthusiastic newbies and public-course players to experienced players shut out of their home club’s simulators.
Reserve a bay for yourself and a pal, or rent the whole place for a family party or corporate event. Become a member – there are three tiers – or play as a guest, with a guest, for $60/hour. (Indoor play is quicker – 18 holes typically take an hour or less, Stoops says.)
He and Latella chose Paoli because it’s on the “golf-dense” Main Line. “The demographics are fantastic. Your income levels are awesome,” Stoop enthuses. The partners also liked the built-in traffic at one of the area’s busiest shopping centers.
Back Nine encourages players to BYO food and drink from neighboring eateries like Bravo Pizza, Cheng du, Einstein’s and Poke Bros, or patronize them afterward.
The setup is similar at The Willows Golf Lounge in Malvern which touts its “luxury bays, lounge vibes and local flavor.”
This one’s larger – there are five sim bays plus a “VIP” bay for extra privacy and luxury.
Players use QR codes to order food from nearby Sly Fox, Nudy’s, Bomba and Sublime Cupcakes. Willows is currently BYOB but plans to sell alcohol in the coming months.
The owner is Exton native Michael Nickels who named the place not for the gorgeous Radnor park, but for the resilient and welcoming willow trees in the backyard of his boyhood home, trees his late mother adored.
Willows offers kids’ camps, scramble leagues and lessons, and, like Back Nine, expects to host a myriad of private parties.
Unlike TopGolf where 51% of visitors are non-players, both Back Nine and The Willows Golf Lounge cater to players – eager newbies, scratch golfers and everyone in between.
Back Nine, Paoli Shopping Center, 82 E. Lancaster Ave., Paoli, offers free demos and will celebrate its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting Friday, Feb. 6 at 10:30 a.m. Willows Golf Lounge, The Grove, 20 Liberty Blvd., Malvern, held its grand opening Jan. 17.
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