21 Greens Debuts in Downtown Las Vegas

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The Downtown Art Districts newest tenant has something to offer that none of their neighbors can. Golf

21 Greens is a new indoor golf facility which recently opened its doors. And let me tell you, you’re going to want to go check this place out.

The revitalized Las Vegas Downtown Arts District,  also known as 18b, has been for several years now attracting more and more businesses to the area. From retails shops, art galleries, museums, and restaurants the entire area is under a complete renovation. As I lifer of this town, I know what used to be down in that area. I was blown away by what I saw when I headed down to 21 Greens for the first time recently.

 

21 Greens

 

The only reason ever to go down to that area of town was to watch the idiots try and get through the Charleston Underpass when it used to flood. Or, go by The Attic and look for some vintage jeans. Now the area is seeing signs of life with businesses showing up in places that used to house crackheads, the homeless and the decaying buildings that have been lost to time.

21 Greens are bringing a new level of fun to Simulation Golf that even TopGolf cannot compete against.

That’s right. I said it! I’ve been to TopGolf numerous times since it opened up here in Las Vegas and while it’s a fun experience the golf (which is WHY you go) is sub-par at best. Rock hard golf balls, limited range, ridiculous prices and it a total tourist trap. I didn’t take me long to realize that TopGolf is not something to be considered as a “golf” event or outing. It’s just a place to go and be social with your friends where you can hang out and hit some golf balls.

21 Greens, however, takes that social aspect you’ll find at TopGolf and Kranks (Pun Intended) it up!

A golf outing, unlike anything I’ve experienced.

Golf simulators are nothing new to the industry. They’ve been around for a long time. I remember the waiting list to get in nine holes on the simulator that was at the Final Score bar at Sams Town. That was way back in the day. The technology back then wasn’t the best compared to now, but that never stopped anyone from wanting to play some golf while chilling at the bar.

Simulators are a big part of the PGA Show too. The area of the floor where they are displayed is always full of people testing out the newest, latest and most excellent machines.

21 Greens spared no expense when they chose their simulators. In short, they’re badass!

Not only are the graphics amazing for a golf simulator but the different ways you can play on them is incredible.

  • Driving Range Practice Session
  • Chipping Practice
  • Putting Contest
  • Skills Challenges
  • Long Drive Contest
  • Closes to the Pin
  • 9 Holes or 18 Holes from Tee to Green
  • Match Play
  • Best Ball Scramble
  • All Shot Data on Every Swing
  • Games – Poker, Darts, etc

The list of courses you can play is impressive too. For example, if you want to play a closet to the pin competition, you get to select a hole from a wide variety of excellent par 3’s like No. 7 at Pebble Beach. Or, if you want to challenge your buddy to a Long Drive Competition, you can select the grid out in Mesquite. Home to a lot of National Long Drive competitions the Mesquite grid is somewhat famous. And man was it’s a blast to go head to head with my buddy. What made it even better was  putting the simulator in night mode:

 

Now that was cool! And it’s just a small sampling of the many features the simulators at 21 Greens can do.

The graphics on the simulators were equally impressive as well as the gameplay.

All the images of the golf courses are taken from an actual camera and are very accurate. The screen resolution is in 4K, and it looks great. We looked through all the available courses and decided to go with Cabot Links. I wanted to see just how accurate the images were and I figured Cabot would be a challenge.



The gameplay didn’t disappoint either. Everything was dead on (minus the holes being a little mixed up from when I played there last year). It had all the little nuances of the course, the only thing we were missing was some overly friendly Canadians.

Overall the golf was impressive. I felt the simulator was very accurate with all the swing data and represented a golf experience as close to the real things as you can get.

The Private Suite is a game changer.

Having a room to yourself was more entertaining than I could have ever imagined. As of right now, there are two Private Suites. Each suite comes furnished with a tall table and chairs. Perfect for holding your cold adult beverages and some food. The food, by the way, was incredible.

Also, there’s theater style seating so while your boys or other members of your group are taking their turns, you can prop your feet up and relax. I found myself doing just that quite a bit!

21 Greens

The Private Suites also feature a wall mounted 65″ TV. You have control of the TV and can choose to listen to what’s on the screen, like a game or movie or whatever you want. There’s also an option to listen to music that is provided by 21 Greens. But, easily one of the best features of the suite is you can plug in your phone and play your music. So, of course, I had to try that out. I hooked up my phone and turned on the latest Tiesto album. Wow, what a great time that was warming up to full surround sound of Tiesto. Talk about getting your blood pumping!

The studio is also climate controlled. The owner told us if we were getting too hot after playing for a while go ahead and crank down the AC.

There’s more than just the Studios at 21 Greens

While the simulators and the suites are probably going to be the main draw, there’s also an excellent retail area when you enter the facility. It’s clean, set up well and adds a great touch to the overall look and feel of the place. It’s a pro shop visit just like the one you’d experience on a golf course.

With a small, intimate venue the staff has to be on point, and they were. The customer service was beyond outstanding. Not being “simulator pros” we had a ton of questions, and then we had even more questions. There was a little bit of a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, the touch controls are a breeze to maneuver through.

The Swing Data is impressive

With all the technology in the simulators, the amount of information you get from every swing is remarkable. If you know what to do with all this information that’s great but if you don’t, it could be an overload.

I was glad to learn that 21 Greens has employed some teaching professional to not only help out with explaining the data. They also have lessons you can sign up for where you can learn from an expert in a private setting.

21 Greens

You can see why I’m so excited for the future of 21 Greens

In all honesty, we could have spent 4-5 hours there without any hesitation. We had a blast, and it was completely unexpected. I figured we would have had some fun, play around with the simulator and been on our way. Not the case at all. We instantly fell in love with the place and had a fantastic time. I’m already thinking about the next trip out to 21 Greens and cannot wait to get the boys together for an event.

Give the 21 Greens Website a look, and you can read more about the place. And, be sure to check out the Loyalty Program.

You all know I’m a big proponent of social media, so as always, be sure to give them a follow on their social pages. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

And lastly

I had a great conversation with the owner of 21 Greens. They have a lot planned for the current location. Three more studios are in the works along with a full bar that will join up with the movie theater next door. If how they have the current facility setup is any indication of how the expansion is going to be the place is going to be a raging success!

And, other locations are in the mix as well.

 

Follow Mathew Wangrycht:

Writer and founder of the golf blog The Breakfast Ball. My wife will tell you I'm obsessed with the game, she's right! It's that obsession which drives me to become a better player and make this site enjoyable for everyone.

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