Cherry Hill’s Plaza at Cherry Hill shopping center has a new anchor tenant, and it isn’t the first time that this Route 38 retail thoroughfare has seen unconventional new retail concepts arrive on the scene. Last week saw the opening of TruGolf Links, a golf simulator-based entertainment venue created by simulator technology purveyor TruGolf, in the heart of the mall. The venue represents a local debut for a business model that blends elite-level indoor golf simulation with full-service dining and bar inside a single 6,045 square foot space, as well as a critical first step for a franchise that hopes to see up to 40 links-themed venues throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The venue is set to become a proving ground for the concept, with as many as 40 similar venues slated for the region.
The venue proper was built upon five premium simulator bays, including a flagship “Horizon” bays with a seventeen-foot screen and stadium-style seating for the ultimate in cinematic viewing. At the center of the action are TruGolf’s overhead Apogee launch monitors, which utilize proprietary technology to capture club and ball impact data without the need for specialized or marked balls to operate, a crucial difference from some of its competitors. Meanwhile, the software allows golfers to play over 17,000 real-world golf courses around the world, including popular local courses in Pennsauken, Rancocas, and Medford Lake.
Meanwhile, the other critical difference between TruGolf Links and some of the other simulator-based golf娱乐 venues is that TruGolf Links does not actually require golfers to play golf in order to enjoy themselves. Alongside its five premium simulator bays, the venue also boasts a full fifteen-seat bar, as well as a high-top dining area that opens to the general public, allowing those unwilling to pay for a simulator bay to still enjoy chef-curated cuisine, handcrafted cocktails, and a wine and beer list with something for every palate.
At the center of the venture is Nick Reimondo, a veteran in the food and beverage space who spent over a year planning the project before leasing the space from Urban Edge Properties last summer. Reimondo himself has framed the project as ideally suited to offer an upscale multi-generational entertainment option, one that could host both casual family meals within a sport-themed multi-sport arcade, intimate first dates within the stadium-style simulator bays, corporate entertainment packages at the bar, and even structured group golfing options. Such an outlook is critical for a venue as young and unproven as TruGolf Links, where the ability to attract multiple types of customers to a single space is paramount in ensuring any given bay rental is maximized.
TruGolf Links itself is only just getting started, with the company announcing its intent to open up to 40 similar venues throughout New Jersey, New York, and Illinois since launching the TruGolf Links brand last August. As expected, Cherry Hill’s TruGolf Links represents the first real-world example of this particular regional expansion plan, one that has so far largely existed on paper. According to TruGolf Links chief development officer Ben Litalien, the prominence of the venue as a retail destination was a major factor in choosing the Plaza at Cherry Hill for the company’s first venue, while the company president Nick Larsen similarly praised the ability of Reimondo and his team to create a venue that balances first-rate simulator tech with a fine dining and bar experience, as opposed to a golf simulator bay rental business with a subpar attached restaurant.
The venue also boasts the benefit of being located within the larger retail-centric Plaza at Cherry Hill complex, which has seen its share of profile-boosting tenants come and go over the years. In its present state, the shopping center anchors around big-box retailers like Aldi, Total Wine, and Red Robin, with family-friendly entertainment options like Chuck E. Cheese and Dick’s Sporting Goods anchoring the complex. In turn, these tenants also represent a steady source of foot traffic for TruGolf Links, as the simulator-based golf entertainment venue looks to capitalize on the large number of shoppers that already frequent the retail destination. The complex also boasts a diverse cross-section of local families, many of which can be found visiting the nearby grocery stores and restaurants that comprise this particular anchor complex, while also offering a ready pool of potential golfers for TruGolf Links to serve.
With the official opening slated for later this month, the venue has seen soft openings in the interim, with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony set to take place later this month with Cherry Hill mayor David Fleisher. Meanwhile, a two-day grand opening celebration is set to take place on August 7th and 8th, which will see the arrival of PXG’s mobile club-fitting van, with opportunities for fittings available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on both days. Giveaways, food and drink specials, simulator discounts, and a raffle for tickets to an Ed Sheeran concert are also set to take place over the weekend. In the meantime, the venue will offer walk-ins, hourly simulator bay rentals, and monthly memberships, including individual off-peak passes and pooled passes for a group of friends, as the venue works to find its footing.
As a retail-centric shopping complex, Plaza at Cherry Hill has seen its share of novel retail concepts arrive on its turf, but few have attempted to occupy the space between Topgolf-style driving ranges and a traditional full-service restaurant, let alone succeeded in doing so. With TruGolf Links’ debut, South Jersey now has a major entertainment option that combines the best elements of Topgolf-style entertainment with an upscale dining and bar-focused atmosphere, all within the privacy of an enclosed simulator bay. With up to 40 similar venues set to follow if the concept proves itself viable, the success of Cherry Hill’s flagship TruGolf Links is sure to dictate the trajectory of the rest of the company’s regional expansion efforts.
