Downtown Indy golf venue set for June opening
INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Business) — A $30 million golf and entertainment space is expected to open this summer in downtown Indianapolis. Back 9 Golf & Entertainment says the facility will create up to 200 full-time and part-time jobs and feature a three-story golf range, restaurant and bar spaces, and a 350-person music pavilion.
The facility is being built near West Morris Street and Drover Street along the White River, close to Lilly Technology Center’s north campus.
Back 9 bills itself as downtown Indy’s fourth stadium that includes 75 climate-controlled golf bays. Additional amenities include an outdoor beer garden and a game area.
The planned music pavilion will feature weekly musical performances with a focus on Indianapolis-based artists.
“Developing Back 9 near downtown’s riverfront was a deliberate revitalization effort to connect this area with central Indiana residents and beyond,” said Neal Burnett, founder of Back 9 Golf & Entertainment. “This Back 9 location is just the beginning, as we hope to bring this unique entertainment experience to more communities across the Midwest, and we’re eager to open our doors for the first time to the Indianapolis community.”
Steve Alexander, a partner in ownership group MWA Drover LLC, told our partners at the Indianapolis Business Journal in a September 2021 interview the goal of the project is to help connect the river to the Old Southside and Stadium Village neighborhoods just to the east.
“Where other facilities are usually located in suburban environments, near strip malls and interstates, we’re uniquely focused on the outdoor relationship and the site’s proximity to downtown,” Alexander said. “We see a lot of potential with the [White River] Trail and even waterfront sports that could become part of the project in the future.”
Back 9 is slated to officially open to the public in June. The company says details on hiring events will be announced in the coming weeks.
