An official groundbreaking ceremony was held Wednesday for BigShots Golf Aggieland at Bryan’s Midtown Park.
Jim and Allyson Butler partnered with BigShots to bring the “eatertainment” facility to Bryan. Butler says it’s been a vision of theirs since the similar concept, Topgolf, was created.
“The popularity of the venue and the community that we have, the opportunity to use a venue like this for fundraising and to support all the educational entities in this area,” said Butler.
Butler says although they expect Texas A&M University and Blinn College students to enjoy the facility, their vision is family oriented.
“Our model is that young couple that has children that can come and play on our putt-putt course while the adults maybe have an adult beverage before they have time to go out and hit golf balls,” said Butler.
Butler says he envisions family gatherings, birthday parties, and fundraising events.
“We want to have philanthropists in the community saying we used this venue to raise more money than we ever raised in the past,” said Butler.
BigShots Golf Aggieland, the second location in Texas, is scheduled to open in December.
Last December, the Bryan city council was told the estimated $13 million dollar construction project would have an estimated property value of $6.5 million, generating an estimated $41,000 dollars annually in property tax revenue for the city.
The council was also told BigShots Aggieland anticipates hiring 10 to 12 full time employees with salaries ranging from $55,000 to $90,000 per year and between 112 and 120 part time employees making from minimum wage up to $16 per hour.
That was information associated with the council approving a $1.4 million dollar loan to start construction earlier than originally planned. The loan will be repaid over a four year period after the complex is completed. This is after the council approved in February 2020, a $100,000 dollar grant and the city waiving an estimated $50,000 in permit fees.
Click below to hear from Jim Butler and ClubCorp CEO David Pillsbury, visiting with WTAW’s Chelsea Reber.
Listen to “Groundbreaking ceremony for BigShots Golf Aggieland” on Spreaker.