Tiger Woods-backed mini golf brand PopStroke is setting its sights on Jacksonville’s busy Gate Parkway corridor, eyeing an undeveloped parcel near Interstate 295 for a project that would blend putting greens with a full-service restaurant and bar.
City utility records show JEA is reviewing a service-availability request for the northeast corner of Gate Parkway and I-295. The filing describes a golf course and dining operation and sketches out a roughly 180-seat restaurant as part of the concept.
According to the Jacksonville Daily Record, JEA received the determination request on Monday, May 11, listing Emerald Coast Permitting Inc. of Miramar Beach as the applicant. The documents place the project on a site north of the Synovus Bank at Gate Parkway and Ozark Drive, close to CSI Cos. at Gate Parkway and Baymeadows Road East, and include sample floor plans featuring dining areas, bar space and outdoor play zones similar to other PopStroke locations.
Public records show the land is owned by Sawmill Timber LLC, a company that has held large tracts southeast of I-295 and John Turner Butler Boulevard for decades. A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit notice outlines the property, its long-running timber use and ownership details, linking Sawmill Timber and members of the Skinner family through coordinates that match the Gate Parkway area. Local land-use files and past rezoning efforts indicate the Skinner group has pursued mixed-use projects in this part of South Jacksonville.
What PopStroke Would Bring
PopStroke markets itself as a hospitality-first entertainment venue pairing two 18-hole putting courses with a chef-driven restaurant, big screens and app-based ordering so guests can eat and drink without leaving the green. The company’s PopStroke site lists more than 20 locations across seven states and notes corporate headquarters in Jupiter and Dallas. Company press materials also highlight strategic partnerships with Tiger Woods and TaylorMade, which PopStroke credits with helping fuel its rapid growth.
Why Gate Parkway?
Gate Parkway has quickly turned into a playground for experiential retail and dining, with a steady stream of family-focused entertainment projects and outdoor event spaces that make the corridor a natural fit for a concept like PopStroke. News4JAX recently featured The Block Jax on Gate Parkway as a fresh event and dining hub, and nearby commercial listings show available retail space actively pitched to restaurant and entertainment operators. Easy highway access and a growing population in Southeast Jacksonville give experience-based venues a built-in weekend and evening crowd.
What Happens Next
A JEA service-availability letter is an early, nonbinding step that identifies potential connection points for water, wastewater and electric service. JEA guidance explains that these letters typically outline connection locations, provide a tracking number and carry an expiration date two years from issuance, with processing times of up to 10 business days.
After that, developers still have to run the gauntlet of site planning, zoning approvals and building permits before any construction starts, and a signed lease or final site plan would have to show up in public records before shovels hit the dirt.
Neither PopStroke nor Sawmill Timber was available for comment on May 11 or 12, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record. If the proposal moves ahead, it could add a new entertainment-and-dining anchor to the fast-changing Gate Parkway corridor, though any opening date remains purely speculative until permits, utility letters or lease documents surface.
