A national indoor golf chain is bringing its first Texas location to North Austin, leasing 12,000 square feet at Shops at Tech Ridge for a simulator lounge featuring a full bar, kitchen and TrackMan technology. Golf Lounge 18 is targeting a 2027 opening, though an exact date has not been set.
A $500,000 Build-Out Near I-35 and Parmer Lane
According to Community Impact, the venue will sit at 12901 N. I-35, Bldg. 2, Ste. 200, marking Golf Lounge 18's 14th location nationwide and its first entry into the Texas market. A Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing registered on August 28 estimates construction costs for the interior build-out at $500,000 across 11,600 square feet, with work scheduled to run from late September through February 1, 2027, per the state filing. Facility design is being handled by Curious Projects LLC for property owner RB Tech Ridge LLC, and the renovation includes a bar, kitchen and support spaces along with restroom upgrades.
The lease itself closed in July, per a Weitzman release, when brokers Nick Naumann and James Van Trease represented Golf Lounge 18 alongside master broker Tyler Lyman of TRUE Commercial Real Estate, while The Retail Connection represented the shopping center's landlord. Franchise partners Samuel Manaway and Tom Adair will own and operate the Tech Ridge venue, according to an EIN Presswire release from December 2025 covered by the National Law Review. Golf Lounge 18 currently operates 11 other locations around the country, according to Community Impact.
What Golfers Will Find Inside
The simulator bays will run TrackMan 4 dual-radar hardware paired with “Tracy” AI software that tracks more than 40 ball and club parameters, including smash factor, launch angle, spin rate and club path, alongside live graphic swing overlays, according to Golf Lounge 18's own website. TrackMan technology is used by more than 700 tour professionals worldwide. Community Impact reports patrons will be able to play more than 450 golf courses around the world from inside the bays.
Golf Lounge 18 was founded in Fairfield, Connecticut, in 2018 by former investment banker Ajit Padda, who launched the concept after searching for an indoor practice venue near a train station, according to The Golf Wire. The chain has expanded into a multi-state simulator brand that saw a 126% increase in simulator screen usage between 2019 and 2025, the outlet reported. Venues generate revenue through hourly bay rentals, structured winter leagues, corporate private event bookings, PGA-certified golf instruction and full-service food and bar programs, per a Hartford Business Journal report from 2024.
Why Tech Ridge Is a Fit for Off-Course Golf
Shops at Tech Ridge sits within a mile of major Parmer Lane corporate and tech campuses, including Dell's Parmer South Campus, General Motors, 3M and the Home Depot Technology Center, which together employ thousands of office workers, according to leasing documents from Weitzman. That daytime workforce lines up with a national trend: National Golf Foundation data for 2025 shows total U.S. golf participation reached 48.1 million people aged 6 and older, with 19 million playing exclusively through off-course venues like simulators, driving ranges and golf entertainment bars, as reported by Athlon Sports in July 2026.
The shopping center has seen other recent reinvestment. Property owner RB Tech Ridge LLC also put $1.5 million into a 30,970-square-foot interior build-out for a T.J. Maxx store at the same center in mid-2026, according to state filings, joining existing anchors like Floor & Decor and Ross Dress for Less. Hoodline previously covered that retail addition. Broader Austin retail leasing activity totaled 543,165 square feet in the third quarter of 2025 with average asking rents flat at $25.96 per square foot, according to a market report from Partners Real Estate.
Golf Lounge 18's Austin arrival also fits a wider pattern of tech-enabled simulator concepts opening across the region, including a similar venue that opened in Southwest Austin earlier this summer and simulators built into new high-end developments like East Austin's The Martin. No opening date has been announced for the Tech Ridge location beyond the general 2027 target tied to the construction timeline, and additional details on hours or membership pricing were not included in available filings.
