Indoor golf lounge to open in Grand Central District

The Irons Club, a new indoor golf lounge, will open this weekend in St. Petersburg’s Grand Central District. The venue will offer a blend of golf simulation, sports bar atmosphere and social club experience.

General Manager Jeff Anderson said The Irons Club,  located in the former Euphoria Salon space, has been in the works for about two years. The build-out was extensive, he said, including the installation of a kitchen and bar.

The 4,000-square-foot facility includes a full bar with high-top seating and four Trackman simulators, and each golf bay has capacity for up to eight players. The simulators offer both advanced training capabilities and arcade-style games for beginners.

“There are a lot of arcade-style games like ‘Closest to the Pin’ designed for people who have picked up a club for the first time,” Anderson said. “Our training bay has high-speed cameras with flicker-free lighting, so it gives a frame-by-frame video breakdown which is great for a golfer who’s training for a tournament or just wants to work on their game.”

Professional golf lessons and training sessions are available to members and the general public. Patrick Mills, a former NCAA All-American golfer and Tampa Bay resident, is The Irons Club’s Director of Golf.

The venue includes co-working spaces and a chef-created menu.

The Irons Club has four indoor golf bays with Trackman simulators and more than 25 TVs.

Anderson said the golf simulator concept, popular in northern states where year-round golf is limited, seeks to capitalize on the social aspect of the sport while providing a comfortable indoor environment.

“They’ve kind of overlooked Florida because you really can’t golf year-round. No one’s going out at three o’clock in July to tee off. It’s hot,” Anderson said. “We also wanted this built out to be a place where, even if you aren’t a golfer, you can come hang out at the bar, watch sports or grab a bite to eat for lunch.”

The Irons Club soft-opened about a month ago, and has already hosted corporate team-building events and private happy hours, and has recruited about 45 members so far. Memberships require an application process. A key benefit to membership is advanced booking privileges. Non-members can reserve bays 24 hours in advance or on a walk-in basis.

The Grand Central District location was a strategic choice, offering proximity to other entertainment and dining options.

“There’s so much foot traffic that goes by here. This neighborhood is also really experiential. There’s a lot of stuff to do, with Par Bar, ax throwing and the Sandbox VR down the street, plus a mix with a lot of good restaurants and retail,” Anderson explained. “We looked at a couple of locations, but it’s hard to find a spot with the roof clearance for the [golf] bays. Once we found this spot, we went all in here because we just love this neighborhood and everything that’s going on in Grand Central.”

Future expansion plans include opening additional locations around Tampa Bay. The Irons Club is part of a growing number of golf-themed lounges in St. Petersburg, including Top Golf in Carillon Park and Golfology in the Warehouse Arts District.

The Irons Club is hosting a grand opening weekend Friday through Sunday, with a ribbon cutting Friday at 2 p.m. and free walk-in introductory golfing Saturday from 9 a.m. to midnight and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Reservations can be made online at theironsclub.com.

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