Fore Score Golf Tavern plans to open in The Palms at Gate Parkway in South Jacksonville in December.
It will be the second location for sports-themed restaurant and entertainment concept.
It is planned at 7570 Gate Parkway, Suite 101.
The first golf tavern opened in August 2022 at 1407 Atlantic Blvd. in San Marco Square.
Since then the four-bay golf and game simulators have proved to be a hit, owner Daniel Hileman said.
Serious golfers use the simulators to measure swing speeds, ball spin rates, distance and other data just like the pros.
Families use the simulators not only to play golf, but baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, lacrosse, dodgeball and other games as well.
Businesses have found the simulators, as well as the food and drinks, to be a good setting for team building.
Fore Score also provides newbies the chance to practice their swing without feeling like dozens of eyes on a crowded driving range are passing judgment on every whiff or shank.
“It’s not intimidating for beginners to come in and learn the game and understand how to play and fall in love with the game of golf,” Hileman said.
“We’re a great spot for date night and doing something that’s not as traditional as just dinner. We have a lot of corporate outings, group events.”
It is the prospect of potential customers from business parks near the proposed second Fore Score location that gives Hileman’s partner, Andy Allen, CEO of Corner Lot Development Group, confidence in the expansion.
“With the success of our San Marco location and the demand for corporate events, the Gate Parkway location is perfect for this,” Allen said in a text message.
“There’s just a lot of roofs over there,” Hileman said.
“And a lot of people and families. It’s a younger crowd in some sense versus San Marco that we can pull in. We will have live music on the weekends.”
The new location is being designed, Hileman said.
At 6,800 square feet, it will be larger than the 4,269-square-foot San Marco store, with up to seven bays. Each bay costs $60,000. There is no build-out budget yet.
The San Marco store cost around $800,000 to open, Hileman said.
There are 20 employees at the San Marco location. Hileman expects to hire about 30 at Gate Parkway.
It will have a bar built to resemble a dog-leg fairway. The bays will allow for more social interaction with short walls and tall stools allowing for friends to watch the action while waiting their turn. It will be similar to bowling in that way.
Hileman stresses his business is not another arcade. Fore Score Golf Tavern has a full bar and an upscale sports bar menu that serves lunch and dinner. It features handmade, not frozen, hamburger patties. It also has flatbread pizza, sandwiches, sliders and desserts.
Cocktails are $14, beer is $6-$7 and red, white wine and sparkling wine is available by the glass or bottle. Glass prices are $9-$16 and bottles are $30-$55.
When the second location opens, golf league players at Gate Parkway can compete in real time against a team in San Marco.
The simulators allow players to golf at several famed courses like Pebble Beach, St. Andrews and TPC Sawgrass.
Each simulator can accommodate up to eight players and costs between $35-$65 per hour depending on the time and day of the week. Reservations can be made and walk-ins are accepted depending on availability.
Memberships are available and will be honored at both locations.