PopStroke will feature a full-service restaurant with upgraded pub foods. The indoor-outdoor dining room is positioned to take in the sunsets overlooking the two 18-hole miniature golf courses. PopStroke Waterford Lakes will replace a rarely used surface parking lot.
At 13,712 square feet, the large single-story clubhouse building will feature an open-air restaurant, multiple bar areas, an event space, retail space, and spacious restrooms. A covered playground and a separate table sports-filled beer garden flank the clubhouse. On the roof sits one of PopStroke’s now-iconic scoreboards. The massive digital screen will also play other content, including live sporting events. Like other PopStroke locations, the Waterford Lakes site is expected to employ between 75 and 100 people.
When the Waterford Lakes location was announced earlier this year, PopStroke had just two locations. By the end of 2022, the company will have opened nine. Orlando is slated to open in April, a month after one in Sarasota begins welcoming guests. Just after Orlando, PopStroke will open its first out-of-state location in Houston. Two locations in the Greater Phoenix area will open in the second half of 2022. Wesley Chapel and Delray Beach will also be opening locations next year.
Despite the rapid expansion, every PopStroke is designed with that location in mind. That means custom dual putting courses designed by Tiger Woods’ TGR Design. Woods is a co-owner of the concept via his TGR Ventures.
The Orlando Business Journal previously reported PopStroke plans at least one more Central Florida location after the initial two open. In that reporting in late 2019, a potential site in the tourism corridor was hinted at, while PopStroke co-owner Greg Bartoli acknowledged he would also be looking at locations in Orlando’s suburban markets.
So far, the company hasn’t announced its plans for 2023. PopStroke acknowledged it would be the first of multiple Orlando area locations when announcing the Waterford Lakes location. At last week’s groundbreaking, Bartoli confirmed the rumors that PopStroke is planning Winter Garden’s Hamlin development for its next Orlando area location.
Image via PopStroke
3-East Orlando Chamber representatives with Orange County Commissioner Maribel Gomez Cordero and Bruce Chartrand of Stevens Construction
While details on the Winter Garden location are still vague, it may include a dining deck designed to take in the fireworks from the nearby theme parks. A similar two-story design is also being used at the upcoming Sarasota location.
Last week Bartoli reiterated his interest in the Orlando market, noting how quickly the area has rebounded from the pandemic and stating plans for three to four locations in the area are still moving forward.
Bartoli thinks the rise of PopStroke is coming at just the right time. After a year and a half of staring at our screens while mostly inside, PopStroke offers an entirely different option.
“One of the great pleasures I take in PopStroke,” explained Bartoli, “is seeing all of these different generations coming together … And people really enjoying their time away from their gadgets and their cellphones.”
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