The 108th PGA Championship tees off today at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Delaware County, on the other side of Philadelphia, about an hour from Bucks County.
It is one of the most significant golf events to land in the Philadelphia region in years.
For the next week, the world’s best players will be navigating Aronimink’s punishing layout while the rest of the region watches, argues, and talks about nothing else.
Not everyone will be at the ropes.
Many Bucks County residents will catch it from the couch, follow the leaderboard on their phones, or simply enjoy the buzz of having a major in their extended backyard.
And some will head down Route 1 to Topgolf Philadelphia.
Located in Northeast Philadelphia, just one mile over the Bucks County line, Topgolf offers about as different an entry point into golf as you can get.
No tee times. No handicap required. No dress code. No judgment.
Just a bay, some friends, and microchipped golf balls that track every shot you hit.
The setup is straightforward. Three levels of hitting bays face a giant outfield of illuminated targets.
Players aim, the technology scores everything automatically, and the games are built to be picked up in minutes.
No prior experience needed, no instruction manual, no embarrassment.
Up to six people share a bay, order food and drinks, and rotate through rounds that feel more like a night out than anything resembling a round of golf.
That is by design.
Topgolf is not trying to compete with Aronimink. It is trying to reach everyone who would never set foot on Aronimink. And by most accounts, it is succeeding.
“From entry to exit I loved it,” one reviewer wrote. Others point to how quickly even total beginners find their footing.
“Very fun and exciting to play especially for beginners.”
The group dynamic shows up across reviews tied to birthdays, work outings, and family gatherings. “The whole experience was fantastic for me and my team,” one guest wrote after a corporate event.
The atmosphere is a big part of why. “Love the atmosphere and the vibe,” another reviewer noted, pointing to the energy, the music, and the open multi-level space that feels closer to a sports bar with batting cages than anything resembling a traditional driving range.
Food and drinks are part of the package, though they draw more mixed reactions. The consensus lands somewhere around solid bar food. Enjoyable, but not the reason you are there.
Some guests feel the pricing does not always match the quality. That said, most people are not going for the menu.
Service gets the most consistent criticism. Peak hours can stretch wait times and make it harder to flag down staff. It is the clearest weak point in an otherwise positive picture.
On pricing, the structure is worth understanding before you go. Bays are rented by the hour per bay, not per person, and each bay fits up to six players.
The more people you bring, the better the math works. A group of four splitting a weekend evening bay for two hours should budget roughly $40 to $50 per person for gameplay, before food and drinks.
Weekday mornings run significantly cheaper.
First-timers pay a one-time $6 membership fee.
Reservations are not required but are strongly recommended this week, when anything even loosely connected to golf is drawing more interest than usual.
As Aronimink showcases the sport at its absolute ceiling this week, elite players on an elite course with elite stakes, Topgolf Philadelphia represents the other end of the spectrum entirely.
Accessible. Social. Loud. Forgiving.
Less scorecard. More connection.
Both have a place in the region right now. Aronimink belongs to the pros this week.
But Topgolf has a bay with your name on it tonight.
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