In case readers living outside of a metropolitan region where there is currently no TopGolf, I thought I would take a couple of photos to show what such facilities look like. This is the one out in Chesterfield. Perhaps the most prominent feature is the giant net which wraps around the field where players seek to hit their golf balls, scoring points. The skill is in aiming for scoring pods, not necessarily hitting the ball as far as possible. This is the end of the road, literally to the east, as farm fields then continue to the northeast before you reach the Howard Bend Water Treatment Plant, owned by the City of St. Louis.

It is located approximately, or a little to the east, of where the old Hardee’s Iceplex once stood. Heading west, there is new development in The District, the replacement for the failed Taubman Outlet Mall, which never reached full rental capacity, and has now received a new paint scheme and is being relaunched as a more mixed-use entertainment complex. A hotel, seen below, has been built as part of the new plans.

At the west end is The Factory, a new music venue that has been snagging many national acts. There has been some consternation from city dwellers about having to drive out to Chesterfield to see their favorite bands, but as someone who knows a little about the music business, even top acts often have little control over where they play in major cities. Perhaps it is one more sign how the central city of St. Louis is losing clout over cultural events that so many major recording artists are now playing out here in the suburbs. Heck, Riverport Amphitheater, or whatever they call it nowadays, has been open now for around thirty years to the northeast.