Inside Topgolf El Segundo, LA’s Giant New Driving Range and Sports Bar

Sporty food and entertainment venue Topgolf has opened without much fanfare in El Segundo, quietly becoming one of the largest places to hang out, eat, and play games with friends in the process. The multi-story building and surrounding compound opened in the South Bay on April 15 at the former Lakes municipal golf course and driving range, with room for dozens of golfers, drinkers, and fans spread across three floors and a ten-hole course — making it one of largest locations in the rapidly expanding company’s stable.

Originally announced in 2018, Topgolf El Segundo is the company’s first foray in the LA area, with Ontario being the company’s next nearest venue; it is the 76th overall location for the Dallas, Texas-based brand. The driving range (rentable by the hour and intended for parties/big groups) is designed for novices and experts alike. Bays feature an interactive simulation with various points for placing balls in certain parts of the range, making it more of a bowling alley than a pure driving range in a sense.

With three sports bars scattered across the floors and food service available to all the driving bays, plus catering for events, Topgolf has a tremendous capacity. The fare is pretty standard Buffalo Wild Wings-level food, from barbecue sauce burgers and chicken wings to meat-loaded flatbreads. A disappointing early visit showed a kitchen that was very eager with salt, though the lightly seasoned lemon pepper wings really should be better, and certainly more lemon-y, for a sports bar menu. The Meatalian flatbread was inspired by a recipe designed at Topgolf Tampa, but there’s absolutely nothing on the limp flatbread to balance out the overloaded sliced deli meats from a barrage of sodium.

One silver lining: most dishes hover around the $11 to 15 range, which in these days of inflation is fairly attainable. The Double Trouble cookie skillet might’ve been the best item of the day, with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce over a warm chocolate cookie. The drinks lean overly sweet, like any chain restaurant bar, so ask the bartender to dial down the syrup and sugar if that’s preferred. Overall, though, there’s a lot of potential with a venue like this that claims to make “chef-inspired” and “top shelf” drinks. Hopefully the company sees that Angelenos expect a bit better food quality, even from its sports bars and fun venues.

Topgolf is open daily from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays, with a closure at midnight on weekends.

Matthew Kang