New large indoor golf facility with restaurant, bar coming to Happy Valley
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Owners will open a 12,500-square-foot Golf Loft featuring 10 Trackman simulators
- Facility will include a full-service restaurant, luxury bar and 7,000-ft terrace
- Business targets golfers and general customers and aims to open before March 31, 2026
A new 12,500-square-foot indoor golf facility is coming to the State College area — and the owners are hoping even non-golfers won’t be able to resist the outdoor dining patio that overlooks Beaver Stadium.
The Golf Loft, which features 10 high-tech golf simulators, will take over the space at 250 Squirrel Drive at the Plaza at Aspen State College. (It’s located behind The Cove NY Style Pizzeria in College Township.) The business with the full-service restaurant and bar is expected to open sometime between this January and the end of March.
“We’ve done years of market research of trying to put a game plan together and map out future locations and, in our equation, State College has been the top choice,” The Golf Loft founder/CEO Logan Mummert told the CDT on Wednesday. “State College is the No. 1 location that we could go.”
The business opened its first location in Hanover in August 2023, and it’s planning to open more than 10 locations around the Northeast U.S. and Midwest over the next 10 years. State College will act as its second location and, because it’s four times the size of Hanover, ownership sees the upcoming Happy Valley location as a flagship of sorts.
Before committing to the local market, it weighed population (and visitors), average annual temperature, average days of precipitation, average household income, and more. Although golfers are obviously the target audience, The Golf Loft is also attempting to appeal to a more general crowd.
It’s planning to open from 6 a.m. to midnight seven days a week.
For the non-golfers
A 7,000-square-foot terrace with views overlooking Beaver Stadium will be available for dining on “elevated bar food,” and a “luxury bar” will serve craft cocktails, beer and wine.
The menu remains preliminary at this early point but, according to Mummert, it currently includes small plates (appetizers), salads, handhelds and burgers with prices that generally range from $8 to $20. (A lobster roll will also be tentatively available at market price.) More than two dozen items are on the menu.
The executive chef currently plans for small plates like corn ribs — brown sugar bourbon grilled with chives and buttermilk ranch — along with spinach-and-artichoke pierogies. Sandwiches include a fried chicken biscuit and wagyu beef corndog, while burgers alternate between a half-pound blend and a half-pound wagyu patty.
Customized desserts will be announced at a later time.
“We’re really trying to put an emphasis on creating a food environment that will be sought out not just by golfers but people who are looking to have a good meal,” Mummert said. “It’s going to be as nice and rival anywhere in the State College market. It’s a very comfortable, welcoming dining room.”
The cocktail menu also remains under work. But Mummert anticipates cocktails will likely cost between $8 and $16. Local beers and those from Pennsylvania will be on tap, while The Golf Loft also plans to serve a selection of wine from local spots like Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery.
For those not hungry or for those not looking to golf, there are still a few other options. Upscale lounge seating such as tufted booths and couches will be placed around the space, and Dartsee Dart Lanes will also be available for visitors.
Dartsee is basically just a high-tech form of darts. An interactive steel tip dartboard uses state-of-the-art technology to track scores, show replays and even animate targets.
For the golfers
Several golf courses and businesses around Centre County offer similar golf simulators — but none offer the number of The Golf Loft, which will have 10 Trackman bays that will be available for leagues and/or renting hourly.
Prices have not yet been decided upon, but Mummert acknowledged rates would reflect the upscale quality of the simulators and setups. Rates at Hanover typically start at about $50 per hour.
Another focal point of The Golf Loft will be the PuttView putting green, a high-tech indoor green used by PGA professionals like Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Rose. The putting green utilizes a complex projection system that basically reveals its slopes and shows golfers the correct line to sink a putt.
“It’s a German technology, so the guys at Puttview are flying across from Germany to install it in State College,” Mummert said. “It’s a very advanced technology, not just as entertainment with all the different game modes and stuff, but also from a true golfer’s standpoint of learning and working.”
Golf lessons will be available year-round at The Golf Loft. Different levels of membership will be available for those who plan to visit a fair amount and want a discount. And 68 parking spots will be reserved for customers.
Mummert is hoping to get the final building permit granted by next week and, once that’s settled, crews will get to work. The goal is to open sometime before March 31, 2026.
