Redefining the footprint needed to offer golfers a driving range and entertainment experience has earned Rippit Golf a nomination for one of the feature awards at the Parks and Leisure Australia NSW/ACT Gala Dinner.

To be held in Sydney on Thursday night, the Annual Region Awards of Excellence Dinner celebrates outstanding achievements and innovation across parks, leisure and recreation sectors.

Established in the heart of Newcastle in early 2023, Rippit Golf features mini golf, eight indoor simulators equipped with the latest technology, extensive food and beverage menus and a short-flight driving range that delivers the complete golf experience in a fraction of the space.

Measuring just 35 metres from the hitting bays to the netting that faces Lambton Road, it is this judicious use of space and incorporation of technology that saw Rippit Golf nominated for ‘Best Use of Technology’.

“The technology now available to driving ranges means you no longer need 300 metres of real estate to provide golfers a complete practice facility,” says Rippit Golf founder, Aaron Spalding.

“The gamification enabled by companies who offer this technology not only delivers accurate data on each shot for keen golfers but gives people who may never have played golf a fun entry point into the game.”

It is this new market looking for an entertainment outlet that makes facilities such as Rippit Golf such an important new addition to the Australian golf ecosystem.

“The use of technology has dramatically changed the way people engage with driving range facilities,” says Tony Craswell, Head of Venue Development at Golf Australia.

“What is most impressive about Rippit Golf is the number of different ways people can play our sport in a relatively small area in the centre of the city.

“We are seeing different formats generating difference experiences to different demographics.

“Whether it’s hitting balls on the driving range, playing mini golf or renting out one of the indoor simulator bays, visitors to Rippit Golf can play golf how they want at a time that suits them.”

In the submission to Parks and Leisure Australia, Rippit Golf was praised for the way the facility was built on repurposed tennis courts, demonstrating “land-efficient, socially inclusive and economically sustainable innovation” that sets a “new standard for golf in the parks and leisure industry”.

“Some people may view Rippit as a golf centre but we set out to create an entertainment venue built around golf,” adds Spalding.

“Almost 50 per cent of our visitors are women, the mini golf is extremely popular with kids and the golf leagues we have recently launched offer a competitive outlet in a fun, friendly environment.”

“We see facilities such as Rippit Golf as important vehicles in introducing more people to golf,” says Craswell.

“This model shows that driving ranges can be built in a relatively small footprint, which then paves the way for access to the surrounding population.

“I’d hope the success of Rippit Golf highlights to others that golf can be used as an entertainment vehicle in a much smaller space than previously imagined.”