High tech driving range set for West Belfast

by Gráinne Connolly

A new state of the art golf driving range is to be built in West Belfast, following an investment of almost £402,000 from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA). 

The development proposed for the Colin Glen site, will be the first interactive driving range in Ireland.

It will be built using some of the same technology used by 'Top Golf', a franchise which is now popular in America and the UK.

This will feature interactive ball tracking technology, which enables users to access a wide range of swing and ball flight analysis.

It's also used by television broadcasters when covering major golf tournaments. 

State of the art TV screens, scoreboards, sound and lighting systems, plus Wi-Fi availability will also be installed.

Belfast Lord Mayor, Councillor Deirdre Hargey welcomed the news and says it will hopefully result in more visitors "staying for longer and spending more time in Belfast and the wider region." 

"It allows experienced golfers to improve their game but it also means families and non-golfers will be able to take part in an activity that they might not necessarily have had access to before"

The Chief Executive of Colin Glen Trust, Colin O’Neill, welcomed Councillor Seanna Walsh, and Gareth Evans, DAERA’s LEADER and Rural Tourism Implementation Manager to the site.

He said: “We are delighted to receive this tremendous endorsement from Belfast City Council and DAERA of our strategic focus on expanding our product offering to create a leisure tourism complex which will offer exciting interactive and adventure tourism experiences for the people of Belfast, Northern Ireland and the many new national and international visitors who will be drawn to this important part of the city. 

"Being the first Top Tracer Interactive Golf Driving Range in Ireland will be a huge boost for local tourism.

Gareth Evans said: “This funding investment in the ‘Colin Glen Interactive Golf Driving Range’ will act as a driver for encouraging rural tourism and particularly out of state visitors, thereby generating significant additional economic and tourism benefits for the Colin Glen area.”