Noted golf architect Tom Fazio, whose courses have a weighty presence on various Golfweek’s Best course rankings lists, has signed on for something new. He will join forces with CityGolf USA to design eight indoor golf courses, starting with a new Nashville facility that will open in the winter of 2026 and that combines simulator golf with real greens and surrounds built with artificial turf.
CityGolf USA will use simulators to take players from tee to green, at which point the simulator screen will be lifted to reveal a green complex with the artificial turf. If it all sounds familiar, it’s similar to what the TGL indoor league has built at Palm Beach State College in Florida, where teams of top touring professionals such as Tiger Woods and
Rory McIlroy play televised matches.
The first CityGolf USA location will take up 174,000 square feet at City View Building 6 in Nashville. The business will include a high-end restaurant, a bar, event spaces, driving range bays and a short-game practice area. Fazio will design the 18-hole course in concert with Fazio Design Technologies.
"A great golf course is always accompanied by a great environment," Fazio said in a media release announcing the partnership that was released Wednesday. “FDT and CityGolf USA are committed to providing a one-of-a-kind environment and entertainment venue that is unmatched. The ability to design and create unique golf courses for CityGolf USA has been seamless, and we look forward to people all over the United States having the opportunity to play them."
Gavin Fazio, Tom’s son, is founder of Fazio Design Technologies and president of Fazio Design, the firm that focuses on actual course design.
“It is exciting to be part of the CityGolf USA project, which is bringing a completely new and innovative golf concept to the United States,” Gavin Fazio said in the media release. “We are looking forward to introducing a concept that will appeal to everyone – from passionate golf enthusiasts and social players to beginners who are just discovering the game. Creating new and unique digital golf environments that would traditionally require a much bigger footprint expands what is possible in the world of golf.”
CityGolf USA is building on a model imported from Asia. The U.S. locations will welcome public play alongside limited founding memberships. CityGolf USA has expansion plans for locations in major cities around the U.S. within the next year.
"At CityGolf USA, we are creating the next frontier of indoor golf in America,” CEO Tony Graffia Jr. said in the media release. “We are excited to take an already proven concept in Asia and put our own unique spin on how it shows up in the states. Having a partnership with Fazio Design Technologies allows us to continue to elevate the CityGolf format and bring an entirely new category of golf to the U.S. market."
Jason Lusk is Golfweek's travel and golf course architecture editor, as well as the print magazine's creative director. He has written for and designed Golfweek for more than two decades.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Noted architect signs on to design courses part simulator, part real
