Hosting your child’s birthday party at Top Golf

Guest contributor Lisa Curbello* wrote today’s post. She and her business were featured on San Antonio Mom Blogs in February of 2015. We’re excited to welcome her as a guest contributor! Accompanying photographs are courtesy of Top Golf. 

Every year, come New Year’s, I’m faced with the same dilemma: Happy New Year! Now, where to plan my oldest son’s birthday party? Like me, my son is a social bug: his birthday parties have at least 20+ friends in attendance. And each year’s party tends to top the year before. But this year was particularly special. He turns 10! After hosting parties at numerous venues around town over the last five years my next thought was, “Where now???” The answer came to me quickly while driving the I-10 corridor heading towards 1604E Loop. It was, quite literally, a beacon on the horizon: a huge, three-level beacon surrounded by 155 feet of netting. Top Golf!

I know my husband and I were not the only ones impatiently waiting and watching the construction of the new San Antonio Top Golf. Their January 30th soft opening couldn’t come fast enough. And now we had the perfect excuse for our first chance to experience Top Golf: our son’s birthday! What better way to celebrate his milestone birthday than at one of the city’s hippest new venues?

As we all know, the opening of any brand new restaurant, store, or venue can provide a few kinks in service or an experience of early growing pains. I made sure to keep my expectations in check when booking our party. I also made note of the upscale pricing and reminded myself, “You are paying for the experience!” It is indeed an experience, worth every nickel and dime in the end.

We informed our son that he needed pare down his usual guest list. He invited just 10 friends to help keep this party in line with our usual birthday party budget. Each bay at Top Golf allows up to 10 kids (with room for a few parents filtering in and out during the party), so the number of kids we invited worked perfectly. And, heaters or misters are provided in each bay, depending on the weather, to keep your group comfortable.

Customer Service
When we booked our event we stressed that we were hosting a child’s birthday party and we requested a floor-level bay. Keep this in mind as I move forward. When we arrived, a smiling guide greeted us and directed us to our assigned bay. As I carried my youngest son up the stairs, two levels, I threw a flag on the field. This was not what we signed up for. Thankfully, a manager came over immediately. He took note of our active five-year-old son and, within less than 10 minutes, we were back downstairs at a floor-level bay, ready for our 1:00 pm tee time. (Thanks, Joseph! Our experience was immediately redeemed.)

Food
Our kid party package included a kids’ menu from which we could select a choice of two main entrees and two sides per child. We kept it simple and ordered chicken fingers, tater tots, and fruit for everyone. The delicious food and generous portions impressed me. And, we loved the plentiful refills (One of my pet peeves is lack of refills, by the way!). Our assigned hostess was extremely helpful throughout the party and we could tell she loved her job. It says something great about an establishment when they have a happy and helpful staff.

Entertainment
In addition to the full, two-hour window included in our party package to play golf and hit balls, the area just beyond of the bay (on the inside) also offered entertainment for the kiddos. A couple of 60-inch televisions with complimentary Xbox game stations, as well as pool tables and shuffleboard tables kept the non-golfing kids busy and happy too. Note: the shuffleboard table was a hit with the kids at our party!

In the end it was obvious that both the kids and the parents had fun. Was the experience worth a few extra dollars? You bet.

Here’s the nitty gritty on booking your child’s birthday party at Top Golf in San Antonio:

Kids’ party cost is $25 per child. Packages include:

– Lifetime playing cards & two hours of unlimited play.
– Catered meals from the Kids’ Menu.
– Unlimited sodas, lemonade & iced tea.
– Dedicated Bay Host to set up and manage the party.

Parties must be booked through the Events Department. Package pricing does not include tax and service charges. Other rental fees and minimums may apply.

I’m looking forward to ditching the kids with the sitter the next time we have a chance to visit Top Golf so my husband and I can make it a date night. The adult beverages looked quite yummy. And, we must sample the grown-up menu. But that’s for another blog post!

Meet Lisa Curbello, The Bra Chick. Lisa wears two hats everyday: her Bra Whisperer hat by day and, after three o’clock, her Mom Extraordinaire hat. When she’s not helping women find comfort in their undergarments, she is a full-time wife and mom to two handsome boys, Jacob, 10 and Jamison, 5. Both she and her husband are native Houstonians, but have called San Antonio their home for the last ten years. In her spare time you will find Lisa spending quality time with her family, at the gym, or training for a running event. Her goal this year is to do a half marathon.

* San Antonio Mom Blogs occasionally invites guest contributors to write for our site about topics of interest to our readers. All contributors are financially compensated (or a donation is made to a local nonprofit in the writer’s name). For more information, contact San Antonio Mom Blogs.

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