When We Say, WOW!, We Mean It!
WOW! Golf & Entertainment Moves into St. Louis Area
by Matt Harding
A new, multi-level entertainment center held its grand opening Feb. 27 in Fenton, Missouri. Called WOW! Golf & Entertainment, the 27,000-sq.-ft. facility has a full-service indoor restaurant and bar, an 18-hole mountain-style mini-golf course, eight lanes of duckpin bowling, four Topgolf Swing Suite simulators, a virtual reality arena, polysynthetic ice curling, four karaoke lounges, private event spaces, and three outdoor patio spaces, including one on the mezzanine level overlooking the golf course.
The center’s director of operations, Tommy Fernandez, previously had that same role at Topgolf when he met Craig Taylor at the opening of a location in Midtown, St. Louis.
Taylor, the co-owner of WOW!, was still in the construction phase of his entertainment center when he reached out to Fernandez about running the new venture.
“They wanted something that nobody else has that’s a destination for families and businesses,” Fernandez explained. “They wanted it to be more of a place where families can come together – not just a place to drop off the kids. The goal was that people come in and just go, ‘wow.’ That was the idea behind the name.”
With 33 years working his way up through the Red Robin chain (he was a regional VP prior to joining Topgolf), Fernandez knows a thing or two about the food and beverage side of the business, too.
The WOW! bar offers cocktails and mocktails that cater to all and there’s also a from-scratch kitchen menu. And the large, circular bar area and dining room has many of the venue’s 75 TVs – perfect for a night out to watch the big game.
He said the most popular attraction off the bat has been duckpin bowling. They offer eight lanes of Brunswick Bowling stringpin. “That’s for all ages,” he said. The company’s director of sales and marketing Jill Metherd agreed. “It’s a quick, 10-minute game, it’s fun, and it seems to be our most popular attraction at this point.”
Added Fernandez: “Our curling has been another big fun one, especially after the Olympics. The other is the multi-sport simulators.”
While most people think about the simulators for golf, guests can also play hockey, baseball and dodgeball games. “I think we’re one of four in the state of Missouri that has the multi-sport simulators,” he boasted.
Outside, there’s a mini-golf course (coming soon) that includes a full-size VW bus on the 18th hole and tons of unique artwork. A 19th hole is being built right now that includes a Plinko-style ending. If a player sinks it in the correct hole, they’ll win a prize. “I’m blown away every time I walk out there,” Fernandez said.
They also have Karaoke Sing Suites, which allow wannabe singers to record their efforts, making for some fun party memories.
A ValoArena from Valo Motion is their mixed reality attraction choice. “The first time people play, they always look a little hesitant, but by the second game they have it nailed,” Metherd said of the arena.
With their wide variety of attractions that cater to all types of guests, she hasn’t had any trouble booking parties at WOW! From birthday parties and team events to corporate happy hours – they’ve already catered to everyone. “If you want to have fun, you’re going to like it here,” she boasted. “We’ve got so much to offer, and the community is 100% behind it. The owners spared no expense in building this facility.”
Reports ahead of the opening of the state-of-the-art venue put it at a total cost of around $15 million.
Metherd explained that WOW! Golf & Entertainment is about a 25-minute drive to St. Louis and the first-of-its-kind type of facility in Fenton. “The neighborhood around us is growing,” she added. “You see lots of new businesses popping up and we’re among the first of those.”
The company has close to 100 employees – hosts, game hosts, servers, bartenders, bussers and kitchen staff – and the leadership team worked hard to hire people who shared their vision of creating the “wow factor” for visitors.
“We all really love what we do, and it shows in every aspect of the business,” she said.
“It’s all about creating moments that matter,” Fernandez added. “The best part about our venue is that there’s value. You can come here and have a good time without breaking the pocketbook.”
Go to www.wowfungames.com to learn more.