In marketing millennial style 101, MGM Grand Las Vegas Hotel & Casino has brought what is being billed as the world’s first indoor laser golf course and private lounge to its new Level Up lounge.
Located between Hakkasan Nightclub and the MGM Grand Race and Sports Book at the MGM Resorts International property, Golfstream was developed by a team of roller coaster engineers, game designers, and 20 former NASA rocket scientists and allows experienced pros and novice mini-golfers to test their golf prowess on a patented moving green. The revolutionary golf experience uses laser guidance and augmented reality to transport players “through a series of a series of fast-paced mini-challenges in a new approach to skill-based contests,” according to Golfstream.
The virtual golf system was founded by Michael Brenner and friends since middle school, Sameer Gupta and Darren Dummit, and launched in San Francisco last year prior to the Super Bowl at the Wheels Up Super Saturday Tailgate Party. Built around food, beverage, and a shareable experience, Gulfstream teamed up with Top Golf, its first partner, and an impressive list of investors, which includes 2X Masters Champion, Ben Crenshaw, point guard for the LA Clippers, Chris Paul, and Michael Strahan, media personality and former defensive end for NFL’s New York Giants, to name a few, according to co-founders’ Gupta and Dummit’s YouTube video introduction.
MGM Grand casino launched its 12,000 foot Level Up space last year that was developed to attract the 25-34 millennial demographic otherwise known as the “trillion dollar” generation. Level Up features a mix of gambling, including blackjack and roulette and non-traditional casino games such as Giant Pac Man, Connect Four, and Konami Gaming’s first-ever Frogger machine where players can win cash prizes.
In the Golfstream Suite, the putting-green floor of the simulator is computer-adjustable to add slopes on the surface. Amateurs need not worry, as the technology includes laser-guided tracking to help players locate the right direction for a stroke, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The closest-to-the-pin competitions and longest drive involve players blasting a golf ball into a screen that calculates distance and direction. The lounge environment of the game at Level Up allows for up to 10 people to either participate or watch. Food and drink service is provided along with a caddy who helps participants and operates the simulator.
According to the news agency, Gupta and Dummit hope to add to the current three types of tournaments at MGM, which includes a Closest-to-the-Pin Challenge, a 30-second timed Putting Challenge, and a Longest Drive Challenge, but in the interim, the Golfstream Suite is available for open for walk-up use and group reservations.
If you want to test your skill at the suite, rental rates are $75/hour during off-hours, and $175/hour from 7 to 11 pm daily.