• Loading stock data...
Thursday, October 16, 2025

Meet Topgolf for Baseball: ‘Home of 7 MPH Fastball’

  • New ‘Home Run Dugout’ offers virtual batting bays and beer.
  • Nolan Ryan is a strategic investor in the Texas start-up.
Top Golf Baseball Style
Courtesy of Home Run Dugout

The success of Topgolf is spawning a new category of “sports entertainment” startups.

The baseball entertainment venue “Home Run Dugout” is poised to open its second location in Katy, Texas, on March 30th.

Like Topgolf, Home Run Dugout combines sports, food, and entertainment in one upscale setting and boasts Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan as a strategic investor.

Unlike the batting cages of old where you donned a rented helmet and tossed tokens into a batting machine, the 46,000-square-foot facility will feature “indoor soft-toss baseball” and several amenities:

  • Full-service restaurant
  • Three bars serving 20 craft beers
  • 12 virtual-batting bays
  • A “Biergarten Baseball” mini-field for wiffle ball
  • Live music and concert stage
  • Dog park

Co-founded by Nick Hermandorfer and Tyler Bambrick, Home Run Dugout won’t take aim at hardcore hardball and softball players — the new venue bills itself as the “Home of the 7 MPH Fastball.”

Pitching machines will offer the slowest of soft-toss offerings. So it won’t be difficult for anybody to experience the visceral thrill of hitting home runs in their favorite (virtual) ballparks.

The cost is about $30 per person for a 90-minute experience. Food and beverages are extra.

This will be Home Run Dugout’s first standalone venue following the maiden location at Dell Diamond minor league baseball stadium in Round Rock, Texas, north of Austin (Ryan himself owns the Round Rock Express minor league team with his son and other investors).

The 76-year-old Ryan, who hurled a record seven no-hitters, is beloved in the Lone Star state after pitching for both Texas Rangers and Houston Astros. Home Run Dugout has raised about $10 million in financing. Other investors include friends and family, plus Lagniappe Capital Partners and BCS Capital.

While playing on a company softball team in Austin, Bambrick, and Hermandorfer came up with the idea for Home Run Dugout. During game rainouts, they would find themselves going to Topgolf rather than old-fashioned batting cages. They thought: Why not create a Topgolf for baseball or softball?

“Nobody wants to step in front of a 70 mph fastball. And you had to put on a sweaty helmet. It just wasn’t fun,” said Bambrick.

Topgolf

Callaway Changes Name to Emphasize Topgolf

Callaway is changing its name to Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp.
August 26, 2022

Now, they’ve eliminated the cages. Customers pick their favorite stadium and hit balls into virtual screens. A computer spits out the exit velocity, launch angle, and whether the swing produced a single, double or home run.

“The venue is designed to give you the same feeling of walking into a Major League Baseball stadium,” noted Hermandorfer. “That concourse experience where as soon as you walk in the gate, you get your ticket scanned and you can smell the concessions in the air and see people playing on the field.”

Topgolf, meanwhile, has grown to over 80 venues around the world. 

The company is set to open a new three-level venue later this year in Pompano Beach targeting Florida’s Gold Coast between Miami and West Palm Beach. 

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

May 25, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Derek Jeter walks the red carpet on Sunday, May 25, 2025, ahead of the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

The Players’ Tribune Is Still Kicking 11 Years Later

Founder Derek Jeter is still closely involved in the publication.
Apr 9, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; The Chicago Cubs flag sign is seen prior to a game between the Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field

Facial Recognition Tech Suit Against Cubs Dismissed

The Cubs said they don’t use the technology protected by Illinois law.

MLB Postseason TV Ratings Surge to Highest Levels Since 2010

Audiences continue to grow, extending a season-long trend.
Tiger Woods of Jupiter Links GC sits during a break in their TGL golf match against Atlanta Drive GC at SoFi Center on March 4, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Latest Tiger Woods Surgery Bad News for TGL, PGA Tour Champions

Woods is recovering from his seventh back surgery in 11 years.

Featured Today

Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates with her teammates after her last second shot to take the lead 90-88 against the Phoenix Mercury in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 8, 2025.
exclusive

Standoff Over WNBA’s Future Has Dominated Finals

CBA negotiations have stolen the spotlight from the Aces’ dominant performance.
Paul Cartier
October 5, 2025

Sports Organists Are Still Thriving in the Era of Raucous Arena Music

“When they walk out and they see a real organ guy, it’s like, ‘Wow.’”
Sep 27, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Jackson Chourio (11) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field.
October 4, 2025

Milwaukee Moneyball: Brewers Are Beating MLB’s Deeper Pockets

Milwaukee is holding its own against big-budget competitors.
Kōloa Rum Company Rum Rusher
September 27, 2025

Panthers Bubbly, Jets Wine, Manning Whiskey: The Sports Booze Boom

A sommelier dives into the sports booze trend—and tries Jets wine.

Bears Hit Another Speed Bump for New $5B Stadium in Suburbs

A new state bill would impose several conditions on the NFL team.
Nov 17, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of a Cleveland Browns helmet on a time out against the New Orleans Saints during the first half at Caesars Superdome.
October 7, 2025

Cleveland Takes New Shot at Blocking Browns’ $2.4B Stadium

A new lawsuit challenges a permit for the NFL team’s planned stadium.
October 13, 2025

Browns, Cleveland Reach $100M Deal to Clear Team’s Move to Suburbs

The surprise truce includes financial payments and the dismissal of lawsuits.
Sponsored

How Jenny Just Is Shaping the Future of Sports Ownership

Jenny Just on bringing her investment experience to sports ownership.
October 7, 2025

Rays Owner Eyes New ‘Forever Home’ Like Atlanta’s Battery

The club’s new owners target a new ballpark opening in 2029.
Sep 23, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars forward Adam Erne (76) looks on during the game between the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild at American Airlines Center
exclusive
October 3, 2025

Dallas Stars Eyeing Possible Move to Plano in 2031

The team needs to figure out where they’ll play starting in 2031.
Chicago Bears stadium rendering
October 1, 2025

Bears Want $855M in Public Money for Suburban Stadium

The NFL team details an updated ask for public money.
September 29, 2025

A’s Unveil Sacramento Jerseys As Vegas Development Advances

The club unveils an alternate “Sacramento” jersey as Las Vegas plans advance.