Ryan Hintze is living in a golf world these days.
In fact, he seems to be surrounded by all things golf. That golfing world can be seen in a new venue that will open soon and start to attract thousands of sports tourists to the region, even if they’re not golf fans.
That new venue is the Iron Tee Golf facility, located at 6909 Iron Tee Way and near the TBK Bank Sports Complex in Bettendorf.
“There a lot going to happen here. … We’re working on the finishes right now,” Mr. Hintze, the founder of Iron Tee Golf and owner/operator of Corn Belt Capital, said as he gave a tour Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 7, to four members of the QCBJ and its parent company Corridor Media Group.
If all goes according to plan, the $35 million, 61,000-square-foot facility will open this spring, perhaps in May. Once complete, the facility is expected to be open seven days a week.
The Iron Tee will be a “must-visit destination for anyone looking to take their golf game to the next level,” touts the Iron Tee’s website.
Some of those “next level” features were visited during the private tour of the Iron Tee still under construction. Much of that tour focused on Mr. Hintze outlining the work being done on the new three-story golfing entertainment facility. Some of those features will include:
- Golf bays: Much of the facility will center around a state-of-the-art, temperature-controlled driving range that will have 58 bays. (There will be 14 bays on the first floor, 22 on the second and another 22 on the third floor.) The facility will also be equipped with Trackman Technology for golf ball tracking and a variety of interactive target greens. There will also be golf equipment rental available. All that golfing activity will need plenty of golf balls. Mr. Hintze has ordered 120,000 balls for the new facility.
- Other entertainment: Not a golf fan? The Iron Tee will have many other activities for the family, including a mini golf arcade.
- Event space: There will be space and bar areas for company events and private parties.
- Restaurant: The Iron Tee Golf facility will feature a full-service restaurant. Mr. Hintze said his philosophy of food service is to at least start with a somewhat simple menu – perhaps 25 items on the menu – and offer superior service on those items. “Let’s keep it simple and be really good at it,” he added. Also, there will be three bars with a total of 36 beers on tap.
- Many TVs: There will be more than 160 large-screen TVs in the facility. “You won’t miss a game or play,” Mr. Hintze said.
- Workforce: The Iron Tee will have about 150 employees. Company officials are currently in the processing of hiring upper management officials, including an executive chef. (For information on employment at the Iron Tee, visit here.)
But before the golfing and games start, there is still plenty of work to get done. Dozens of workers were busy Wednesday doing a variety of jobs. On any day, there are at least 60 workers on site, Mr. Hintze said.
The Iron Tee Golf Facebook page gives updates on the work and progress being made on the facility. Some of that work includes: Bar framing is in progress, painting is ongoing, and restroom tile and fixture installation is underway; painting is almost complete and incoming arcade and mini golf equipment is expected to be installed in early April; drywall is nearly done on the third floor; turf completion is expected by mid-March; restroom tile and fixture installation is underway; golf balls and clubs will be arriving next month; Trackman and golf ball dispensers installation will be in April.
Mr. Hintze said the project is going along great and it’s on time and on budget. He expects to occupy the building sometime in April and likely will open to the public a few weeks after that.
But once the Iron Tree Golf facility opens, the work isn’t done. There is another project on the horizon. Corn Belt Capitol also is behind a new sports building – that will be 112,000 square feet and cost about $13 million – to be built next to the Iron Tee. Construction on that new building is expected to start in the spring.
The new sports building will include indoor turf fields for year-round use, including many sports, such as baseball, softball, soccer, football, lacrosse and more, according to information presented to the Bettendorf City Council in September of 2023, when the building project was presented.
The building, though, doesn’t have a name yet. Mr. Hintze said officials are now in the midst of sponsorship and naming rights negotiations for the building.
He pointed out that with the new sports building, the Iron Tee Golf facility and several other new businesses in the works around the TBK Bank Sports Complex, the area will become a “small city within Bettendorf” that will attract thousands of sports tourists and other visitors to the area.
“It was so exciting to see the Iron Tee Golf facility taking shape. The combination of having Iron Tee Golf, their new indoor sports building and the TBK Bank Sports Complex, all off the Middle Road/I-80 exit, will help to attract new visitors and continued investment and development of that whole area,” said Beth Clark, associate publisher of the QCBJ and one of the QCBJ staff on Wednesday’s tour.
