Family-oriented golf facility becomes a reality

No.” Eighty-six times (not a misprint), that’s what John Dudley was told when he asked banks and investors to buy into his idea of a golf and entertainment facility in Bossier City.

“I’m pretty persistent.” Because of Dudley’s won’t-take-no-for-an-answer mindset, Chasing Aces is now open. The $20 million facility on 27 acres, which is within a pitching wedge of Margaritaville Resort Casino, features two decks of swing bays, a 9-hole Par 3 course with lights (scheduled to open in mid-July), two putting courses, fitting bays with radar for advanced swing analytics and professional coaching sessions.

“Thanks to Chasing Aces, we will now have a community where everyone is a swinger, and all the time is tee time,” Bossier City Mayor Tommy Chandler told a laughing crowd on Chasing Aces’ opening day.

If golf isn’t your thing, there are high-tech hitting bays that will let you swing a baseball bat instead of a golf club and give you the look and feel of being in any major league stadium. And, of course, there are food and drinks, as well as a sports bar with giant screens playing that day’s games.

“I want it to be a family entertainment center,” Dudley, Chasing Aces’ owner, told 318 Forum. “That’s what it’s based around. I want to create a safe environment where you can bring your kids out and enjoy the facility. Or, if you and the boys want to come out or if you’d like to have a ladies’ night, it’s a versatile property that features multiple venues within it, catering to different demographics. We feel comfortable that we can service the majority of the community, and we look forward to doing that.”

Some of you will go to Chasing Aces to have a good time.

Others will go with a more serious goal of improving their golf game.

“Let’s be real,” said Mike Mitton, Chasing Aces’ chief operating officer. “For true golfers, probably their weakness is their short game. They can play this Par 3 course and work on their 120-yard and in-shots. That’s essential if you want to learn how to score. The practice area around here, where you can chip around the greens, is the same kind of deal. I know when I don’t play, the first thing that goes is the short game. Come out here and play a couple of times, and you’re ready to get your numbers, understanding your launch angle needs to change, or you’re hitting it too high, or spinning it too much.”

But Mitton also sees Chasing Aces as a place that can introduce children to the game he loves.

“This, to me, is really special,” Mitton said. “Someone can walk in with just the desire to learn something about golf, and we can facilitate that from the academy all the way through. My dream is to take that kid from the academy to the bays, to the putting course, and then have them feel comfortable playing the Par 3 so that when they get their own clubs and go wherever they want to play, they don’t feel intimidated. They feel they belong.”

Dudley’s dream was born some four-and-a-half years ago when he was chasing aces on a short course in Wisconsin.

“It was a different feel. It had a tiki bar.

They let eight of us go off at one time. Music was playing. It was just a different vibe. I had never experienced that in golf. When I saw that, I said, ‘I’m bringing this.’ This is something I want to do. I started building this dream.”

Imagine being told 86 times that your dream won’t become reality. Then, imagine opening your dream’s doors for business.

“I was driven by faith,” Dudley said. “I knew what I was going to do. I know that it was a calling for me to do it, and here we are.”

“Dreams are not what you see in your sleep,” Mayor Chandler said. “Dreams don’t let you sleep. A wise man once said, ‘Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs.’ What was once a dream is now a reality — a reality we can all enjoy and support.”

Dudley grew up in West Shreveport and attended high school at Evangel Christian Academy and Northwood. After joining the Marine Corps, he returned home and worked in the family business, which he eventually bought. Dudley hopes a combination of local support and business from tourists will make Chasing Aces a success.

“We know that 70% of the people who come to these casinos are from out of town. We have that traffic. We’ve got the best spot in the city. We have a product that is going to draw from beyond the Ark-La-Tex. When I open that Par 3 course, we’re going to show something that’s unique to anything that’s ever been done in the world. It’s going to be special.”

To learn more about Chasing Aces and to make reservations, you may visit chasingaces.golf.