“It gives you the yardage and spin rates,” said James McArdle, the manager who drives in from his home in Burke.

 

Rudy’s is located in the same location of a previous golf game there called “Top Golf,” which is less than a mile from Edison High School in Kingstowne. Top Golf was a similar driving range facility but closed in late 2019 to make way for a new housing complex. Those plans were for 275 residences which could have been townhouses, houses and condos or apartments, similar to the current housing stock of Kingstowne.

The application to redevelop the site into houses was deferred by Supervisor Rodney Lusk (D-Lee) and county officials. The site owner “expressed a desire to recommence previous uses on the site, to include golf activities and a restaurant,” Lusk said.

Out in the tee box, the golfers were happy with the situation. “I’m so glad this is here instead of the houses,” said Kingstowne resident Leonard Smith who was on the tee with his family playing a game next to his neighbors, the McClung family. “Van Dorn is already a mess,” Smith said. 

“People need an outlet, somewhere to go,” said his wife, Jamie Smith.

They opened in January but aren’t running full speed yet. McArdle plans a bigger opening event in April. When Top Golf was at its height of popularity, things filled up quickly and there was a wait for a golf bay to open up. For the rest of March, Rudy’s will be closed on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays while the weather gets better and the inside is completed. 

“By April we should be open everyday of the week,” said McArdle.

There is a miniature golf course there as well and it also closed when everything else did, but the course remained intact. Plans include that as well. “We’re going to renovate it,” said McArdle.

Cooling Off in the Club House

Inside there is a bar, 13 tables, single seats and many big screen televisions tuned into sports, particularly golf when possible. There are alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks available and a full menu. The classic burger with fries is $10.99 while the kids meals top out at $6.99 with a drink. The menu has appetizers and salads as well.

On the side of the main lobby there is a conference room for area businesses to combine a meeting with food and golf.