The golf life of a New Yorker isn’t always glamorous. Tee times are hard to come by and difficult to reach. Practice opportunities are few, and interest from your non-sicko friends is limited. The places that are worth the journey — schlepping your clubs out of your closet, down three flights of stairs and through crowded streets — are often only seen alone.
But the Big Apple golf scene is about to get a jolt, thanks in part to the most electric player the game has ever known — Tiger Woods — and the sport’s new celebrity patron saint, Justin Timberlake.
On Monday morning, Woods and Timberlake announced the creation of a sports bar and indoor golf experience in the heart of Manhattan, just a few wedge shots from Grand Central Station. It’s called T-Squared Social Club — a nod to Tiger’s first name, and Timberlake’s last — and it is unlike any other hangout in the city.
It’s hard to know where to begin with T-Squared, but perhaps a good place to start is the floor. Shoebox-living New Yorkers will be awed by the bar’s cavernous, 22,000-square-foot footprint, which spans an entire city block between E. 42nd St. and 43rd St. (In a feat beyond the comprehension of most New York City eaters, the bar is large enough to have entrances on both streets.)
T-Squared, formerly an Emigrant Savings Bank branch, is prime Midtown, but a tourist trap it is not. The space is befitting both Woods and Timberlake’s investment in the sport, which has expanded tremendously in recent years. Timberlake, a golf nut, worked closely with his strategic partners at 8AM Golf (also the holding company behind GOLF.com) to conceptualize and execute the vision behind T-Squared. The new space joins 3’s Golf as one of JT’s recent investments into the exploding golf entertainment space. Woods, meanwhile, leaned on his partners with the hospitality management company the Nexus Club to help modernize the space, which features an open concept, 24-foot ceilings and four separate dining areas.
T-Squared sports fans will be enticed by the space’s suite of gaming goodies, which include four multi-sport Full Swing golf simulators and state-of-the-art hitting bays, a duckpin bowling alley, and dart boards. T-Squared immediately becomes one of the city’s only indoor golf entertainment offerings, not to mention one of its glitziest. As Woods said in a release, “Justin and I thought it would be cool to create a place that combines our favorite things.”
Speaking of sports, it’d be a good idea to keep your fall weekend schedule clear. Commandeering the wall in T-Squared’s main dining room is New York City’s largest indoor television — a 200-inch behemoth that can be split into four separate telecasts or, in the case of a really big game, tweaked to beam in one movie theater-sized broadcast. It’s hard to have a bad view of the mega-screen from anywhere in the dining room — I tried — but T-Squared installed 35 other flatscreen TVs just in case of any issues.
A few of my colleagues and I attended the bar’s soft opening, where we sampled cocktails from the bar menu crafted by renowned mixologist Rael Petit. The tequila-based Little Red Corvette is expected to be an early menu favorite, as is the smoldering Smoked Old Fashioned. The dining room(s) won’t serve food until the restaurant’s official opening on Sept. 20, but a quick peek at the menu revealed a few nods to the home city, including Tiger’s take on the Bodega-favorite chopped cheese.
Golf is at the center of everything T-Squared, evidenced by the center-of-room hitting bays and state-of-the-art simulator equipment. For those hoping to find a place to tee it up with their buddies in Manhattan, there’s much to like in the more than 100 worldwide courses and high-tech swing data offered in each of the bays. For non-golfers, the remaining 21,000 square feet provide ample opportunity for enjoyment — and the hitting bays can be converted for basketball, football, baseball, rugby or dodgeball.
No, the New York City golf experience might never be anyone’s definition of glamorous. But at T-Squared Social, it’s okay to forget that for a little while.
The bar, aptly named T-Squared Social, is located on East 42nd Street in Manhattan and was built in partnership with NEXUS Luxury Collection and 8AM Golf, according to a press release shared with PEOPLE.
The establishment’s drink menu offers craft cocktails, non-alcoholic mocktails, draft domestic and international beers, plus a large selection of local and international wines.
The food menu, meanwhile, includes an “elevated take” on classics such as flatbreads, sandwiches and salads, as well as small and large shareable plates.
Timberlake and Woods’ new venture is located in the grand lobby of one of the United States’ oldest banks, Emigrant Savings Bank, which is owned by Howard Milstein, who also owns 8AM Golf.
The 22,000-square-foot space was brought to life by Manhattan-based design studio ForrestPerkins, and its major mainstay is a 32-foot marble bar.
Other bar features include lounge areas and reservations-only luxury “Box Seats” — plus a 12-seat “Vault” room for private dining and events.
T-Squared Social also features Full Swing golf simulators, duckpin bowling and darts, as well as the option to watch sports on over 35 televisions, including a 200-inch flat-screen television, which the release said is the largest single screen in the Big Apple.
“The idea for T-Squared Social came to us during a round of golf at Albany, our development in The Bahamas,” Woods, 47, said in the press release. “Justin and I thought it would be cool to create a place that combines our favorite things and brings people together to just have a great time. We always knew we wanted to do something together, and NEXUS gave us the platform to bring our idea to life.”
Timberlake, 42, added: “We knew a concept like T-Squared Social would thrive in New York. It’s a beautiful space that transcends the typical sports bar experience. You can go to be entertained without sacrificing quality or comfort. We’re excited to be partnering with 8AM Golf on this incredible opportunity right in the heart of one of the greatest cities in the world.”
Tiger Woods’ business venture into golf-themed sports bars continues as he and pop star Justin Timberlake, in partnership with 8AM Golf, are opening a sports bar together. The bar, aptly named “T-Squared”, is located on East 42nd Street in Manhattan. It is set to open tomorrow, September 20, just in time for the Ryder Cup Tournament. The 22,000 square foot venue covers almost an entire city block. It will feature four Full Swing golf simulators, four bowling lanes, dining areas, and over 35 television screens. Per T-Squared’s Instagram, the bar will also boast a 200-inch television, the largest indoor screen in New York City.
In a press release, Woods said the idea came to him and Timberlake during a golf trip. “Justin and I thought it would be cool to create a place that combines our favorite things and brings people together to just have a great time.” Woods went on to say that he and Timberlake had wanted to work together for quite some time.
Actually, he has. Woods is one of the minds behind the mini-golf and entertainment center PopStroke, which currently has seven locations across three states. The company’s first location opened Port St. Lucie, Florida, in 2019. Attempting to be a competitor to TopGolf, PopStroke offers an all-day access pass for anywhere between $20 and $30 depending on the location. As it stands currently, an hour at a TopGolf in Los Angeles County will run you at least $47. There are 11 new locations planned, including four in new states: Nevada, Alabama, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The location in Tuscaloosa, Alabama was supposed to open earlier this year, but has been delayed due to “design changes.”
Tiger Woods and Justin Timberlake’s new sports bar in New York: the PGA Tour icon and ‘Mirrors’ singer just opened T-Squared Social in Manhattan, complete with golf simulators, bowling and cocktails. Tiger Woods and Justin Timberlake love golf. So much so that they’ve joined forces to launch a bar and members’ club incorporating their obsession with the sport in New York City. This exciting new venture, named T-Squared Social and open since September 20, is a partnership with Nexus Luxury Collection and 8AM Golf. It offers a diverse range of entertainment options, including Full Swing golf simulators, bowling, darts, dining, and more, as outlined in the official press release. It’s a rare occurrence to witness not one but two celebrities of Woods and Timberlake’s stature collaborating on a hospitality brand.
According to the club’s website, T-Squared Social came to fruition after good pals Woods and Timberlake, and Nexus shareholders, finished a round of golf at Albany in the Bahamas. The two icons dreamed of building something that combined their passions; they wanted to create a space that merged their love of competition, gaming, sports, music, entertainment and socialising, while being conveniently perched in New York City. “We knew a concept like T-Squared Social would thrive in New York. It’s a beautiful space that transcends the typical sports bar experience,” said Timberlake in the official press release.
The 22,000 sq ft venue sits within the ground lobby of Emigrant Savings Bank. Its address on east 42nd Street in Manhattan puts it in close proximity to the Big Apple’s landmarks, including Grand Central Terminal, New York Public Library and Times Square.
“Don’t just watch sports – play them,” states the website. Visitors can live the golfer’s life by virtually playing on the world’s best courses, including Pebble Beach, Torrey Pines and St. Andrews, on the simulator with up to eight people at a time. T-Squared Social also boasts four Duckpin Bowling lanes and three Dartsee bays. Woods, who has won the PGA Tour championship 82 times, and Timberlake, a former member of 90s boy band NSync, envisioned a delicious dining experience for their guests. The food menu features sharing courses like short rib quesadillas, pork belly and popcorn and seafood platters to burgers, lobster rolls and wings.
Meanwhile, the drinks list offers a decadent array of cocktails including the bourbon Upstate Lumberjack, the Aperol-based 8am Tee Time ‘Roni and the mescal Biri-Biri. For an even more exclusive experience, the reservations-only Box Seats are centred around New York City’s only 200-inch television. This will surely be a popular venue to watch NFL and English Premier League football games. “Justin and I thought it would be cool to create a place that combines our favourite things and brings people together to just have a great time,” Woods said in the press release.
Those wanting to take their experience further can sign up to be a member of the exclusive club. For US$250 a quarter, members get first dibs on Box Seats and can reserve any of the activities to secure a spot ahead of arrival.
Besides their mutual passion for golf, Woods, 47, and Timberlake, 42, have plenty of other things in common – including the fact that they are both devoted fathers. In his heartfelt essay to Woods for Time’s 100 Most Influential People in 2019, Timberlake opened up about how the two men sealed the deal on their friendship. “We bonded over the fact that we wanted our children to watch us at our best. Tiger told me that he hoped his children, who are 11 and 10, would one day see him win a major,” shared the “Mirrors” singer.
The golf enthusiasts, who met years ago, also recently backed a luxury residential community in Florida with an 18-hole course back in April, per Entrepreneur. And now, they can add another hospitality venture to their list of achievements.
Source: PEOPLE, GOLF.com, Entrepreneur
