Photo by Jon Anderson
Magic City Indoor Golf at 1218 Alford Ave. in Hoover, Alabama, has four golf simulator bays and a putting area for instruction, practice and recreation.
Neil Thompson, a golf instructor at the Pine Tree Country Club and Timberline Golf Club, in March opened Magic City Indoor Golf on Alford Avenue.
On Monday night, the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission recommended he be allowed to sell beer and wine for consumption at the facility, which is designed both for indoor golf instruction and recreational indoor golf play.
His indoor golf studio features four golf simulator bays and a putting area for practice. He offers classes for both juniors and adults, golf bay rentals, birthday parties, corporate events and memberships for individuals, corporations and teams.
Permission to sell beer and wine for consumption on the premises requires “conditional use” approval by the Hoover City Council, which now will be scheduled to take up the matter in August.
Thompson first brought his request to the zoning board in May, but the board tabled consideration of the request after city staff raised several issues, including whether Thompson had adequate accessibility for handicapped people and a proper garbage disposal plan. On-premise alcoholic beverage licenses require some type of food sales, and food preparation requires approval by the Jefferson County Department of Health and an appropriate garbage disposal plan.
Since that May meeting, Thompson agreed to make adjustments to his parking lot and building to better accommodate handicapped people. Also, once it was discovered that he planned to sell only prepackaged food at his facility and in small amounts, no dumpster will be required, Assistant City Engineer Blake Miller said. Thompson instead signed up for a small garbage cart, Miller said.
Photo by Jon Anderson
Magic City Indoor Golf at 1218 Alford Ave. in Hoover, Alabama, has four golf simulator bays and a putting area for instruction, practice and recreation.
City Planner Mac Martin in May also recommended that the owner of the building Thompson is leasing be required to remove a small billboard on the property in conjunction with this zoning change because such a billboard, while grandfathered to this point, is not allowed under newer zoning regulations.
The zoning board opted to recommend approval of the “conditional use” for alcoholic beverage sales despite the building owner leaving the billboard in place.
Thompson, originally from England, attended college in the United States on a golf scholarship and achieved first-team All-American status before turning professional, where he has won both local and national tournaments.
He has been a Class A member of the PGA of America since 2000 and the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland since 1999.
Thompson has been giving lessons since 1993. In multiple years, he received an honorable mention for the U.S. Kids Top 50 National Junior Teacher of the Year. He was the Alabama/Northwest Florida PGA Dixie Section Teacher of the Year in 2009, 2011 and 2022 and won the Dixie Section Player Development Award in 2014 and 2017, according to his website.
Currently, he teaches all ages and abilities, from first-time golfers to tournament professionals, including winners on professional tours around the world. He has attained Level III certification from the Titleist Performance Institute, along with qualification and certifications in club fitting, K-Vest 3D motion capture and Trackman ball flight analysis.
For more information about Magic City Indoor Golf, call 205-283-0871 or go to magiccityindoorgolf.com.
Photo by Jon Anderson
Magic City Indoor Golf at 1218 Alford Ave. in Hoover, Alabama, has four golf simulator bays and a putting area for instruction, practice and recreation.
