The Port’s latest update underscores the scale and complexity of the waterfront redevelopment, which spans roughly 38 acres currently occupied by rental car facilities and lacking public amenities. Under the Port’s vision, Topgolf would serve as the district’s central attraction, joined by a mix of interactive food-and-entertainment experiences such as pickleball, mini-golf, tech-driven games, breweries, music concepts, and other leisure-forward operators. The redevelopment also includes approximately 10 acres of new public parks and waterfront promenades.
A Port spokesperson provided SanDiegoVille with a detailed timeline: the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Port Master Plan Amendment (PMPA) are expected to be released for public review early next year. Later in the year, staff anticipates presenting the Final EIR, the PMPA, and an Option to Lease with Topgolf to the Board of Port Commissioners. If the Board certifies the EIR and directs staff to submit the PMPA to the California Coastal Commission, the Port plans to issue a Request for Proposals for additional “eatertainment” concepts to operate alongside Topgolf.
In other words, no construction is imminent. There is yet to be an executed lease with Topgolf. Even under the most optimistic scenario, the Port estimates that Topgolf San Diego would not open before mid-2028, with all dates subject to change.
The lengthy timeline marks a stark contrast to early projections from 2019 through 2023, when Topgolf indicated that at least one San Diego venue could open as early as 2023. At the time, the company teased two local locations in quick succession - one on East Harbor Island and a second in Sorrento Valley, where Topgolf announced plans to demolish and redevelop the Carroll Canyon/Sorrento Canyon Golf Center into a three-level facility with more than 80 bays.
But more than three years later, no visible progress has occurred in Sorrento Valley. The property still operates as the same driving range it has for decades, with no sign of demolition, construction, or preparatory activity. In contrast to the Port’s detailed updates for the East Harbor Island site, no government agency or public-facing body has released recent information confirming that the Sorrento Valley Topgolf project remains active.
Despite the stagnation, the absence of a San Diego Topgolf remains especially striking given that the company is owned by Carlsbad-based Callaway, now known as Topgolf Callaway Brands. San Diego County serves as the corporate home of the global golf giant, yet the region still lacks a single Topgolf venue - a fact that has long puzzled local golfers and industry observers. For a brand built on visibility, accessibility, and splashy regional rollouts, the inability to open even one location in its own backyard raises broader questions about permitting hurdles, shifting development priorities, and whether the company’s long-touted San Diego expansion remains as strategically important as it once claimed.
Adding further uncertainty to Topgolf’s future trajectory, Topgolf Callaway announced in November 2025 that it is selling a 60-percent stake in Topgolf and Toptracer to private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners for $1.1 billion, a dramatic drop from the $2.6-billion valuation used during the 2020 merger. The deal, unanimously approved by Callaway’s board, is expected to close early next year and will leave Callaway with a 40-percent ownership stake.
The sale follows a turbulent period for the company, including declining same-venue sales from 2023–2024, missed revenue expectations, and stock prices plunging by nearly one-third. Although Topgolf reported its first same-venue sales increase in two years in Q3 2025, the ownership shakeup represents a strategic pivot away from the entertainment-heavy Topgolf model and back toward Callaway’s core golf equipment and apparel business.
The departure of Topgolf CEO Artie Starrs in July and the abrupt abandonment of plans to spin Topgolf into an independent public company also signal a moment of transition. Analysts say the private equity acquisition introduces new long-term questions about capital investment, expansion priorities, and whether stalled projects - like San Diego’s two proposed venues - will remain a focus under new ownership.
Topgolf previously stated that it was “excited by the potential to bring even more play to the San Diego community,” yet the company has offered no recent public updates on the status of either San Diego project. SanDiegoVille has reached out to Topgolf for a status update on both the downtown and Sorrento Valley projects for this story but received no response.
Now entering its tenth year of discussions, the San Diego Topgolf saga continues to highlight just how difficult it can be to build anything on the bayfront - let alone a large-scale entertainment complex requiring environmental review, Coastal Commission approval, major infrastructure upgrades, and lease negotiations involving one of the region’s most sensitive pieces of waterfront real estate.
Now entering its tenth year of discussions, the San Diego Topgolf saga continues to highlight just how difficult it can be to build anything on the bayfront - let alone a large-scale entertainment complex requiring environmental review, Coastal Commission approval, major infrastructure upgrades, and lease negotiations involving one of the region’s most sensitive pieces of waterfront real estate.
Originally published on December 6, 2025.
