While the Port's announcement marks progress, it also reinforces just how slowly one of San Diego's most anticipated entertainment projects has moved. Even after the current public review period concludes, Topgolf itself has not yet officially been approved, does not yet have a finalized lease, and construction remains years away.
The Draft EIR is now available for public review through August 24, with the Port inviting residents to submit comments before staff prepares a Final Environmental Impact Report. According to the Port, the Final EIR, any necessary Port Master Plan Amendment, and an Option to Lease agreement with Topgolf are expected to be presented to the Board of Port Commissioners later this year. Even if approved, additional permitting, Coastal Commission review, infrastructure work, and final lease negotiations would still remain before construction could begin.
In other words, San Diego's first Topgolf remains more concept than construction site. It's still very much a pipe dream.
The proposed project would transform approximately 38 acres on East Harbor Island, across from San Diego International Airport, replacing surface parking lots, rental car operations, and temporary airport support facilities with a new entertainment district and public waterfront park.
Plans call for more than 10 acres of new public waterfront parkland featuring a promenade, playgrounds, plazas, public art, shade structures, restrooms, and other recreational amenities. Another 16.5 acres would become an entertainment district anchored by a nearly 10-acre Topgolf facility, with neighboring parcels reserved for additional "eatertainment" concepts that have yet to be selected through a future public solicitation process.
The proposal also includes significant infrastructure improvements, including the realignment of Liberator Way, new public parking, landscaped buffers, sidewalks, upgraded intersections, and utility improvements intended to support future development.
Viewed independently, the proposal represents one of the most ambitious waterfront redevelopment projects currently under consideration by the Port. Viewed through the lens of Topgolf's San Diego history, however, it is simply the latest chapter in an unusually protracted saga.
Topgolf first began publicly discussing San Diego expansion nearly a decade ago. By the late 2010s, the company had identified two local locations: a flagship waterfront venue on Harbor Island and a second location in Sorrento Valley, where it planned to redevelop the longtime Sorrento Canyon Golf Center into a multi-story entertainment complex.
At various points over the years, optimistic projections suggested at least one San Diego location could be operating by 2023. Instead, 2026 finds neither project under construction.
The Harbor Island proposal has steadily worked its way through the lengthy California environmental review process, while the Sorrento Valley location appears to have made virtually no visible progress whatsoever. The Carroll Canyon driving range continues operating much as it has for decades, with no signs of demolition or active redevelopment.
The contrast is especially notable given Topgolf's deep ties to San Diego County. The entertainment brand is owned by Carlsbad-based Topgolf Callaway Brands, yet despite operating in dozens of metropolitan areas worldwide, the company still lacks a single venue in its own corporate backyard.
The delays have also unfolded during a period of significant corporate change. Last year, Topgolf Callaway announced it would sell a controlling 60-percent interest in Topgolf and Toptracer to private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners in a deal valuing the business at roughly $1.1 billion—less than half the valuation assigned during Callaway's merger with Topgolf in 2020. The transaction followed declining same-venue sales, executive leadership changes, and a broader shift in strategy as the company sought to refocus on its traditional golf equipment business.
Those changes have fueled additional questions about whether San Diego remains a priority market or whether newer ownership could alter expansion plans altogether. To be clear, nothing announced Friday changes the project's overall status.
The Port emphasized that no portion of the redevelopment, including Topgolf, has yet been approved by the Board of Port Commissioners. The current Draft EIR represents another required step in California's environmental review process rather than authorization to build. The Port also noted that surrounding entertainment parcels have not yet been awarded and will eventually be offered through a competitive Request for Proposals after environmental approvals are completed. For San Diegans who have watched renderings circulate for years, the latest announcement is likely to generate mixed reactions.
On one hand, releasing the Draft EIR represents measurable progress on a complicated waterfront redevelopment that includes substantial new public park space in addition to private entertainment uses. California's environmental review process is intentionally rigorous, particularly for projects located along the coast and on tidelands.
On the other hand, nearly every major milestone has arrived years later than originally anticipated, leaving many wondering whether the city's seemingly endless Topgolf story will ever actually culminate in an opening day.
For now, San Diego residents can once again review plans, submit comments, and watch the project move one procedural step forward. Whether they will actually be hitting golf balls over San Diego Bay anytime soon remains another question entirely.
The Draft Environmental Impact Report is available for public review through August 24, with comments accepted by the Port of San Diego before preparation of the Final EIR. If approvals proceed as anticipated, the proposal could return to the Board of Port Commissioners later this year for consideration.
Originally published on July 10, 2026.
On the other hand, nearly every major milestone has arrived years later than originally anticipated, leaving many wondering whether the city's seemingly endless Topgolf story will ever actually culminate in an opening day.
For now, San Diego residents can once again review plans, submit comments, and watch the project move one procedural step forward. Whether they will actually be hitting golf balls over San Diego Bay anytime soon remains another question entirely.
The Draft Environmental Impact Report is available for public review through August 24, with comments accepted by the Port of San Diego before preparation of the Final EIR. If approvals proceed as anticipated, the proposal could return to the Board of Port Commissioners later this year for consideration.
Originally published on July 10, 2026.