Tour Golf & Grill
With five indoor golf simulators, an outdoor nine-hole miniature golf course, 70-inch televisions and a scratch-cooked menu of smash burgers, wood-fired pizzas and appetizers to boot, Tour Golf & Grill (581 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth, 373-0584, tourportsmouth.com) truly is a sports lover’s paradise — especially, that is, if your joy involves hitting the links. “Being somebody that enjoys playing golf … I noticed that there was a lack of places to play in the winter, as there were only three simulators in the area at the time,” said owner Ryan Lent of NNE Hospitality Group, which also includes The Puddle Dock Restaurant just a few miles up the road. “I thought that we could certainly use more, and then that thought sort of evolved into, well, how can we build a concept around golf instead of just putting simulators into a building and inviting people in.” Lent considers Tour Golf & Grill to be “an upscale sports bar,” one in which the food is by no means an afterthought. “The idea is [that it’s] all the food you can find at either a golf course or a stadium, and then some,” he said. “The question I ask myself is, ‘Who wrote the rule that sports bars have to be bad food?’ … Our menu is pretty diverse — you can definitely come here for a meal and you are not going to be disappointed.” If you enjoy playing golf but have never tried a simulator, prepare to be in for a treat. That’s because you have more than 85 courses — not to mention some 20 golf-themed games — to choose from right at your fingertips. Simulators can be rented by the hour, or you can sign up for a membership and get exclusive perks from discounted meals to early booking access. The newest addition to the space is an outdoor nine-hole, 3,000-square-foot miniature golf patio, available to play for $5 per person. The Scene recently reached Lent by phone to discuss some of his own must-try menu recommendations for when you visit Tour Golf & Grill.
How long has Tour Golf & Grill been around?
We officially opened the first week of December [in] 2021, so we’re going on three years now.
What makes Tour Golf & Grill unique?
For me, it’s the quality of the food, the level of hospitality, the environment, the ambiance and the multitude of things that you can do here. We don’t want people to come and just watch a game. We have live music on Friday nights, we have weekly specials, and we have the golf simulators [and] miniature golf. … Occasionally, we get some tried and true elite-level golfers that come in, but for the most part, this is much more of a general public [type of] place.
What is your favorite thing on your own menu?
The staff will tell you this, but the chicken Parm bites [bite-sized pieces of breaded chicken with mozzarella and marinara sauce] are hands-down my favorite thing on the menu … followed by the wood-fired pizzas. I can’t rave enough about the pizza here. We make our own dough and our own sauce, and then we use quality toppings. … I love the Carnivore, which is your standard meat lover’s pizza. We use thick-cut pepperoni, hamburg, sausage [and] bacon.
What is something that everyone should try?
This may surprise you, but we make a General Tso’s chicken here that is the best I’ve ever had. I would say try that, or the chicken Parm bites. They are just delicious.
What celebrity would you like to see eating at Tour Golf & Grill?
[Professional golfer] John Daly. … I think this place would be right up his alley. I was actually trying to get him to come to our grand opening, but I just wasn’t able to make it work.
What is an essential skill to running a restaurant?
First and foremost, you have to have a hospitality mindset. You have to want to give other people an experience that they are going to remember and enjoy. That’s No. 1. … No. 2, I would say, is adaptability. … Especially in the last four years, the world has changed a lot, [but] I don’t think it’s changed anywhere more than in hospitality. It’s one of the most challenging industries anybody can try, [so] … I would say it’s adaptability, and also grit.
What is your favorite thing about being on the Seacoast?
I was born and raised in Portsmouth. … I think my favorite thing would be that it’s a mix of everything that we get to do. [The] beaches and [the] mountains are all close, there’s exceptional food all around us, and there’s lots of activities, especially for families.
— Matt Ingersoll
Photo courtesy of Tour Golf & Grill
