Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community to open first LaunchPad Golf location in United States By Brian Weis

Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community to open first LaunchPad Golf location in United States

By Brian Weis

Prior Lake, Minn. – The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) today announced it has partnered with LaunchPad Golf to open the company’s first location in the United States. The new facility will be next to Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake.

The two-story, 25,000-square-foot facility will include a 160,000-square-foot driving range with award-winning technology, 40 heated golf suites, two bars and a full-service restaurant. The facility will be able to serve more than 500 people. Construction will begin as early as this spring; the facility is anticipated to open in mid-2025.

“We are excited to welcome LaunchPad Golf to the U.S. and expand our tribe’s golf offerings,” said SMSC Chairman Cole Miller. “This year-round golf entertainment enterprise will provide an incredible experience for guests of all skill levels. It will be an excellent complement to our premium golf course, The Meadows at Mystic Lake.”

Known for its next-level technology in golf entertainment, LaunchPad Golf is a Canadian company that features award-winning Inrange radar technology for superior ball tracking to create an immersive golfing experience. In addition to golf practice and virtual courses, LaunchPad Golf offers exclusive social games, including bay-versus-bay gaming. Regardless of skill level, LaunchPad Golf creates a fun experience for golfers and non-golfers alike.

The Prior Lake venue marks LaunchPad Golf’s first foray into the United States after establishing two locations in Canada. Like its partnership with the SMSC and The Meadows at Mystic Lake, LaunchPad Golf’s current locations have successfully complemented other award-winning golf courses including Mickelson National Golf Club and Heritage Point with elevated, year-round golf experiences.

“LaunchPad Golf is not your average driving range. We offer the most innovative technology to elevate your golf experience, plus a lively atmosphere and delicious food and drinks,” said LaunchPad Golf Owner and CEO Barry Ehlert. “We look forward to partnering with the SMSC and bringing the LaunchPad Golf experience to Minnesota and the U.S. market.”

Revised: 03/03/2026 - Article Viewed 48 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.