Strat’s Atomic Golf Shows Signs of Improvement, Director Says

Months after a new golf resort opened near the Strip, a casino partner said it believes the “momentum” will drive business.

Atomic Golf, a 103-stall course where customers play a version of a driving range with gaming elements, opened in March but quickly faced social challenges. In May, it laid off at least 250 workers, citing worsening economic conditions.

During a press conference to announce second-quarter financial results for Golden Entertainment, operator of the Strat and local gaming locations in Southern Nevada, executives said the west-facing venue had “a slow start from the get-go” but had since shown signs of improvement.

“It’s been a tough launch for them, learning the market, understanding where they are in the market, etc.,” Golden CEO and president Blake Sartini said in response to a question from Wall Street analysts. “They’ve recently adjusted their headcount, outsourced their third-party marketing efforts, increased their special events, including group events, entertainment events, etc. All of that is leading to them gaining momentum.”

At least one of these marketing activities includes a weekly drone show on Thursdays.

His success is important to Golden’s balance sheet. Golden, directly north of Strat, contributed 7 acres of undeveloped property to build the $75 million property, and the business partners have a revenue-sharing agreement.

Executives are also counting on cross-traffic between the two locations to boost business at the casino resort. Sartini said they believe there will be more business in the fall, as the weather cools and more conventioneers visit the site.

For the quarter ended June 30, Las Vegas-based Golden Entertainment’s consolidated operations reported net income of about $623,000 in net income, 2 cents per share, on net revenue of $167.3 million. The company said the 95 percent decline in net income was due to the fact that the previous comparative period included results from its now-sold businesses: the Rocky Gap casino resort in Maryland and its slots tour operations. Chief Financial Officer Charles Protell said revenue fell 1.4 percent for the continued operations of its Nevada casino resorts.

Contact McKenna Ross at [email protected]. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.