Can You Bring Your Own Food to a Driving Range?
Yes. Golf Center of Arlington, 1301 NE Green Oaks Blvd, Arlington, TX 76006, allows outside food, including party food and birthday cake. Coolers and outside beverages of any kind are not allowed; drinks come from the on-site bar and snack bar, which stocks 50+ beers, wine, canned cocktails, non-alcoholic drinks and light snacks. Leashed, well-behaved dogs are welcome.
Driving ranges handle outside food three ways: ban it, ignore it, or allow it with a drinks rule. Golf Center of Arlington takes the third path. You can bring a sandwich, a pizza, a full birthday spread or a cake, and eat it at your bay, at the gazebo or in the party room. What you cannot bring is the cooler, or anything to drink. This page spells out exactly where the line is, why it is there, and how it plays out for a normal visit, a party and a dog.
What can you bring, and what can't you?
Allowed
- Packed food from home: sandwiches, fruit, chips, snacks.
- Takeout or delivery from a restaurant.
- Party food, birthday cake, cupcakes, plates, candles and decorations.
- Your own clubs and balls for the range, or ask at the counter about options.
- A well-behaved dog on a leash.
Not allowed
- Coolers of any size, hard-sided or soft.
- Outside beverages: no bottled water, sodas, sports drinks, coffee, beer, wine or liquor from off-site.
- Drinks brought in for a party. Every beverage for a party is purchased at the snack bar.
The rule is easy to remember: food yes, drinks no, coolers no. It applies at the 18 covered bays, the 28 grass tees, the short game area, both mini golf courses, the gazebo and the indoor private event room.
Why are coolers and outside drinks not allowed?
Golf Center of Arlington serves beer, wine and cocktails from its own bar. Like most venues that serve alcohol, it keeps outside beverages off the property, and a cooler is the container those beverages arrive in. Rather than check bags, the facility draws the line at the cooler itself. The food side of the policy is deliberately generous because the on-site kitchen is limited to light snacks; if you want a real meal with your bucket, the range would rather you bring one than leave hungry.
Texas summers are exactly when people reach for a cooler. Leave it in the car and buy water, sodas or non-alcoholic drinks at the snack bar as you need them. The covered bays give you shade, and the bar is a short walk from every bay, so you are never far from a cold drink.
What does the bar and snack bar serve?
50+ beers
A deep list with an emphasis on local craft breweries, plus familiar domestic and import options. The annual Golftober Fest in October is built around this list.
Wine and canned cocktails
Wine and canned cocktails for people who don't want beer, poured or opened at the bar.
Non-alcoholic drinks
Non-alcoholic options for families, kids' parties and daytime practicers, which is what most visitors actually buy.
Light snacks
Light snacks to pair with a bucket. Not a full kitchen, which is why outside food is welcome.
The bar is open during staffed hours; the counter is not staffed during the 8–9 AM self-service Early Bird window, so plan on a drink after 9 AM. Full hours are on the hours and best times page.
How does the policy work for a birthday party or group?
The food policy is a big part of why the Mini Golf Party at Golf Center of Arlington is affordable. The package is $8 per guest with the guest of honor free, a minimum of 12 guests, and a coupon for a future visit for every attendee. You bring your own food, cake, plates, candles and decorations. All beverages for the party are purchased at the snack bar. If you want a home base, the gazebo area and the indoor room (24 seats) can each be added for $120 for a 2.5-hour rental. A 50% non-refundable deposit, by card or cash, holds the date, and if the weather turns, the next available date is offered.
- Book the date. Call 817-469-9005 or email play@golfcenterofarlington.com; a 50% deposit holds it.
- Plan the food. Pizza, sandwiches, a cake, fruit, chips. Bring plates, napkins, candles and decorations.
- Skip the drinks run. No coolers, no cases of soda or juice boxes. Order beverages at the snack bar when you arrive.
- Set up in the gazebo or the indoor room if you added one, then send the kids to the 36 holes with clubs and colorful balls provided.
Everything about the party package, including deposit and equipment terms, is on the private parties page, and we compared it with other options in a good birthday party venue for kids in Arlington. Corporate groups and fundraisers using the indoor event room follow the same rule: food from outside is fine, beverages come from the bar.
Is the policy the same at the range, mini golf and the event room?
Yes. One rule covers the whole property, but it helps to see where people actually eat and what is close by.
| Area | Outside food | Coolers / outside drinks | Nearest drinks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 covered Toptracer bays | Yes | No | Bar and snack bar, a short walk away |
| 28 natural-grass tees | Yes | No | Bar and snack bar |
| Short game practice area | Yes | No | Bar and snack bar |
| 36-hole mini golf courses | Yes | No | Snack bar |
| Gazebo party area | Yes, including cake | No; party drinks bought at the snack bar | Snack bar |
| Indoor private event room (24 seats) | Yes, including catered spreads | No; event drinks come from the bar | Bar |
The gazebo and the indoor room are the two spaces built for eating; each can be added to a party for $120 for a 2.5-hour rental. For a regular range visit, most people simply eat at their bay between buckets. Mini golf takes about 60–90 minutes for both courses, so a family often plays first and eats at the gazebo after.
Can you bring your dog?
Yes. Golf Center of Arlington is family-friendly and dog-friendly. Well-behaved dogs on a leash are welcome on the property, including at the bays. Keep the leash on, keep your dog with you rather than roaming the grass tees where balls are in the air, and clean up after them. The same drink rule applies: bring a bowl, buy the water at the snack bar. If you are bringing a dog to a busy evening or a group event, a quick call ahead to 817-469-9005 is a courtesy that staff appreciate.
Hours, parking, reservations, what to wear, what to bring: the rest of the house rules are answered in one place.
Read the FAQsWhat else should you know before you pack?
- No reservations are needed for the range or mini golf. Walk in with your food and pick a bay.
- Eat at your bay. The covered bays have room for a bag and a box; grass tees are fine too. The gazebo is the natural picnic spot.
- Clean up after yourself. Pack out what you packed in, and leave a party space the way you found it at the end of the rental.
- Bring a way to pay for drinks. Every beverage on the property comes from the snack bar.
- Toptracer games are free with a bucket. Angry Birds and Go Fish on the bay screen keep kids busy while the adults eat.
The food policy is one piece of a short list of house rules; the rest, including hours, bucket prices, membership, group sizes and the last-bucket cutoff, are collected on our complete guide to planning your visit: hours, prices and memberships. If mini golf is the plan, pricing and the current remodel special are on the mini golf page. Golf Center of Arlington has been family-owned since 1986, and this policy is written the way a family would write it: bring what you want to eat, buy what you want to drink, and enjoy the evening.
Frequently asked questions
Can I bring my own food to Golf Center of Arlington?
Yes. Outside food is allowed anywhere on the property: at the covered bays, the grass tees, the mini golf courses, the gazebo and the indoor event room. Packed lunches, restaurant takeout, delivery, pizza and birthday cake are all fine. Bring your own plates and napkins, and pack out what you brought in when you are done.
Can I bring a cooler or my own drinks?
No. Coolers of any kind and outside beverages of any kind, including bottled water, soda, coffee and alcohol, are not allowed. The on-site bar and snack bar sell 50+ beers, wine, canned cocktails, non-alcoholic drinks and light snacks. For parties, every beverage must be purchased at the snack bar; you supply the food, cake and decorations.
Can I bring a birthday cake for a mini golf party?
Yes. The Mini Golf Party package is built around it: $8 per guest with the guest of honor free, a 12-guest minimum, and you bring the food, cake, plates, candles and decorations. All beverages are purchased at the snack bar. The gazebo area or the 24-seat indoor room can be added for $120 each for a 2.5-hour rental, and a 50% non-refundable deposit holds the date.
Are dogs allowed at the driving range?
Yes. Well-behaved dogs on a leash are welcome at Golf Center of Arlington, including at the bays and around the grounds. Keep the leash on, keep your dog with you and away from the landing area, and clean up after them. Water for your dog, like every other beverage, comes from the snack bar rather than a cooler.
Does the range sell food?
Light snacks only, alongside a full drink selection. Golf Center of Arlington does not run a full kitchen, which is exactly why outside food is welcome: bring a meal if you want one, and pair it with a drink from the bar. Staffed counter service, including the bar, begins at 9 AM after the self-service Early Bird hour.
Still have a question?
Our FAQ page covers hours, prices, memberships, food policy and more.
Golf Center of Arlington · 1301 NE Green Oaks Blvd, Arlington, TX 76006 · 817-469-9005 · Open Mon–Sat 8 AM–11 PM, Sun 8 AM–10 PM