An opening date has been announced for Gareth Bale's golf-themed bar in Cardiff city centre.
The Wales and Real Madrid forward - who celebrated Wales' Euro 2020 qualification with a flag bearing the now infamous words 'Wales. Golf. Madrid' - is the partner in Par 59, a new bar, restaurant and mini-golf venue which is opening on St Mary Street this spring.
And now an opening date has been announced for the bar which is to take over the huge 23,000 sq ft site of the former Liquid/Life nightclub.
To read more Cardiff news visit our Cardiff homepage here
Par 59 will throw open its doors to the public on March 18, 2022
When it opens later this year, phase one of the venue will include 4,000 sq ft of bar space, and two 9-hole mini golf courses which have been custom designed for the venue. Each round of mini golf will take players around 45 minutes to complete.
Street food vendors Dirty Bird will be providing food for the venture, having created a new dine-in menu especially for the venue.
Dirty Birdie will serve up a custom-designed menu of buttermilk fried chicken dishes, along with brand-new vegan options, for up to 164 covers at a time.
Phase two of the venue - thought to be a billiards room based on the second floor - will open later this year.
Developed by the team behind Cardiff's Depot, the original plan was for the venue to be based in the 18,000 sq ft basement of the Capitol Shopping Centre in the city centre.
Draft plans indicated two adult-only, mini-golf courses, two large bar and dining rooms and two independent street food kitchens.
However, after facing a number of delays due to the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent restrictions, work on the original site stalled.
But developers said when a new, larger, city centre premises came to the market, the Par 59 team decided to scale up their ambitions.
Now, the extra 5,000 sq ft allows the bar to add a third mini-golf course – taking the venue from two 12-hole courses up to three 9-hole courses which are being built by local company Wild Creations.
Par 59 marks a second step into the hospitality sector for the star footballer, following on from the opening of Elevens Bar & Grill in Cardiff in 2017.
The new bar is the result of a partnership between Bale’s company Elevens Group LTD and Depot, one of Wales’ most successful independent entertainment brands.
Nick Saunders, founder and managing director of Depot and co-founder of Par 59 said: “In partnership with Elevens Group LTD, we have been able to transform a city centre site which had previously lain empty since 2016.
"We’re really proud of the fact that by working with local suppliers (including Wild Creations, Studio Severn Architects, and Paramount Interiors) we have been able to put revenue back into the local economy during a global pandemic. Once open, Par 59 will also provide new employment opportunities for 45 staff.”
Wales & Real Madrid star Gareth added: "I’m thrilled that we’re finally able to announce our opening date for Par 59; now all that’s left to do is play some golf!”
Bookings will be available via the website from Wednesday February 2.
Get more stories from CardiffOnline straight into your inbox by signing up to our newsletter here
