Back 9 Golf and Entertainment venture announced for Fort Wayne’s north side

Posted by author February 26, 2025 Golf

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FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) – A regional economic development organization announced Wednesday morning that Back 9 Golf and Entertainment is coming to Fort Wayne.

Economic development officials joined Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership (NEI) at 11 a.m. to announce the project they say will “bring significant investment, job creation, and tourism” to the area.

During the press conference, leaders announced Back 9 Golf and Entertainment will soon be coming to the Summit City. The driving range and entertainment venue currently has a location in Indianapolis.

The Fort Wayne location is set to feature “state-of-the-art golfing, a lively atmosphere, and a diverse menu of scratch-made food and beverages“, leaders say.

It will be located on a 10-acre site along North Clinton Street, near I-469 and Brooks Road.

RENDERING: Back 9 Golf and Entertainment venue announced for Fort Wayne(Provided)

The venture is being brought to the city by James Khan, President of ObiCai Restaurant Group which operates BakerStreet Steakhouse, Proximo, and Hoppy Gnome, as part of the Villages of Arneo project.

The owner of Riverfront Sports, LLC and a founder of Back 9 signed a letter of intent with the Villages of Arneo on Wednesday.

In July 2024, crews broke ground on the Arneo project led by Khan, which will sit on over 200 hundred acres of land at N Clinton St. and Brooks Rd. It will offer houses for purchase along with an apartment complex, shopping, dining options, and parks with over two miles of trails.

Khan says Back 9 is the first major commercial development announced as part of the Arneo project. He says crews hope to break ground on Back 9 this summer and plan to be operating by summer 2026.

Story continues underneath press conference footage

“It’s going to make a huge impact to our region,” Khan says. “We’re expecting 180,000-200,000 unique visits to this side alone, it’s going to create over 100 jobs, over $300 million in payroll that’s all going to be local.”

You can read more about Back 9 here.

According to its website, NEI is a public-private regional economic development organization that represents Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells, and Whitley Counties.