Beer lovers celebrated despite the University of Iowa losing by double digits to Michigan in the Big Ten Championship on December 2, taking advantage of a special promotion.
X-Golf Cedar Rapids is a high-tech, golf-simulator. They poured 150 beers for free on Saturday. This was boosted by the lowest scoring offense in school history.
X-Golf, which also has a Coralville location, promised to offer free beer up until Saturday’s Hawkeyes score.
Iowa lost 26-0 in Indianapolis to the undefeated Michigan Wolverines, the top-ranked team. This allowed for three hours of free beverages.
Promotion was in effect also until the bay reservation expires or when the match ended.
Destinee Briner said that the weekly promotion at the Cedar Rapids facility has brought in more attention than anticipated.
Briner stated that there are risks associated with any reward you seek. “I think this has given us — and we’re very humble about it — a lot more than we know what to use. More clients. People from California and Colorado have called from all over. They’re aware of Cedar Rapids, and will probably come to see us at some stage.”
Cedar Rapids golf bar offering free beer until Iowa scores, essentially a free blackout pic.twitter.com/uefGymeckL
— RedditCFB December 2, 2020
Hawkeye fandom sparks promotional idea
Briner stated that Hawkeye fans are everywhere in the X-Golf Cedar Rapids and Coralville locations, from owners to wait staff. Briner said that the shared love for Hawkeyes encouraged the business owners to launch a unique promotional campaign, which helped grow the new business’s profile.
Cedar Rapids is located on the northside of town about two miles from Interstate 380. Coralville is located in Iowa River Landing.
Beers weren’t available to everyone. Briner stated that only guests who reserved a bay at 7 or 7:30 pm during the Big Ten Championships were eligible. This meant that each of the eight bays was filled with approximately six customers. She estimated that each customer consumed about 3.5 beers.
Briner explained that X-Golf simulations are based on advanced technology and provide some of the most realistic golf simulation experiences available in the world. She said that the South Korean technology, dozens of sensors, and technical systems calculate thousands of calculations for every swing.
Locals packed the bays on Saturday night to watch the Big Ten Championship matchup between Michigan and Iowa, the second in three years.
Briner explained that a social media post from X-Golf promoting the beer promotion hit timelines in late last week. However, it received more attention than usual when national outlets got wind of it. Sports Illustrated and Golfweek all shared the unique promotion on their respective social media channels. This sparked a frenzy of interest.
Free beer continues to flow at X-Golf, Iowa. #BigTenChampionship https://t.co/cpKu0NRP9y
Golfweek (@golfweek December 3, 2020
Iowa’s struggles to score were not surprising. Michigan’s defensive unit allowed the least points per game of any team in the nation, while Iowa was near the bottom for nearly all offensive categories.
Throughout the 60-minute game, the Hawkeyes did not threaten to stop X-Golf’s promotion of free beer. The Hawkeyes failed to cross Michigan’s 40-yardline more than once. They fumbled just outside the red area on their one trip.
Will there be a promotion for New Year’s Day?
Briner refused to reveal if X-Golf will offer its free beer before Iowa-scores promotions for Iowa’s Citrus Bowl appearance on January 1. The Hawkeyes and Tennessee will play at noon in Orlando.
Briner invites fans to join the company on social media and see more crazy promotions in Cedar Rapids, Coralville.
Briner stated, “We do crazy things like this every day.” You’ll know what we’re up to next.
Ryan Hansen is the Press-Citizen’s local government and criminal reporter. He can be reached [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
