Former Siegen Blockbuster site bought for golf center

As anyone who regularly hits the links will tell you, Baton Rouge has a lot of golf courses but not many golf retail outlets. That’s why Lafayette businessman Benny Hopson is moving into the market with a new golf store that will not only sell apparel and clubs but also feature a game simulator and launch monitor. The store, Capital Golf, will be located at 8556 Siegen Lane in the building that formerly housed Blockbuster Video. Hopson acquired the property today for $1.1 million from Cedar Lake Inc. Drew Pearson of Waters & Pettit Commercial Real Estate represented Hopson, while Mark Hebert of Kurz & Hebert Commercial Real Estate represented Cedar Lake. “Lafayette has three major golf stores,” says Hopson, whose son Lance Hopson is a Class A golf pro and will help run the local store. “Here, you have at least twice as many golfers as Lafayette but only two real golf stores, so we think there is a lot of opportunity.” Hopson plans to do extensive renovations to the 6,500-square-foot store, which he hopes will be ready to open by early March. —Stephanie Riegel