Jarad Earley (left) and Kyle Petersen are co-owners of Green Club, the region’s newest indoor golf simulator venue. (BizSense file photo)
Kyle Petersen was looking for a way to take practice golf shots in his backyard, before the idea took on a life of its own. Next thing he knew, he’s co-owner of the region’s newest indoor golf simulator facility.
Petersen and his golfing buddy Jarad Earley later this month will open Green Club at 6109 Harbourside Centre Loop in Midlothian.
The facility features two Trackman golf simulator-powered hitting bays, a putting green and other amenities.
The road to starting Green Club started not as a business idea, but with Petersen obsessively trying to find more time to get in some practice swings.
“You go to bed just dreaming of how to improve your swing and lower your score. It’s just been an evolution from that,” said Petersen, 39.
“I started small trying to figure out what could I do in my backyard. Then I said ‘Okay, for a few dollars more I could build my own simulator in my garage.’ Then I thought what could I do with my neighbors? Then it just expanded from there and next thing you know, I’m in a full-blown retail environment,” he said.
Petersen brought Earley into the loop and the two leased a 1,700-square-foot space next door to a First Watch restaurant.
They bought two of the latest Trackman simulators at $22,000 a pop and have handled just about everything else themselves to keep costs low, including the bulk of the buildout of the space, designing the website and building the computer systems for the hitting bays.
“This is just Jarad and me bootstrapping everything,” Petersen said.
They also visited some of the region’s other indoor golf simulator venues, of which there are a handful, to get a feel for the business model they wanted to bring to Green Club.
They settled on a 24/7, self-serve membership model, in which users pay per month and can access the facility anytime using a key fob or phone app.
Their target customer is beginners to avid golfers who want a chance to play a simulated version of the 330 real-life courses built into the Trackman machines and get instant swing analytics from the simulators and frame-by-frame cameras. They’re also working with local golf instructors who will offer lessons at Green Club.
One of Green Club’s two hitting bays. (Courtesy Green Club)
Like the other similar facilities that have opened in town, Green Club’s angle is that playing at indoor facilities is cheaper and less time-consuming than going out to a golf course.
“It’s hard to peel away on a weekend if you want to play 18 holes without getting into major trouble at home,” said Petersen, who is married with two young kids. “You can play 18 holes (on a Trackman) in well under an hour.”
Green Club memberships range from a $50-per-month pay-as-you-play package up to around $200 for an unlimited package. Tee times can be booked online.
In addition to the hitting bays and putting greens, Green Club will have water and coffee for members, as well as a lounge area with big TV. Food will not be for sale in-house and members are encouraged to bring in food from neighboring restaurants, with Glory Days Grill and First Watch next door.
When they open as planned by the end of this month, Earley and Petersen will be the lone Green Club employees for the time being. They’ll run it on the side while still working full-time in the automotive industry.
The duo in recent weeks have been hard at work finishing up the renovations to the storefront. They said rolling up their sleeves for that part hasn’t been as difficult as choosing a name for the venue.
“It was harder than signing the lease,” said Earley, 46. “We had a list of 96 names at one point. We sent out surveys to friends and family members. We always went back to Green Club.”
The duo said multiple Green Club locations isn’t out of the realm of possibility in the future. But one thing is certain: Their next simulator won’t be in Petersen’s home as he had originally planned.
“My wife has not signed off any expansions in the home,” he joked.
Jarad Earley (left) and Kyle Petersen are co-owners of Green Club, the region’s newest indoor golf simulator venue. (BizSense file photo)
Kyle Petersen was looking for a way to take practice golf shots in his backyard, before the idea took on a life of its own. Next thing he knew, he’s co-owner of the region’s newest indoor golf simulator facility.
Petersen and his golfing buddy Jarad Earley later this month will open Green Club at 6109 Harbourside Centre Loop in Midlothian.
The facility features two Trackman golf simulator-powered hitting bays, a putting green and other amenities.
The road to starting Green Club started not as a business idea, but with Petersen obsessively trying to find more time to get in some practice swings.
“You go to bed just dreaming of how to improve your swing and lower your score. It’s just been an evolution from that,” said Petersen, 39.
“I started small trying to figure out what could I do in my backyard. Then I said ‘Okay, for a few dollars more I could build my own simulator in my garage.’ Then I thought what could I do with my neighbors? Then it just expanded from there and next thing you know, I’m in a full-blown retail environment,” he said.
Petersen brought Earley into the loop and the two leased a 1,700-square-foot space next door to a First Watch restaurant.
They bought two of the latest Trackman simulators at $22,000 a pop and have handled just about everything else themselves to keep costs low, including the bulk of the buildout of the space, designing the website and building the computer systems for the hitting bays.
“This is just Jarad and me bootstrapping everything,” Petersen said.
They also visited some of the region’s other indoor golf simulator venues, of which there are a handful, to get a feel for the business model they wanted to bring to Green Club.
They settled on a 24/7, self-serve membership model, in which users pay per month and can access the facility anytime using a key fob or phone app.
Their target customer is beginners to avid golfers who want a chance to play a simulated version of the 330 real-life courses built into the Trackman machines and get instant swing analytics from the simulators and frame-by-frame cameras. They’re also working with local golf instructors who will offer lessons at Green Club.
One of Green Club’s two hitting bays. (Courtesy Green Club)
Like the other similar facilities that have opened in town, Green Club’s angle is that playing at indoor facilities is cheaper and less time-consuming than going out to a golf course.
“It’s hard to peel away on a weekend if you want to play 18 holes without getting into major trouble at home,” said Petersen, who is married with two young kids. “You can play 18 holes (on a Trackman) in well under an hour.”
Green Club memberships range from a $50-per-month pay-as-you-play package up to around $200 for an unlimited package. Tee times can be booked online.
In addition to the hitting bays and putting greens, Green Club will have water and coffee for members, as well as a lounge area with big TV. Food will not be for sale in-house and members are encouraged to bring in food from neighboring restaurants, with Glory Days Grill and First Watch next door.
When they open as planned by the end of this month, Earley and Petersen will be the lone Green Club employees for the time being. They’ll run it on the side while still working full-time in the automotive industry.
The duo in recent weeks have been hard at work finishing up the renovations to the storefront. They said rolling up their sleeves for that part hasn’t been as difficult as choosing a name for the venue.
“It was harder than signing the lease,” said Earley, 46. “We had a list of 96 names at one point. We sent out surveys to friends and family members. We always went back to Green Club.”
The duo said multiple Green Club locations isn’t out of the realm of possibility in the future. But one thing is certain: Their next simulator won’t be in Petersen’s home as he had originally planned.
“My wife has not signed off any expansions in the home,” he joked.
Good luck gentlemen! Nice to meet you on Saturday, Jarad.