ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — He may have ‘Mediocre Golfer’ printed on his business card, but if all goes according to plan, Danny Fellingham will have plenty of opportunity to sharpen his game when his business finally opens.
Tee Box Indoor Golf, which is located at 25 Stavanger Dr. but is currently under construction, is developing a place Fellingham hopes will be inviting to anyone, whether they’re a pro or just beginning. He hopes the business will be open in the next couple weeks.
“We’ve got four golf simulators in total, we’ve got a small bar area that’ll do basic foods,” Fellingham said.
“We want this to be a place where you can develop as a golfer, where you can bring your kid in for a round when the weather’s not right.”
Fellingham, who is originally from Australia, said golf simulators aren’t uncommon outside of Newfoundland.
“I lived in Edmonton before I came here and me and my group of friends used to play indoor golf a fair bit,” he said. “We’d all come off shift from different places (and) it’d be an easy thing to do to spend a Saturday afternoon, having a few beers, catching up, and figuring out what to do for the rest of the weekend.”
After moving to Newfoundland in February 2016, the idea occurred to Fellingham after his fiancée asked him what he used to do for fun during the winter.
“It kind of led me down the rabbit hole,” he said. “It was like 18 months of research and calling around.”
Putting his business studies and job aside, he began his research, travelling to Toronto, visiting every golf bar he could find, and testing as much equipment as possible.
“(I was trying) to figure out if it was something that I think would work,” he said. “Obviously, here I am.”
Fellingham isn’t the only one who noticed a gap in the market.
Taking a shot in Mount Pearl
Trevor Hefferan and Tara O'Reilly opened Golfshotz on 181 Commonwealth Ave., in Mount Pearl on Dec. 7. It’s brand new — there isn’t even a sign yet — but so far, the business partners said all is well.
Hefferan, who did a three-year golf operations program at Holland College, said opening an indoor golf business has been a plan of his for years.
“I ran the idea by Tara at one point and she didn’t hesitate,” Hefferan said.
O’Reilly was the owner of Yes B’ys, a bar in downtown St. John’s which recently shut its doors. Golfshotz had already been underway when there was a dispute over the renewal of the lease of the building where Yes B’ys was located.
“It’s crazy how it worked out,” O'Reilly said. “As this was just starting up, Yes. B’ys was winding down — unexpectedly — but it was winding down.”
In the background, just underneath the music, the clicking sound of a golf club connecting with a ball, followed by the thud of the ball hitting the virtual golf simulator screen could be heard.
This particular group had been to Golfshotz multiple times over the few days since they’d been open.
This isn’t surprising to O'Reilly, who says they went into this new business confidently.
“We knew we had a great product, great community, and (we) love the location, so there’s no doubt in my mind we’re going to succeed here,” O'Reilly said.
For Hefferan, Newfoundland’s notoriously unpredictable weather, is an asset.
“You only get July, August, even June is questionable at best,” he said. “I knew there was an opportunity just based on our weather and the short season.”
“It’s minus four or five out there today with snow on the ground and you can come in and play Pebble Beach or a golf course in Hawaii.”
On their simulators there are 29 different courses. When the club meets the ball, data is collected which you can view. From there you can figure out how to improve your game.
But catering to the avid golfer is just part of what their aim is. The duo sees this as an opportunity to grow an interest in the sport in the province.
“I think we’re going to have the issue where we don’t have enough simulators to accommodate the amount of people,” Hefferan said.
On top of the simulators, the bar will have live music on Friday’s and Saturday’s. And despite the focus on golf, they’re hoping to cater to all kind of sports fans.
On hand to test out the equipment was Blair Bursey, a Newfoundlander who just finished his first year as a professional golfer.
“These (simulators) are quite good,” Bursey said. “A lot of (professional golfers) probably have these in their basement.
“In Newfoundland, it’s just such a short season, so a place that could alleviate that a little bit (will do well). People who are interested in the game generally like to have a few pints afterward too.”
Twitter: @andrewLwaterman
