There’s a new way to tee off in town.
Shotgun Golf is welcoming everyone to attend the grand opening of their newest 24/7 indoor range at 330 Holland St. W. in Bradford from 1 to 4 p.m. on Dec. 7.
In addition to snacks and refreshments, guests will have a chance to try their hands in one of the five golfing simulators which can recreate a driving range, on-course practice or target practice as well as providing performance analysis. On top of all that, the facility also includes a small putting green and couches where players can lounge while waiting for their turn.
“Whether they want to learn golf, they need a place to practice or they just want a place to hang out, I think we can provide that facility for them,” co-founder and chief executive officer Gary Luk said.
A part of the grand opening, Luk and co-founder Robert Marrella are planning to offer a raffle and those willing to put their skills to the test can also compete in games such as closest to the pin, longest drive or a hole-in-one challenge for the chance to win prizes including gear, golf balls, memberships, hours and even cash.
In the spirit of the holidays, the event is also set to include a food drive for the Helping Hand Food Bank, where guests can donate non-perishable items in exchange for more attempts at the games and prizes.
“We also want to help out the community,” Luk said.
He explained the Bradford location initially opened on Oct. 1 and so far everything has been going “pretty good,” with business picking up as more people find out about it.
“The kind of customers we find really enjoy the space are both serious and casual golfers,” Luk said.
Generally, more serious players might come by early in the morning before work, followed by more casual golfers in the afternoons, younger players after school lets out and “a lot” of interest in the evening after most people are finished work.
Luk attributes much of the popularity to the price, which varies by day and time, but is mostly between $35 to $39 per hour.
“Instead of four people paying $20 each to go out for a couple drinks, they can pay $35 and split that between four people, so it’s a much more affordable activity,” he said.
That was actually one of the main goals for Luk and Marrella when they started their first location in North York about 1.5 years ago, as Luk explained the costs to players accessing traditional courses — both in time and money — can be prohibitive with an average 18-hole game taking about four hours and fees and memberships increasing at some courses, while others close altogether.
“Not everyone can afford the time to do that, and not everyone can afford the green fees to do that,” he said. “It becomes almost this elite sport, and we didn’t think it was right.”
They decided to combine their passion for golf which they “love so much,” with Luk’s background in commercial real estate and Marrella’s background in construction to create their own twist on the golf simulator business with unstaffed locations that are “beautiful, functional and minimal,” to keep down overhead costs and pass on some of those savings to their customers.
“Everybody wants bang for buck and that’s what we try to do,” Luk said. “We kind of made it our mission statement to allow the sport of golf to be a little bit more accessible to everyone.”
As for why they wanted to expand to Bradford, Luk said they saw potential in a growing town with strong demand.
“Bradford, as a developing town, needs a lot more recreational space, a lot more commercial facilities to provide for the growing population,” he said.
More information, including how to book access to the range, is available on Shotgun Golf’s website.
