Whole Body

Play Like You’re in the PGA

Newport Indoor Golf is a state-of-the-art facility for pros and pupils alike

Posted

Right about this time of year, golfers throughout Southern New England are itching to hit the links, and though the calendar says spring is here, the elements are historically slow to get the memo. But where some golfers see frustration, Max Buerman of Providence saw an opportunity. “I couldn’t find an indoor facility nearby that I thought I was really good, and I thought, ‘If you can’t find something you like, you build it yourself,’” says the young entrepreneur. In 2017, Max’s parents, Gunther and Maggie, opened the Newport Car Museum in Portsmouth in an impressive 114,000-square-foot space on the sprawling Raytheon campus. With room to spare, Max envisioned the future home of an engaging, interactive, indoor golf experience, and got to work.

Newport Indoor Golf opened this past December and reservations for one of the four virtual golf bays are already booked one to two weeks out, depending on the day and time. The demand is so great, Max will be adding a fifth simulator this spring.

“I’m astounded – at 1pm [when we open], I have people banging down the door,” he says.

Each bay is equipped with a Trackman 4 simulator, which measures key data and instantly tracks club delivery, launch, ball flight, and landing. It’s the same technology used by PGA Tour players, measuring each golfer’s performance when you watch televised broadcasts of major tournaments. Haven’t made it over to Scotland to play the legendary Old Course at St Andrews (a.k.a. The Cathedral of Golf)? No worries – you can cue up the course from here. First timer that needs a lesson? Newport Indoor Golf has that as well.

Max says that since opening, he’s been pleasantly surprised to see the many players of all ages, skill levels, and backgrounds. “To give you an example, in a single day, back to back we had a three-year-old play with his mother and an 85-year-old play with his son,” explains Max, and an estimated 15 percent or more of their business comes from women. “We have two groups of eight ladies that come in regularly with pizza and have a great time,” he says. In fact, golfers from nearby Wanumetonomy Golf and Country Club in Middletown and other area golf clubs, he says, are enjoying the opportunity to sharpen their skills until they can play nine or 18 outside.

Newport Indoor Golf
1947 W Main Rd, Portsmouth

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here



X