Indoor golf venture opens on Lineville in Howard

Rich Palzewic

Staff

December 16, 2022

HOWARD – What started out as a joke between two Green Bay area couples – Danny and Angela Johnson and Andrew Hucek and Jen Chamberlain – recently turned into reality with the opening of The Clubhouse Indoor Golf on Lineville Road in Howard.

“Andy and I were at another golf simulator place in the area, and Andy said to me, ‘I’m thinking about putting a net up in my basement so I can hit golf balls into it,’” Johnson said. “I said to him, ‘That’s okay, but you might be developing bad habits. What you really need is a golf simulator.’”

Johnson said the back-and-forth joking continued over the next few weeks.

“We eventually got together and talked about it,” he said. “Andy said he was joking about the whole thing, but we told him we were serious about it – there’s nothing like this in the immediate (Howard) area. It took some convincing and hemming and hawing, but that’s the story.”

A small-business loan and several months later, work inside the building began in June, which Johnson said had sat vacant for “quite a few years.” 

“We initially looked at another building in the area, but it wasn’t set up properly for the simulators,” Johnson said. “We eventually settled on this building at 2445 Lineville Road – it has a lot of traffic, and I think it’s only going to increase with more (development) being built (in the area).”

The Clubhouse Indoor Golf co-owner Danny Johnson said the business started out as a joke earlier this year and turned into reality in November with the opening. Rich Palzewic Photo

Johnson said though he had a Master of Business Administration degree, he was “very nervous to get things going.”

“I was working with a health insurance company, but my wife encouraged me to go back to school,” he said. “I then stayed at home with my newborn daughter for almost two years before this opportunity came up. The four of us had to come up with business plans and forecasts and present that to the bank – it was a total team effort.”
 
Work inside the building
Johnson said the setup of the Lineville Road building was nearly perfect for what they needed.

“With it being a former Anytime Fitness, the floors and rubber matting in specific areas weren’t changed,” he said. “We were going to tear up the floors and clear coat the concrete, but the contractor said that would make it loud and echoey – it worked out well.”

Johnson said walls had to be built between each of the five simulators.

“We had exactly enough room for five simulators – a perfect amount,” he said. “We also added a bar and some TVs, but most of the work and cost went into the kitchen. There were two showers and an electrical panel back there, but we walled it off and added what we needed.”

Johnson said construction wrapped up in mid-October.

“Construction was still ongoing when the simulators were being installed – it came down to the wire,” he said. “Fortunately, unlike many other businesses, we didn’t have supply chain issues. We had a few minor delays, but nothing major.”
 
The simulators
Johnson said The Clubhouse ordered its simulators from Full Swing, a sports virtualization hardware and software company.
“We did lots of research on the best simulators – we wanted the best,” he said.

Johnson said the Full Swing simulator has the most accurate camera-based system on the market with patented dual-tracking technology.

Johnson said they have three widescreen and two normal screen simulators.

The Clubhouse Indoor Golf is located at 2445 Lineville Road in Howard next to Piggly Wiggly. Submitted Photo

“They’re great pieces of equipment, but they’re not cheap,” he laughed. “Between the five simulators, we have almost $300,000 invested.”

Johnson said just like the outdoor version, everyone plays and enjoys a golf game at a different place.

In general, he said it takes approximately 45 minutes per person to play 18 holes.

Johnson said all simulators have full-swing golf, as well as showdown golf, which includes head-to-head golf competitions, skill contests or arcade-style golf games.

And though golf is in the name and essentially sparked the idea to open the business, Johnson said to not be deceived by the name – it’s more than golf.

“The simulators allow for many other interactive sports – 13 total,” he said. “We’ve had families come in and enjoy the simulators. It’s not just golf.”

Johnson said the simulators also have basketball, rugby, lacrosse, football, baseball, hockey and cricket options.

“It’s amazing what these simulators can do,” he said. “They cost a lot, but they’re fun to use.”

Johnson said participants can get instant analytics of their performance, measured with high-speed cameras and/or sensors.

Johnson said most people use their own golf clubs, but The Clubhouse also has clubs to rent if needed.
 
How’s business?
Johnson said so far, business has been steadily increasing since the early November opening.

“It started a bit slow because we didn’t have a lot of marketing out there,” he said. “I’d say 80% of our business has been word of mouth.”

With the outdoor golf season gone for the year, Johnson said it was “the perfect time to open The Clubhouse.”

“We have a group of 20 guys who play their league here on Thursday nights,” he said. “They can’t golf outside now, so what better way to do it than here? We book out the whole place to them. They’re here from 6-9 p.m.”

Johnson said The Clubhouse will start its own leagues in January – which he expects most of the simulator business to come from.

“People who aren’t in leagues can book a time through our website (theclubhousegb.com) or call in, too,” he said. “We’ve had lots of people come in and say, ‘We like the vibe in here, and it’s friendly and welcoming.’ There aren’t many options for indoor golf, so people who may have driven to the few other options in the area have said they’ll come here now.”

In addition to the interactive games, Johnson said there is a bar and food items for sale.

“We’ve had people come in and just watch games and grab a bite to eat,” he said. “We’ve had plenty of people come in, even if they’re not a golfer or into the other interactive games.”

The Clubhouse hours are 3-9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, noon to 9 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

The Clubhouse is closed Monday and Tuesday.