SPARTANBURG — A new entertainment concept centered on golf is set to open downtown this spring.
Streaking Birdies Golf will open on the lower level of RJ Rockers Brewing Co. on West Main Street near Craft Ax Throwing. The business will have five indoor TRACKMAM Golf Simulators that can be used for entertainment, teaching or practice purposes.
Co-owner Jeff Ruth describes the business as a golfer’s paradise and is aiming for an early April opening.
“If people want to have a great time with their friends, family or business colleagues, this is the place,” Ruth said. “It’s going to be a very relaxed, friendly and fun atmosphere on a daily basis.”
The computerized setup of the simulator is designed to mimic a real game of golf and record club and ball data. The radar system records data such as club speed, ball speed, spin rate, spin axis, carry and smash factor.
Users have the option to choose from over 213 golf courses to play on. There can be eight people in each bay at a time, and guests can play an 18-hole round of golf in an hour.
Ruth said he and his business partner tried out several different indoor simulators but decided to go with a company called TRACKMAN because of the accuracy and precision.
He said TRACKMAN’s systems use the highest level of technology for playing indoors or teaching golf.
There was a soft opening for the business last November.
A simulator is in the upper level of RJ Rockers Brewing Co. Ruth said he’s gotten a lot of good feedback from the public and has stayed busy since the soft opening because people have been reserving the simulator.
Ruth has been a golf pro for over 25 years, taught over 30 students who have gone on to play Division l and Division ll golf and has managed four different private country clubs.
He said some of the best parts of his previous jobs were teaching and being in charge of events. For Ruth, the business model of Streaking Birdies Golf brings the two together. There will be one caddy that Ruth regularly uses for golfing lessons.
In addition to entertainment and teaching, the five simulators will also be used for league and tournament play.
Those with little to no experience are welcome to play.
“You never lose a ball, so there’s no pressure,” he said.
John Bauknight, owner of RJ Rockers Brewing Co. and co-owner of Streaking Birdies Golf, said he’s trying to keep the industrial look that the 5,000-square-foot space already has while also incorporating a country club feel.
“We’re going to have a little bit of a ‘wow’ factor when you walk in as far as the furniture, fixtures and equipment that we’re putting in,” Bauknight said. “It’s going to catch people’s eyes.”
Around the five golf simulators, there will be a bar and additional seating and tables. There will also be an area for parents to wait for their children when they are having golfing lessons.
Streaking Birdies Golf will have corporate, family and individual memberships. Once the limited amount is filled, there will be open times for those without memberships to make reservations.
Bauknight said that he and Ruth are going to private label a beer and call it Streaking Birdies Beer.
Menu items for the business will come from RJ Rockers Brewing’s kitchen. Bauknight said he and his team are still working to finish a menu. The names of menu items will play off golf terminology such as par, bogey and eagle.
Streaking Birdies Golf will be open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 9 pm
The owners are encouraging those interested in memberships or lessons to make reservations on streakingbirdies.com, preferably before the business opens.
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