RiNo indoor golf simulator bar The Local Drive is teeing up a new location.
Co-founders Winston Manley and Joe Lynch are opening the second spot in Longmont at 110 Emery St. in October.
“There’s 100,000 people in Longmont and minimal activity centers, not many large-event venues – there’s a need for it,” Lynch said.
Longmont “allows us to attract a greater range of demographics in Colorado,” Manley said. “It’s fairly central to a lot of municipalities that are scaling up and have seen a lot of growth.”
The new 5,100-square-foot location will have three large bays with Trackman simulators (com‐pared to RiNo’s five bays), a patio and a bar. The owners said each Trackman is about $60,000, and will cost $60 per hour to rent. Standard golf clubs are free, but higher-end clubs are available to rent.
The two said they started looking for a second location a few months after opening in RiNo’s Catalyst building last year , but felt Denver’s market was too saturated. Lynch estimated when they first opened, there were about five indoor golf facilities. Now, he said, there’s about a dozen.
“You can’t just plop one in Denver anymore and have it work. You have to put in more thought and intention,” Lynch said.
Although there are more options, Lynch said The Local Drive attracts customers because it caters to golfers and non-golfers alike.
Manley added the business highlights other local companies – it serves Denver craft beers and spirits, sells golf gear from Colorado businesses, displays artwork from Denver artists and even sources wood and turf from Colorado companies.
“People can come here and get a taste of Colorado,” Manley said.
The business racked in over $1 million in revenue in its first year.
Compared to the RiNo location, the pair said opening in Longmont was far easier. For example, permitting took 26 weeks in Denver but just over four in Longmont. Similarly, construction in Denver took seven months, while Longmont will be finished in three.
“They are very keen on bringing in new concepts and injecting life into their downtown,” Manley said. “It was a welcoming environment to step into, on the civic side.”
Manley said they signed the lease in March and invested more than $500,000 in the buildout. The space, owned by Mass Equities, was formerly part of the Butterball turkey factory, according to Manley. The building has since been separated into five suites. The Local Drive is taking the end cap, where spices used to be stored.
As a small ode to the building’s history, Manley said a Butterball turkey golf ball will be encased in‐side one of their tables, which are handmade by Lynch and Manley and showcase a miniature golf course inside.
Original Post: https://businessden.com/2023/08/24/rino-golf-simulator-bar-the-local-drive-adding-second-location-up-north/