Play Pebble Beach, other courses at new indoor golf simulator opening in north Modesto
A once nearly vacant shopping strip in an otherwise busy northwest Modesto retail complex is springing to life thanks to fried chicken and indoor golf.
A new golf simulator and pro shop will open next door to the Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers under construction in the North Pointe Shopping Center on Pelandale Avenue. The Swing Center will offer area golfers an indoor, climate-controlled driving range and course simulators, as well as a repair and fitting shop in the space of the former Aaron Brothers framing shop.
Modesto native Brian Harvey, who started playing golf with his father in sixth grade and now plays weekly with his teenage son, is behind the new project. The Central Catholic alum was on the school’s varsity golf team and continued playing for fun into adulthood.
But it was a trip to San Francisco with his wife about three years that got him thinking about indoor golf, and bringing simulator technology to the Valley.
“I got my wife a massage and stumbled upon an indoor golf center in the city,” he said. “After some research, I realized there is a market for that here. The Central Valley has thousands and thousands of golfers and not really anything like this for them.”
The Swing Center will have at least five golf simulator-launch monitor stations where golfers can hit real balls and see the virtual results on large screen in front of them. The simulator can be set up as a driving range or one of 200 real-world courses.
The simulators use high-speed mounted cameras to track the spin, rotation and speed of the ball as it’s hit. The screen will then show the ball’s flight path virtually and give golfers their real-time swing data, too. The program simulates all aspects of one’s golf game, from driving and long iron play to the short game with chipping and putting.
Harvey said he’s not trying to replace real golf courses, or the outdoor experience of playing the game. Instead, his new business will be a supplement for people looking to improve and newcomers looking for experience. He hopes to open by the end of the year.
“I’m not going to try to compete with regular golf courses. People like the activity of actually walking the course,” he said. “This is a complementary golf choice. Some people don’t want to endure the 100-degree heat during the summer and this will also give them a couple extra swings after dark.”
The system will allow golfers to explore some of the most famous golf courses in the world, including California’s celebrated Pebble Beach and Florida’s TPC Sawgrass, where the Players Championship is held.
Harvey previously worked for his father’s Modesto cleaning chemical business, Enviro Tech, but when the company was sold at the start of this year, he decided to move forward with his plans for the new indoor golf center. He is using a Uneekor simulator system, which is about 12 feet wide and 6 feet tall. The system’s impact screen can withstand ball speeds of more than 200 mph and is designed to reduce noise and bounce.
The 6,500-square-foot interior already has been demolished. The project is waiting for permit approval continue the build out, which once complete will include the simulator bays with accompanying tables and seating, a lounge area, custom putting green, retail merchandise area and service shop.
Harvey said area golfers can take advantage of his pro shop services before the center opens. He is offering special appointment-based club fitting and repair services through the business website, swingcenter209.com.
The Swing Center also will sell an assortment of prepackaged snacks and drinks., as well as beer and wine. He plans to allow people to bring in their own outside food to encourage groups and a social atmosphere inside.
Pricing will be based on time use, and fees have not been finalized. But Harvey said he expects an hour rental to cost around $50. He also plans to start a membership program, which will be discounted.
Harvey said he picked the location, next door to the Raising Cane’s under construction in the former Pier 1 space, because of the increased traffic the popular fast-food chain is expected to bring to the area. The restaurant is in the framing process, and company representatives said to expect an early 2023 opening. The chain has large hiring banners hanging at the construction site, and job applications for some positions are being accepted already.
The chain seeks applicants for general and shift managing positions for two new locations planned in Stanislaus County, the Pelandale site under construction in Modesto and the planned new site in Ceres in front of the former Kmart.
For more information on Raising Cane’s hiring, visit jobs.raisingcanes.com.
Once open, the restaurant and Swing Center should help enliven the North Pointe Shopping Center strip that previously was filled with Aaron Brothers, Pier One, and Catherines women’s clothing — the latter two which both closed amid the pandemic. Cost Plus World Market is the only open business in its complex branch, but the larger shopping center includes Costco and Lowe’s.
