Customer Feature: Slice Golf

Using Carl's Place golf simulator equipment, Slice Golf in Evansville, Wisconsin, opened in 2022. See how Slice Golf is doing with an indoor golf business.

Opening a niche indoor golf business might seem like a daunting task, even in a big city. But, Andy Tomlin had basically no problem starting his commercial golf simulator location, Slice Golf, in the small Midwestern town of Evansville, Wis.

But why Evansville, a city with a population of barely more than 5,000 people? Especially when he could start an indoor golf business in a nearby, larger city with more golf enthusiasts, such as Madison? 

“I grew up playing golf and was an instructor at the course here in town for 17 years. I’m the (high school) boys and girls golf coach now, so golf has been a huge part of my life for a long time,” Andy said. “I was thinking about putting one in the school and it just didn’t work out there, so my girlfriend and I decided it would be good to try to do one here on our own.

“So, here we are in this spot, right on the (main) four corners in town here. It ended up being a great decision … It’s been a big hit. It’s a small town, so you know a lot of people, so that helps. We’ve had a lot of people (in Evansville) who love to go and do these things (in Madison), but now they don’t have to drive (too far). We’ve been pretty busy so far and hopefully it continues.”

COMMERCIAL GOLF SIMULATOR COMPONENTS

Per Andy, Slice Golf is a laid back golf simulator and bar business that is inviting to all levels of golfers, from brand new to scratch. The small, corner location located at 1 E. Main St., Evansville, Wis. built a pretty sweet set up with Carl’s Place golf simulator equipment. Slice Golf uses:

• Two Carl’s Place Pro Enclosures with Premium Impact Screens

• Uneekor EYE XO launch monitors

• TGC 2019 software for the golfer looking to play just about any course

• Uneekor Refine software for the golfer looking to get some more serious training in

• Creative Golf 3D software for the newer golfers looking to have fun

“We cater to all skill levels of golf, and even if you’re not a golfer, we welcome anybody to come in, have a drink, and watch a game,” Andy said. “I know a lot of people are intimidated by this sport if you don’t play a lot, so we wanted to make this place inviting for the community to come in and just try it out.”

“We picked out the biggest (enclosure) possible that we could fit in here. We also went with the Uneekor (launch monitor) as it seemed to read the best and the most consistent than some of the others that I tried out. And for the price, you really get a lot of bang for your buck with these.”

He added that they chose Carl’s Premium Impact Screens for their durability.

“I didn’t want to hit a ball through the drywall and onto the road,” Andy joked.

To go along with the full bar at Slice Golf, Andy said they decided to incorporate other local businesses for their food options. They have QR codes posted around the business that link to other local restaurant menus so customers can order delivery or carry out from those local places and eat their food at Slice.

Golfers can not only simply reserve either golf simulator, but they also have the option to play in leagues or tournaments at Slice.

THE CARL’S PLACE EXPERIENCE

Andy appreciated how helpful Carl’s Place was while they were starting the golf simulator business. Customer Service Representative Zach helped talk him through location options he was considering. 

“The space we were looking at was just going to be too small. We could have fit simulators in there, but there would have been no room for anything else,” Andy said. “(Zach) was pretty up front and honest, which ended up being the best thing ever. We really appreciated that he let us know that and didn’t just try to make it work because we wanted to do it.”

Slice is located in a late 1800s building that was a realty office before an indoor golf facility. Although the transformation construction took some time, Andy said he didn’t have any large hurdles to opening his indoor golf business.

“It’s an old building, so it has some character and everybody seems to think it’s pretty cool,” Andy said.

Andy said opening Slice Golf would not have been possible without the help of Carl’s Place.

“(Zach) walked me through every step of the way,” Andy said. “I would definitely recommend Carl’s Place. I feel like they were able to customize to what we had to deal with here as far as the building and all that. It was really smooth. Zach was able to just tell me yes, this is going to work or no, it’s not going to work.”