The Green: Chicago’s Newest Golf Experience
Location:
Chicago, IL
Scope:
Kitchen Design, Equipment Supply & Installation
The game of golf is so much more than a sport. A few hours playing 18 holes can also be fun time to socialize with friends and a chance to get out and enjoy a unique atmosphere. As the concept of indoor golf grows in popularity around the country, Matt Barry and Connor Ptacin saw an opportunity to bring all of the benefits of the traditional golf course to a creative new indoor golf concept, The Green.
Barry and Ptacin set a goal to provide a top-notch golf experience people from all walks of life could enjoy. Their focus included three components: technology, atmosphere and foodservice. “So many times, when we visited indoor golf facilities, we found a dark environment with low ceilings, and a menu that didn’t offer much more than frozen pizza and a few beers,” Barry says. “We envisioned something different, that not only offered indoor golf but also a place to gather with friends and enjoy good food.”
The Green sets itself apart in all three areas, starting with the golf game itself. After thorough research, Barry and Ptacin found a golf simulator out of Korea that exceeded their expectations. This program uses technology to adjust the floor to replicate the exact lie of each shot, making the entire game more realistic, from chip shots to putting.
The simulator was only part of the equation in creating a great indoor golf atmosphere. “One of the reasons indoor golf facilities seem dark is because too much light affects the quality of the projection and can harm the equipment,” Barry says. “Our space has wonderful floor-to-ceiling windows all around and we wanted to preserve the light, open feel while still protecting the investment in our technology.” After a thorough design process, The Green was able to get the desired result – a custom installation where the simulator booths, couches, tables and lighting features work together for optimal performance and atmosphere.
Great Food from a Small Space
With the golf element in place, Barry and Ptacin turned to Adam Goodloe, project manager at Boelter, to work his magic designing a kitchen capable of producing a menu full of items to match the quality of the golf experience at The Green. The project came with a couple of challenges – not only was the kitchen area only 1,500 square feet after making room for the golf simulators, the building itself had never housed a kitchen before, which created challenges.
Goodloe rose to the challenge by finding the right equipment and having a creative take on refrigeration to make the most of the space available while keeping costs down. “I am so pleased with the final result of our kitchen design,” Barry says. “We went back and forth with Adam through multiple design iterations to figure out exactly how to place the golf simulators while allowing enough room for all the storage area needed for refrigerators and freezers. Not only is the layout creative and efficient in the tight space allowed, but Adam was so patient and accommodating to our wishes through the whole process.”
Goodloe turned to the experts at True Mfg. to specify the equipment for The Green. Cold storage plays an important role,” Goodloe says. The kitchen utilizes a two-door cooler/freezer in lieu of a walk-in to save space.
The Bar and Lounge: Creating Atmosphere
While the kitchen provides the food, the bar and lounge provide the atmosphere that makes The Green a social destination. The bar is equipped with three cocktail stations each with the ability to pour draft beer and cocktails in addition to serving bottled wine and champagne.
“Draft cocktails are a popular item, and Boelter designed the space and provided the equipment we needed to make this a feature of The Green’s bar,” Barry says. The Green’s mixologist creates cocktails by the batch, which are then served through a special keg from Boelter with a fan running constantly to keep the drinks mixed. “Having draft cocktails sets our bar apart from the competition, while helping control costs by not having to staff multiple trained bartenders,” Barry says.
Opening in August 2022, The Green serves as a unique new golf experience in downtown Chicago, but thanks to the foresight of Barry and Ptacin and the expertise of the Boelter team, the design is scalable for expansion. “Finding usable, appropriate real estate can be challenging in urban areas, but this creative approach and design helps give our concept the ability to go almost anywhere,” Barry says.
Read more about Adam Goodloe, and see some of his extensive project portfolio.