Beyond the pub: Indoor golf is Ireland's newest social and team-building destination

Two caddies have turned their savings into a new city centre business — Cork’s first-ever indoor golf simulator

Ben Quigley and Rob O’Callaghan are co-owners and founders of Flyte Golf — Cork’s first-ever indoor golf simulator — at Marina Commercial Park. Picture: Noel Sweeney

With McIlroy’s back-to-back Augusta wins still fresh amid growing excitement for the Ryder Cup’s return to Ireland, the opening of Cork’s first-ever indoor golf simulator can not come at a better time for childhood friends and business partners Ben Quigley and Rob O’Callaghan.

The duo, both seasoned players and caddies, took inspiration from their travels and work in Florida, where indoor golf has evolved from a little-known novelty into a staple across golfing hotspots.

“We thought, if this sort of thing thrives in a place with incredible weather, imagine how well it will do over here,” Mr Quigley tells the Irish Examiner.

“Ireland has some of the best golf courses in the world, but at the end of the day, we’re very limited when it comes to our climate and how much can actually be played in the winter months. Cork needs a place like this to fill that gap.”

However, the simple concept and ambition to bring more to Cork golfers still required months of demanding and expensive work for the enterprising duo.

“Even finding the right location was a massive challenge,” says Mr Quigley.

“We considered several units across the city before landing on this one, but we always dreamt of doing this at the Marina.

“We eventually decided to hold out for a place here instead of settling somewhere else.”

But the capital intensity of such an ambitious project, which included the construction of five golf bays, a coffee dock, projectors, painting and tracking technology, cannot be understated, says Mr Quigley.

“It’s been quite expensive, but thankfully, it’s quite front-loaded. All our expenditure is coming out hot and heavy at the start,” says Quigley.

“But still, we’re doing this without any external funding or investment. Right now, it’s a 50-50 co-ownership between myself and Rob, and we’ve put everything that we saved over the years into it.”

The pair, both just 26 years old, are the sole employees of the city centre facility, which is open 14 hours a day, seven days a week. They balance this while also holding onto their caddying duties.

“There is one of us here at all times. And when one is here, the other is out working on the golf course because we need the money for this place.”

Impact of global conflict on its supply chain

In an era of growing economic uncertainty and rising business costs, Mr Quigley recognises Flyte’s opening comes at an interesting time. Even in its infancy, the business has already felt the impact of global conflict on its supply chain.

“We had to delay our opening because some of our equipment was held up for weeks in UK customs,” says Mr Quigley. 

“Our hitting mats, which are essential for the golf simulator, got stuck in the Strait of Hormuz, so we had to pivot to another strategy at the last minute. 

“We’ve definitely had a few additional obstacles added to our journey.”

However, delays and rising costs did little to dissuade the young entrepreneurs and economics graduates, who always envisioned owning a business someday.

“We always just wanted to work for ourselves. I love sports and meeting new people, and we have people from all walks of life coming in our door.

“We’ve had people in here who played golf all their life and others who haven’t held a club in years.”

The facility uses TrackMan technology, which measures the golf balls as they’re hit, recording speed, direction, height, angles, spin rates and roll distance, allowing players in-depth insights into their performance.

State-of-the-art technology

“The technology is second to none,” Mr Quigley explains. “It shows you everything.

“You can use it over time as well to track your improvement, which for me, has been a bit humbling at times. But it’s all good fun.

“Many people also just come here for some craic with their mates and prefer to play around. There’s no right or wrong way to enjoy it.”

The projectors also offer players the choice of more than 400 real-life courses, along with various interactive games for people of all ages, abilities, and team sizes.

“We want this to be a social outlet as much as a training one. These types of places are needed now more than ever, given there aren’t as many recreational options anymore outside of the pub,” Mr Quigley adds.

“We see this as a place for friends to come play and hang out, as well as for team-building, which is another thing we continue to explore.” .

Since the facility’s opening last month, the Glanmire native says the duo have been blown away by its reception.

“We were so nervous before we opened those doors. We were working to get the place in order up until the very last minute, waiting patiently for paint to dry and praying it wouldn’t get on people’s shoes. Thankfully it’s been a great success.”

Looking forward, the pair seek to replicate the success of local sports clubs in the area, pointing to the growing popularity of padel tennis as an example.

“We’re extremely inspired by the padel scene and want to see that same hype for golf,” says Mr Quigley.

While the business partners have become accustomed to long hours in Flyte and caddying shifts on the golf course, Mr Quigley concedes that more staff may also be needed to cover the 14 hours it’s open every day.

“We’ll probably see the team grow over the next few months, and for myself personally, I would have ambitions to scale this to more locations across the country. If we can replicate this across other sites, I would be very happy.”