As a fresh dusting of snow covers the local greens and fairways, a pair of new Aurora golf simulator businesses are catering to players new and experienced alike.
Located on Yonge Street next to Aw, Shucks!, Club X Indoor Golf is a “one-man show” run by Daniel Kwon, himself a former high-level golfer.
The 28-year-old grew up playing on public courses in Toronto, before appearing for some junior Canadian teams and then heading to university in Missouri on a golf scholarship. However, the grinding practice schedule, long hours on the road, and 6 a.m. off-season workouts left Kwon feeling “burned out.” After playing some smaller professional events in Florida, Kwon looked to make a career change.
“When you play those events, there are guys that are in their 40s, 45, maybe pushing 50, that have been doing it for 15, almost 20 years, and you're still not on the big stage yet,” said Kwon. “I didn't see the vision for my life. I didn't see that for myself.”
“I just thought that I could grind it out for 10 more years, try this, hopefully something sticks, but at some point in time with limited funding and sponsorships — they only give to the best players to cover their costs — so at that point, I was like, ‘I'm getting burnt out, not really loving it as much anymore,’” said Kwon.
He stepped away, took a corporate job in real estate and saved up some money. And in its absence, his heart grew fonder for golf, the sport to which he had dedicated a large chunk of his life.
“It kind of sparked more fire when I started playing for fun, with the boys or just with a few friends,” said Kwon. “It was just a less pressure environment. It wasn't your life on the line. It was just four hours of fun with your friends on the golf course.”
Kwon took over the location from One Bay Golf, a now shuttered simulator business. Renovations took several months before they were completed this past month, with Kwon opening the facility under its new name, Club X Indoor Golf.
Kwon said he plans on focusing more on social events. He recently secured a liquor licence, with his business having capacity for up to 99 people in the space.
“I wanted to do more of a community aspect where people can come, they can hang out, they can get to know each other a little bit more, too,” he said. “If you want to come for a date night, or you’re a complete beginner and you don't know what to do. I have rental clubs here, you can use them. Just walk in, grab a beer or a drink or anything like that.”
More information about Club X Indoor Golf, at 15230 Yonge St., unit #2f, can be found here.
Ace Track Golf
Meanwhile, another golfing simulator business is expanding its operations, focusing on helping high-level golfers from Aurora and beyond finetune their game.
Ace Track Golf on Englehard Drive first opened in December 2023, but recently opened a new private bay. The business caters to the avid golfer, according to co-founder Kristina Brown, co-founder of Ace Track Golf, which has partnered with several local golf clubs where players have regular sessions at the facility.
“We have a lot of those groups coming in consistently because being avid golfers, they like using technology that's very accurate,” said Brown, who also recently opened up another location in Collingwood.
There has been a flurry of golfing simulator businesses opening recently in Aurora, with On Green Golf, at 155 Addison Hall Cir., opening in November.
Ace Track uses the Trackman system, renowned for its accuracy, as well as allowing users to upload profiles that track their golfing statistics, helping to improve their game. There are also coaches on site.
An online play component allows users to compete against users at Ace Track’s other location or in international tournaments.
“There's actually online play where you could play with someone in, let's say in Japan, at the same time if you wanted, you could play together,” she said. “The technology itself is fantastic.”
More information about Ace Track Indoor Golf Center, at 40 Engelhard Dr., unit 9, can be found here.