When Chris Ingham and Elliot Godfrey first met as juniors at South Beds Golf Membership in 1999, they’d no approach of understanding that they’d go on to run one of many UK’s most talked-about golf companies collectively.
However quick ahead 26 years and that’s the place that the 2 lifelong mates discover themselves in as co-founders of Pitch Golf.
The fashionable indoor golf membership has simply opened its fourth venue within the coronary heart of Canary Wharf and – with two extra places coming this Spring – there’s a lot extra to return.
“Although we performed collectively as juniors, for the following fifteen years or so our careers adopted fairly totally different PGA paths – our first main collaboration collectively was The CityPoint Golf Studio in Moorgate,” recounts Ingham.
“We had a few bays for instructing and membership becoming, however we noticed that conventional simulator experiences have been being left behind by the best way actual golf was progressing.
We felt that fashionable simulator tech lent itself completely to one thing extra social and inclusive.”
The pair’s response was Pitch Golf, which debuted in Bishopsgate in 2016. Six years later – albeit barely delayed for apparent causes – Pitch grew to become a multi-venue membership with the opening of Pitch Soho.
PITCHING OVERSEAS
The model first expanded abroad final 12 months with a brand new enterprise in Dublin and shortly will probably be opening in Melbourne, Australia, and the US later this 12 months alongside different European venues.
As Godfrey places it: “It’s no coincidence that we search for places in busy, fast-paced elements of main cities.
For individuals who reside and work in these locations, discovering the time to journey to a golf course and play eighteen holes will be so tough. Indoor golf is way simpler to suit right into a busy schedule.”
However no matter which venue you step into, the essence of Pitch’s signature type is similar.
“All of our venues use the absolute best expertise, however that’s solely half the story. We all the time serve cocktails and our Asian-inspired menu, each venue has an unique members’ space and plenty of of them have built-in areas for reside DJ units.
These are locations to socialize, calm down and revel in yourselves whether or not hitting golf balls or difficult mates to a recreation of shuffleboard.”
New concepts are nonetheless being developed and carried out as Pitch continues to develop (in a matter of months, Birmingham and Manchester will turn out to be the following cities to hitch the Pitch revolution).
CONCEPT STORE
One such instance is the UK’s first TRENDYGOLF Idea Retailer, which opened alongside Pitch Wharf in February.
“TRENDYGOLF and Pitch felt like a pure match,” says Ingham concerning the partnership with the web retailer, “they worth type, inclusivity they usually wish to attempt one thing totally different, which aligns carefully with our personal ethos.”
Inclusivity is without doubt one of the key phrases at each Pitch location. “We would like guests to really feel welcome at any time. Pretty or unfairly, there are such a lot of obstacles related to golf. Once you break down these obstacles and introduce new folks to the sport, everyone wins.”
