The thought that a 10-bay netted golf range in Basildon might change the landscape of golf may seem a little far-fetched, but there is no question that there will be huge benefits of introducing golf to a wider audience.
The golf range at the Basildon Sporting Village is not part of a wider golf offering and is run on behalf of GolfPod’s owners by Everyone Active, who deliver leisure for many councils and institutions across the country, and are Basildon Council’s key leisure provider.
The GolfPod occupies just 40 m² and consists of 10 bays all powered with Range Servant ball delivery systems and Top Tracer technology, with the outfield covered in Astroturf for complete ease of operation.
The pod is open from 7am ‘til 10pm and allows golfers to hit balls in a safe and convenient environment, gaining invaluable feedback from the technology and enjoying the sport of golf. The facility attracts a complete mixture of golfing abilities from experienced players wanting to check their statistics to new golfers who are able to access the game without having to buy equipment, or deal with any of the inhibitions which they may have to deal with when visiting a more traditional golf facility.
Range Servant provides the back-office workings of the GolfPod, including the ball pit, washer system, elevator and the storage hopper. Their TeeBox dispensers hold 1800 balls at Basildon and are ideal for ranges selling time. Range Servant also sells TeeBoxes, which have different capacities. The TeeBoxes are filled every day and can be refilled at any time if the need arises. With the GolfPod at Basildon selling time, nothing could be simpler for the customer who merely taps the TeeBox when they want another ball.
Steven McDaniel from Range Servant spoke to Golf Features:
“We are delighted to be one of GolfPod’s partners as they roll out their product across various different types of venue. Our products are particularly well suited to taking the hassle out of range operation and enhancing the look and feel for the golfing customer. We are happy to partner with other specialist companies and have worked well with Echo Robotics who have supplied the ball picker. The TeeBox systems are particularly good for ranges selling time rather than vending balls. There are no messy baskets and golfers are delivered balls straight onto their mat for complete ease.”
Joe Ellis heads up the GolfPod Academy coaching at Basildon. He and his team provide individual coaching as well as groups for differing abilities. The site is part of the Everyone Active Leisure Centre and is just a few yards from the entrance and reception area. The site is largely unmanned, but clubs can be rented from the general reception and any issues dealt with. Bookings are online and the Sweetspot booking system works seamlessly. The overall impression of the range design is clean and sharp and the black mats and Callaway golf balls are a clear sign of quality and style.
Business is brisk and, with unlimited golf balls provided for 30 minutes at just £7, it is indeed good value. Best of all, these pods are totally safe, far less contentious from a planning perspective and, measuring only 40 m², they can be placed in almost any setting. The days of full flight golf ranges may well be numbered. That is not to say that the number of full flight golf ranges already in existence up and down the country will reduce their footprint and move to this restricted flight concept, but most ranges built from now on could well be in this style.
When planning and designing a new range there are many factors to consider: apart from the physical size of the range, there is also the issue of floodlighting which acts as a brake on the development of traditional golf ranges. In order to illuminate the back of the ball, from the golfers’ perspective, powerful floodlights need to be installed and also more focused beams to capture the ball’s flight throughout its journey. This leads to light pollution which is being heavily resisted by environmental pressure groups and concerned local residents. With a GolfPod, lighting can be focused downwards from the top of the structure so there is minimal overspill. For this reason alone, GolfPod will have a very bright future, but also from the point of view of space, the whole concept is a winner.
Range Servant has supplied the ball dispensing technology which allows the pod to function easily throughout the day with enough balls provided for each bay prior to opening: with a small tap of the club head another ball is released onto the mat for the golfer to hit. This is a much simpler system than other automated teaching systems such as Power Tee, but it is nevertheless an easy and elegant solution for a modern golf range.
There has long been a debate as to whether it is best to sell time at a range – which is the more modern idea – or to vend balls that need to be hit during a specific time period. With a much easier form of ball collection, it is not surprising that GolfPod is being delivered with unlimited balls and just sell time as an option for their customers.
The opportunity for GolfPods has been greatly enhanced by the introduction of range technology. Top Tracer, Trackman, Flight Scope, Awesome Golf, Inrange and several other options have been available to range operators over the last few years. The technology shifts the golfer’s focus from the visual image of the ball in flight to the screen. The screen conveys an image of the ball’s flight and all sorts of other useful (or confusing) stats for the golfer’s delectation. Fun based games can also be played and this helps to keep all types of golfer interested, regardless of ability. This has been a vital key in the progress and popularity of reduced flight golf ranges and underpins the GolfPod offering. Top Tracer is the technology partner for GolfPod and is part of Top Golf who operate perhaps the most intensive golf ranges in the world, and were the first to bring fun for all to the golf range industry.
GolfPod is the brainchild of Andy Weeks who has been the outstanding netting contractor across Europe for golf ranges over the last few decades. GolfPod utilises its market leading expertise on netting structures, taking it to another level.
Best of all, GolfPod is able to go into any type of market. There is no cost to the operator – providing they have a suitable site they will be considered for a project. There is considerable capital investment which is all born by the GolfPod company, but with no outlay for the host venue, which could be very appealing to many.
Golf Features caught up with Andy Weeks at GolfPod to hear more about the vision behind the business:
“I’ve long believed that opportunities to hit golf balls in an accessible leisure environment have been significantly undersupplied, both in the UK and internationally. Two of the biggest barriers have always been the space required and the challenges of securing planning permission.
“GolfPod addresses those issues through a fully-enclosed netted system. By ensuring that balls cannot leave the site, it provides a safe, space-efficient way for venues to make golf more accessible to a much wider audience.
“Since developing that original concept, Steve Pockneall and I, as founders, have brought together an experienced team to turn the idea into a scalable business. Our Chairman, Michael Phillips, and Managing Director, Mike Stone, have been instrumental in driving GolfPod’s growth across the UK, Europe and beyond. We are supported by a wider group of investors and partners who bring considerable expertise to the business.
“With two sites now operational, a third under construction and many more progressing through the planning system, we are preparing for significant expansion in 2027 as we introduce GolfPod to new venues and markets.
“Ultimately, our ambition is simple: to make golf more accessible and bring the enjoyment of the game to a far broader audience than ever before.”
Mark Taylor, who is the Partnership and Operations Director for GolfPod added:
“We’ve been absolutely delighted with the customer feedback since we opened the GolfPod at Basildon. It’s not a traditional golfing site, so we didn’t know what to expect, but there are so many golfers in this location that it is not surprising that we have been very busy since we started.
“We’ve also been extremely pleased with the response from non-traditional golfers: those that have played in the past, young stars of the future and those that had never considered playing golf before but wanted to give it a go. Everybody loves the technology and the ease of which they can have an entertaining time at our facility. The Council have been great, as have the leisure operators. We very much look forward to opening many more GolfPod sites, some of which will be at traditional golfing venues and some of them will be at similar sites to this. It’s a very exciting phase in the development of golf.”
GolfPod is set to play an important role in the future of golf. Millions will take their first golfing steps at GolfPods across the world and it will prove to be a key link in shaping the future of the game for decades to come.
For more details visit: golfpod.co.uk