Golf enthusiasts are taking a swing at golf simulator, bar
Blake Krueger, Jesse Sletten, Tom Lester, Shawn Sundine, and James Harsma have joined together for a new business venture. Krueger, Sletten, Sundine and Harsma will be co-owners of Inside Swing’s simulator bar, while Lester – the owner of Basilleo’s Pizza Restaurant – will expand his business into Owatonna and run the restaurant. Submitted photo
Golfers, get your bags ready: Owatonna will introduce a new golf simulator bar and restaurant to town this fall when “Inside Swing” opens its doors to the public.
The business will bring together sports and dining – featuring four simulator bays, a full bar and a co-op kitchen with Faribault-based pizza restaurant, Basilleo’s Pizza Restaurant.
“The idea came together from us being golfers. We all try to get together once a week to play, and we’ve played on a ton of simulators in surrounding towns. We actually helped build one in a buddy’s garage, and that led us to think, ‘Well, why don’t we have something like this out here in Owatonna,’” said co-owner James Harsma.
The idea to partner with Tom Lester’s Basilleo’s Pizza Restaurant was a simple one: the group loves his restaurant, and he brings to the table – pun fully intended – a vast knowledge of the service industry, Harsma said.
As of now, the ownership circle of Harsma, Lester, Blake Krueger, Jesse Sletten and Shawn Sundine are hopeful for a Sept. 1 opening at its 685 W. Bridge St., Suite No. 5 location.
The building the group is renovating to use for the simulator bar and restaurant will be inside of the former Torey’s Restaurant banquet hall, offering plenty of space for recreation, bar seating and a dining room.
According to Harsma and Sundine, the simulator bays will be available to rent out for allotted time slots with competitive hourly rates.
Those looking for a fun day out of the house will have the opportunity to rent a bay and choose from over a thousand different courses to play, all while being able to order drinks from the bar and food from the kitchen.
According to the ownership group, leagues and tournaments are also looming on the horizon for those looking for some competition.
However, Inside Swing is not just a haven for the golf crazed.
“Everyone is welcome to come in and have a drink or just sit down for a meal. Obviously, we all love golf and hope to see the community come in and be excited about the simulators, but we are also a restaurant and bar,” said Harsma. “We’ve seen from Basilleo’s social medias how much people love the food. We know that Tom is excited and ready to expand as well, and so far the general feedback from the community has been positive.”
Basilleo’s menu offers everything from pizza and pasta to salads and appetizers, ensuring that diners will have a large spectrum of choices.
Despite the summer months being filled with renovations and checking to-do-list boxes, everyone on board the Inside Swing ownership group is in high spirits for the fall.
“It’s amazing. Being able to realize something you’re passionate about and bring it into your everyday life… it’s a dream for sure,” said Harsma.