A Stimulating Simulation: The Tee Box
Photos by: JOHN BURNS
The Tee Box, a four-bay indoor golf simulation space, recently opened its doors at 906 S. Kansas Ave., but the business concept actually came to life in late 2019 in the cab of co-owner Brandon Best’s truck.
“I was driving to Colby, Kansas, listening to the PGA channel on the radio,” Best said. “They were talking about how the tour was being converted to virtual simulated play because of COVID. I thought to myself, ‘wouldn’t it be great to be able to play golf indoors all year round?’”
Intrigued by the idea of simulated golf experiences, Brandon began doing some research. He found a place on the east coast that offered what he was looking for, but nothing close to home. The more research he did, the surer he became that he had a winning business concept. Brandon brought another avid golfer and good friend, Jake King into the venture and the two never looked back.
They began by tracking three years of weather patterns in The Farmer’s Almanac.
“We discovered that there were only about 86 days of the year when the temperature was above 55 degrees and below 95 degrees without rain or snow,” said King, co-owner and manager. “We noticed that the parking lots of Topeka’s nine golf courses were always full and knew there would be a market for people who wanted to play year round.”
Using Trackman Simulation Solutions technology, The Tee Box offers patrons of all ages and skill sets opportunities to play games and check their prowess on more than 140 courses across the United States and in some foreign countries seven days a week.
“I’ve played Shangri-La, a PGA course in Oklahoma, in person several times,” said King. “On our system, the course looked just like it did when I was there last.”
Patrons can select from four options—course play, shot analysis, games like closest to the pin and longest drive and a combination option that professional golfers use to assess their swing. They can also participate in tournaments with players from all over the world. King hopes to eventually host a tournament at The Tee Box.
“There is a lot of pride and respect in being a golfer,” said King. “The challenge is never ending. You can always get better at it and when you finally hit that one great shot, it sucks you in. You want to replicate that feeling. On the course, whether you play well or not, you still get to visit with your teammates and have a drink, and now you can do it here year-round.”
The Tee Box has clubs available for adults and children who don’t have their own and offers golf instruction too.
“It’s a great way for kids to find out whether they like it,” he said.
Open Sunday through Thursday 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 7 a.m. to midnight, The Tee Box strives to accommodate every demographic and offers private events like birthday parties and team building sessions. A four-person bay rental is $55 an hour, and a six-person bay is $70 an hour.
Although golf is the main attraction, the clubhouse experience is an integral part of the sport’s culture, so King and Best have replicated that with breakfast, lunch and dinner menus and craft cocktails developed by Pedro Concepcion, K.I.T. Solutions, and Aaron Zentner, respectively.
A variety of domestic and craft beers and gluten-free options are also available. The menu includes gourmet hot dogs, wings, salads, charcuterie boards and flatbread pizzas with a gluten-free crust option. For sweet cravings, customers can order a bucket of balls—cinnamon and sugar cake doughnuts.
“It’s a small menu but it packs a lot of flavor,” King said. “Some people come by just to eat.”
King left a 17-year career with HME Inc. to join Best, who owns and operates Best Trucking and is a Top City Logistics partner. King and Best own The Tee Box with their wives, Meagan King and Lindsey Best, who both work at Advisors Excel and have played an essential role in bringing The Tee Box to Topeka.
As with most new ventures, starting the business came with a few challenges, not the least of which was asking banks for a loan to open an indoor business right after COVID hit.
“Several banks turned us down before we found Equity Bank downtown,” Best said. “Jason Pickerell isn’t a golfer, but when we showed him the research and the business plan, he could see the revenue potential and gave us the backing we needed.”
Planning began two years ago when King and Best bought acreage in Southwest Topeka with the intention of building a new facility.
“When we were ready to get started with financing, the construction costs had tripled and the lead time went from nine months to two years,” said King. “The same day we decided to take a step back and lease, we found our spot on Kansas Avenue.”
Situated down the block from the Cyrus Hotel and across the street from The Pennant, King said the new location is ideal and a draw not only for locals but also business travelers and vacationing families. A couple of weeks before The Tee Box opened on Nov. 11, King and Best played in one of the bays for six hours.
“We quit around 1 in the morning,” said King. “We couldn’t get enough of it.”
Now King and Best enjoy seeing other people having fun in the new space.
“For two years, we worked hard and stayed at it,” he said. “Now we’re here and glad our customers are enjoying the experiences we provide.”
