REALiTEE Golf will become a reality this year. The indoor golf concept, created by Dave Shultz of Anaheim, has a venture partner in the Lummi Nation Indian tribe and a location at Silver Reef Hotel Casino and Spa in Ferndale, Wash., that’s scheduled to open before the end of 2017.
Shultz started shopping his concept in February 2016 at the Golf Industry Show in San Diego and considered several locations before finding a fit with Lummi Nation.
“They had been interested in the golf entertainment world and took the step of hiring a business development resource to look for emerging opportunities like this,” Shultz said. “When they saw we were doing something this innovative, they jumped on it. It really resonated with them. They had even considered buying an actual golf course but chose this because of its unique approach as an entertainment and real golf solution.”
REALiTEE Golf re-creates the golf experience through simulators and green complexes in a live play area that allows shots of up to 40 yards. The concept will launch with four simulators and nine flagsticks that can accommodate 18-hole rounds through a variety of short-game scenarios. The 10,000-square-foot space will also have a second-level sports bar to add the social element to the golf experience Shultz wants to provide, and there will be three gaming modes: free play, tournament and scramble, which will have handicap-weighted shots.
Robert Trent Jones II has signed on to design the course, and TruGolf will provide the simulators. There will also be a large video wall that can, among other things, display destination courses around the world.
Shultz said the venue’s capacity of 150 will allow it to accommodate several foursomes a day since an 18-hole round should take 90 minutes or less. He equates REALiTEE Golf to putting golf in an arena and as an alternate way to play the game.
“It’s like what UFC is to boxing,” he said, “and it fits golf like a glove.”
The technology makes the game progressive, but Shultz said purists like the concept because it has a real-golf element to it. Among those to compliment the approach is John Daly, who Shultz met at the PGA Show in Orlando in January.
“John wants to see the game thrive and survive as much as anybody,” Shultz said, “and he thought our concept sounded awesome.”
That the Pacific Northwest will host the first location is fitting to Shultz, who was stationed there in the military and remembers that the unpredictable weather didn’t dampen the spirit of avid golfers.
“It has a hard-core golfing community,” he said. “They play with space heaters in their golf carts. They go anyway because they’re used to weather getting in the way.”
While the Washington location is being constructed, Shultz said a micro version of the game will be built in downtown Santa Ana to further showcase the concept to investors or those possibly looking for private installation in their homes.
The Lummi Nation intends to sell and distribute the game throughout the Native American gaming industry, but Shultz said that’s merely one possible future for a game that will have many channels to market.
“This is an ideal golf practice concept for colleges and universities, and I could also see it in the homes of high-net-worth individuals or in resorts around the world,” he said. “My goal is create a global brand that remains a small, family oriented company.”
Alternate forms of the game, such as Topgolf, are changing the way people enjoy it, and Shultz said that having a first location for REALiTEE Golf puts it on the map as a major player.
“We’re ahead of the industry,” he said, “and this model will make sure we stay ahead.”
