For Golfuture, The Future Is Now
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2020-04-28
All Images Courtesy Golfuture/YouTube
By Lisa 'Longball' Vlooswyk for Inside Golf
The future is now. Golfuture.
Golfuture is an innovative new concept, developed by Canadian Art Korpach and his sons, that may just revolutionize how golf is played.
Korpach is a savvy businessman from Calgary, Alberta. He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and was the former Vice Chairman of Investment Banking of CIBC World Markets where he managed the firm’s global oil and gas business.
While working in the corporate sector, Korpach was an active father of three young boys. There was often not enough hours in the day to go play 18 after work with his children, so Korpach took his boys to his home course, the Glencoe Golf and Country Club, and would enjoy quality time hitting balls, rolling putts and laughing and having fun at the club’s practice range.
This is where the concept of Golfuture came from. Korpach realized there was a more efficient and cost-effective way to play golf. The two biggest complaints about golf are the amount of time it takes to play 18 holes and the cost. Golfuture addresses both.
Golfuture sites will be located on a relatively small footprint and centre around an entertainment facility that would offer food and beverages in a lounge like atmosphere. Players can select a 'Practice Mode' to practice shots to designated areas and receive feedback through tablets located in each bay, about yardage and shot shape through radar tracking or they can play predesigned 'Driving Range' games.
Golfuture President Art Korpach
Players can also select to play 9, 18 or a specific number of holes they wish, for a round of golf. This is the true genius of this proprietary patent pending new concept. Golfuture offers the technology and golf facilities to allow golfers to play a full and accurate 18-hole round from a driving range sized property. Golfers can now play a regulation length 18 holes in as little as 45 minutes versus 4 hours, at a fraction of the cost.
“The cost of golf escalated as urban real estate values increased. Traditional golf courses are often 150-160 acres. As a result, most golf courses have been moved out of urban centres, which makes them less accessible for many people, particularly young families and millennials,” commented Korpach. He added, “I love golf. I started playing when I was 14-years old. I am passionate about the game, but what I see today is that on top of jobs, and family commitments, it is difficult to have time to play a traditional golf course, which means a time commitment of likely 6 or more hours door-to-door.”
At Golfuture sites, golfers use the Golfuture smartphone application to select course parameters including their preferred par and yardage. They also select their playing partners. Once multiple Golfuture sites are available, players will have the capability to play against a friend who is at another Golfuture facility in another city. Single golfers can also feel part of a group, as others will be around them while they play. Daily and weekly contests will offer guests the opportunity to test their skills against others.
Art Korpach And His Sons, Sean (Centre) & Thomas (Right), Are Using The Age Of Technology To Help Make The Game More Accessible To More People
Every Golfuture game is broken into 4 quadrants. In the first quadrant you will play all your Par 4 and Par 5 tee shots back to back. Each tee shot will be recorded for distance and accuracy to a specified target. In the second quadrant you will hit all your par 3 tee shots and all your approach shots for the par 4s and 5s.
There will be multiple greens and you will be instructed which targets to aim at based on where your drives landed. In the third quadrant you will play any chips and bunker shots for those holes where you did not hit the green. There will be an actual bunker for you to hit from.
The last quadrant will be a classic grass 18-hole putting green. You will be given a designated spot to putt from based on where you finished your last shot onto the green for each hole. You will then be given a score for each hole.
Calgary local resident and famed Golf Course Architect, Gary Browning, will be involved with the design of the target greens and the grass putting green, which will cover over one-half of an acre. Browning has over 30 years of experience in the field and has worked on famed courses such as Stewart Creek Golf and Country Club and the Kananaskis Country Golf Course Restoration.
Mary Moran, President and CEO of Calgary Economic Development, is a fan of the new Golfuture model. She stated, “The new spin or the embracing of innovation in golf is going to create a rebirth of golf. Part of that is it is going to appeal to those that are technology minded, the younger generations. It is also going to make it more accessible to more people.”
The first official Golfuture site will be in Calgary, Alberta, centrally located at the wildly popular Golf Canada Calgary Golf Center location. In November 2019, Golf Canada transferred the 42-acre property lease and sold the operation and assets to Golfuture YYC.
Topgolf was a disrupter in the golf industry and has proven that innovation in golf entertainment is extremely successful. What takes Golfuture a step above Topgolf is that, not only is it an ideal place for beginners to start but it focuses on the serious golfer who wants to play an actual round and have a green grass putting experience.
Artist's Conception Of A Golfuture Facility Layout - (Note: This Will Not Be The Layout Of The New Facility In Calgary. Each Facility Will Differ Depending On Size And Space Of The Property)
At some Topgolf facilities you are not allowed to bring woods or drivers with you to the teeing area. When you get there, it is a driving range and you shoot at targets for practice or engage in accuracy contests for points. Golfuture technology allows you to play an 18-hole round, keep score and putt out in the same entertaining environment. It is the best of both worlds.
Golfuture is looking to expand its concept and hopes other facilities will see their vision and want to implement a Golfuture site on their property. This could mean North American golfers could play 18 holes year-round or even on their lunch hour. Now, that is a golf future worth looking forward to!
Lisa “Longball” Vlooswyk is an 8-time Canadian Long Drive Champion and currently competes on the Golf Channel World Long Drive Tour. She is a Keynote Speaker, Golf Entertainer and runs her own Golf Schools for Women. Lisa can be reached through her website www.LisaLongball.com or through Twitter @LisaLongball