Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer

Broheim’s Golf turns golf into a year-round sport

Broheim Golf

Instead of making money for somebody else Jon Goes wanted to do it for himself.

And he wanted to do something he loved; So he opened a golf bar.

“I love two things, golf and beer,” Goes says laughing. “I was told at a young age to do what you love, so I’m trying to figure out a way to do what I love.”

Eight years later…

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Goes opens Broheim’s Golf in Waukee on Feb. 3, 2017 for anyone to play golf indoors.

Players rent one of five golf simulators and choose from 66 preloaded courses. They hit marked golf balls into a large white screen that projects the course, with cameras and sensors tracking each swing. Guests pay by the hour to rent a simulator.

“It’s not as intimidating,” Goes says. “You aren’t in this big open space, you aren’t scared of losing golf balls or hitting in the trees.”

After testing out 15 different kinds of simulators Goes installed five About Golf Simulators that use a three track system to track the golf ball: Radar, camera and angle of the club.

“So if you were slicing or drawing it, and tha’s your typical show outside, that’s how it knows,” Goes says. “And the putting is what I fell in love with because it’s the most accurate putting I could find. For me, putting in here has made me a better putter outside.”

Goes said simulators can cost anywhere from $20,000-$100,000.

And while Goes says golfers can use their own balls, he recommends using ones provided by Brohiem’s Golf because they’re marked with paint patterns to track spin.

“It knows dynamic angles, launch angles, it knows if you are closing your club face, I can even show the ball spinning frame by frame,” Goes says. “We get a lot of people in here who have their egos hurt because they don’t hit it as far as what they say they do.”

‘Busy season’ is coming

Goes saw the concept at an Omaha bar eight years ago during a golf tournament a few of his buddies would do in the winter.

“And every time I went there I thought I could do it better,” Goes says. “It took me seven years to convince my wife and another year to pull it all together.”

The name “Broheim’s Golf” came from after their family golf tournament. Instead of the “Solheim Cup” their family golf tournament would be the “Broheim Cup.”

Starting with September, Goes expects Broheim’s Golf to go through its, “busy season” as temperatures decrease.

Leagues are available to sign up for or private leagues can be created. A pool and shuffleboard tables are also inside Broheim’s Golf along with flat screen televisions.

“I was hoping I could help grow the game and I feel like we are starting to,” Goes says.

 

Broheim's Golf turns golf into a year-round sport | Clay & Milk
A central Iowa ag-tech accelerator has secured more backers and finally has a name. The Greater Des Moines Partnership first announced the accelerator last year, naming four initial investors. On Monday, the Partnership said the program will be called the "Iowa AgriTech Accelerator" and named three new investors. The new investors include Grinnell Mutual, Kent Corp. and Sukup Manufacturing, all Iowa companies. They join investors Deere & Co., Peoples Co., Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Co. and DuPont Pioneer. Each investor has agreed to put up $100,000 for the first year of the accelerator. Startups entering the program will receive $40,000 in seed funding in exchange for 6 percent equity. Tej Dhawan, an angel investor and local startup mentor, is serving as interim director until the AgriTech Accelerator names a permanent leader. Dhawan held a similar role with the GIA before Brian Hemesath was named as managing director. As interim director, Dhawan said his main job includes hiring the accelerator's executive director, establishing a business structure and initial recruiting for the first cohort. The accelerator will place few filters, such as location and product, on the applicant pool, Dhawan said. "When you’re seeking innovation, innovation can come from every corner of the world so why restrict ourselves," he said. One area the the AgriTech Accelerator won't recruit from is biotech. For its first cohort, the AgriTech Accelerator will work out of the GIA's space in Des Moines' East Village, Dhawan said. A future, permanent home is still to be decided. The accelerator's program will host startups from mid-July through mid-October, ending with an event connected to the annual World Food Prize. The GIA, which the AgriTech Accelerator is based on, also ends with presentations at an industry event. The accelerator has also started lining up a mentor pool. The Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Soybean Association and the Iowa Pork Producers Association have agreed to provide mentors, as has Iowa State University. While the AgriTech Accelerator is loosely based off of the GIA, it will differ in its business structure, Dhawan said. The GIA runs through a for-profit model for both operations and its investment fund. The AgriTech Accelerator will have a nonprofit model for its operations and a for-profit setup for its fund. Dhawan said the nonprofit model is being used so the accelerator can better work with other nonprofit partners, such as trade associations. "These are all organizations that are nonprofits and can be amazing stakeholders without ever having to be investors in the accelerator," he said. "It becomes easier to work with trade associations in their nonprofit role when we are also a nonprofit." When it's up and running, the AgriTech Accelerator would be one of a handful of ag-focused startup development programs in Iowa. Others include the Ag Startup Engine out of Iowa State University and the Rural Ventures Alliance from Iowa MicroLoan. Matthew Patane is the managing editor and co-founder of Clay & Milk. Send him an email at mpatane@clayandmilk.com.
This Pop-up Is Included in the Theme
Best Choice for Creatives
Purchase Now