Swing Wright, located adjacent to Lee S. Jones Park in Eddyville, provides year-round residents and visitors with a place to swing outside or inside on the tee.
Princeton-based Phillip Wright owns the business. He said he was preparing to operate indoor golf and driving range in winter.
Wright said his TruGolf simulator brings in 75-80% of its revenue during the winter and deer hunting seasons. He said the majority of golfers are hunters and vice versa. January is a busy month for Swing Wright. About 250 rounds are played a month, he said.
Wright established himself in the golf community during his 15 years at Mineral Mound.
He said he decided to start a golf business and partnered with it in 2005. He ran the range with his partner for a short time but concluded that this was not feasible at the time.
Wright took over the business in October 2018 – the range began sometime in the 1990s.
In July 2019, Wright constructed a structure for the golf simulator. He plans to add at least one more.
“I have plans for the future to have more, but right now you have to be a little careful about how much money you are spending. You want to add, but don’t overdo it. I only do small pieces at a time every year, ”he said.
Next year Wright is building a short game practice field, green, and sand trap.
To maintain strong competition and a strong clientele, he hosts an indoor golf tournament every two weeks.
After the success of range and indoor golf, Wright began offering lessons and selling retail products. He also offers golf club rentals.
“One of the biggest things about the 1990s – some mistakes that were made – was that they didn’t want kids on the golf course to bother members and paying customers,” Wright said.
“They are the future of the game and the future that keeps business open.”