It’s never too cold to play at newly opened The Golf Lab

STORY BY BOB LABBE | PHOTOS BY JOSHUA BERRY | LIVING 50 PLUS

Heads up golfers. Tee times are now available for all times, day or night, at the Tennessee Valley’s premier indoor golf experience, The Golf Lab. Powered by three Uneekor Eye X02 Launch Monitors, golfers address their ball and swing away just as though they were on the lush green grass of at least 1,900 world class courses from across the globe.

“Our simulators provide a realistic and immersive golfing experience. Whether you’re looking to practice, play a full round, or just improve your skills, our simulators are designed to accommodate golfers of all skill levels,” said Jassen Garner, who, along with his wife, Kerry, have jointly opened the state-of-the-art indoor golf simulation center located in the Whitesburg Plaza at the intersection of Whitesburg Drive and Airport Road in Huntsville. The entrance to the awaiting golf experience of a lifetime is in the middle of the plaza.

“I earned a minor in sports management and always wanted to open a business that is sports related and about six years ago Kerry and I talked of opening a ‘fun factory-type’ location where you could hang out, smoke cigars under the stars, but that never happened,” added Garner. “Two years ago we came up with the idea of The Golf Lab, which features the latest state-of-the-art, high tech equipment unlike any other in the immediate area. With our Golf Lab, ours is certainly different in one big way as it is family and locally owned.”

The Golf Lab offers year-round access. Golfers can play renowned courses from around the world just by dialing up on the high-tech simulators, and among the large selection of links are local courses. The Golf Lab offers leagues and tournaments where participants can play at any given time, record their scores and prep for their next visit. Private gatherings and special events are also available as the Garners want the center to be a place where visitors can hang out and relax with large screen TVs nearby.

A native of the Akron-Cleveland area of Ohio, Garner played numerous sports as a youngster and through high school and actually played college baseball at Tiffin University, a Div. II school. He began playing golf at age eight as his grandmother would load up Garner and take him out on the links. Today, he still plays golf with a handicap of anywhere 10-15 and also participates in the local 40-over baseball league.

After college he stepped into the world of insurance and once worked for Humana before packing his bags and making his way to North Alabama in 2014. Upon his arrival, he soon met Kerry. They have been married just over two years. Both have children from previous relationships. They soon decided to open their own insurance agency in August of 2014, and today that business, Ohana Benefits, specializes as a Medicare Insurance Guidance where the Garners have over 1,200 clients.

But it was the deep desire to keep that sports theme in a business setting that kept driving the now 51-year old Jassen and Kerry, 42, to open The Golf Lab, which has seen over 600 golfers make their way to the magic of indoor golf just in the first two months of the golf facility which opened in late Summer. Garner said his vision of opening the golf location has exceeded his expectations and goals, which included arranging for an in-depth five-year plan for both the bank and landlord. So far, the success has been overwhelming.

“The majority of the business has been word of mouth as golfers have quickly found out they did not expect an indoor golf location as nice of The Golf Lab as the amenity is clean, spacious and has the latest updated technology that presents an unbelievable realness to a golf outing,” said Garner. “We’ve had great reviews, many of which have come from local professional golfers who give lessons to their clients in our setting. Each of our current three simulators cost about $43,000 with each enabling a golfer to tee up on the top golf courses in the world. It’s almost magic like.”

Just a few months into its’ operation, The Golf Lab has already provided an outlook at what many golfers are dreaming of when it comes to the famous golf courses they would like to play. Within the current choices of links available, the top courses are Pebble Beach, August National, TPC Sawgrass and Wolf Creek Golf Club. “Our clients are also playing our local courses, too, especially in our golf league play,” added Garner.

One of the most popular gatherings is the Monday Night League where golfers take to the courses, play cards, and even watch Monday Night Football on the huge TV screens that are available just feet from the golf simulators. Guests can bring their own alcohol beverage, but The Golf Lab does have coffee stations, bottled water and ice maker, all for no charge. Garner said, “This is a real golf experience and many of our founding members have become dear friends and now play on outdoor outings. One of our favorite groups to play here is the Fairway Golf Society, a group of 30 women who bring their clubs and have a fun-filled outing of indoor golf away from the elements of the weather, especially during the winter months.”

Garner added the large screen TVs always have sports playing on them especially showing college and NFL games and includes professional golf tournaments when those are broadcast.

“Our facility also host birthday parties for folks of any age. We recently had a 27-year old want to invite lots of his friends and family out for an outing. The event was great,” added Garner.

Kerry picked up the game of golf upon meeting her soon-to-be mate and they each try and utilize the golf simulators as often as possible and even play together when the opportunity allows. Garner added, “We’re an equal partner with our businesses. We are 50-50 partners.”

The surroundings and available memberships give The Golf Lab a feel of a traditional country club. Each allow 24/7 access with different amounts of playing time depending on the level.

Kerry Garner added, “We will provide all necessary equipment, including golf clubs, balls and tees, but each golfer are welcome to bring their own clubs. A golf pro shop will also be available for those who need club repairs or customization.”

To inquire about all details, including memberships, contact The Golf Lab by phone, 256-255-2540, e-mail: info@thegolflab.club or visit via both Facebook and Instagram.