By Vinnie Manginelli, PGA
Located in Brookfield, Connecticut, Golf Quest recently earned its first Golf Range Association of America (GRAA) Top 50 Stand Alone Facility award. Its reward…a name change and exciting rebranding as Golf Ranch Brookfield, one of four stand-alone golf ranges under the Blue Jeans Golf umbrella.
Blue Jeans Golf is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and is owned and operated by golf industry professionals Devin Charhon, who led real estate development at Topgolf for more than six years, and Michael Canfield, a former VP of Finance at Topgolf. Together, they founded Blue Jeans Golf in 2021 to create a new category in golf. Golf Lite is a facet of the game that lies somewhere between your new-fangled golf entertainment venues and the more traditional on-course game. Their intense passion for golf has driven them to share their primary philosophy – More People, More Golf, More Often!
Golf Quest, originally opened in 1997, was the first location acquired by Blue Jeans Golf in 2021, and since then they’ve added stand-alone ranges in Richardson, Texas and Lee’s Summit, Missouri that have been rebranded under the Golf Ranch name, with a fourth location in Kansas City that will soon assume the Golf Ranch moniker.
Golf Ranch Brookfield is the range that all golfers wish they had in their town. This two-level structure has 66 lighted hitting bays, every one of them equipped with the super stellar Toptracer Range technology. Golfers can gather data on every swing, challenge their friends and family in the bay next to them or compete in contests against golfers at Toptracer Range locations worldwide. Many of the bays are heated so the fun doesn’t have to stop when the temperatures start to drop.
Also, in speaking with Charhon, he emphasized the importance of providing a high-quality product and service. Premium balls and mats are seemingly just a baseline expectation. Where they are unique is in how they think about creating the atmosphere, customer journey and overall guest experience. It’s this attention to detail that makes Golf Ranch different from your standard driving range.
The body of the range has ample aiming points and targets so golfers can hone their skills from a variety of distances and work on an array of golf shots. Customers are charged by the bucket rather than by the time spent onsite, allowing them to maximize their practice time with each visit.
In addition to the tech-enabled range, the facility also offers food and drink, mini-golf, event bays and more, bringing people to the facility once and enticing them to return often.
It’s all top-notch at Golf Ranch Brookfield. There’s no skimping on balls, mats, technology, F&B or staff training. After all, Charhon and Canfield have invested much time and money in their newly-acquired facilities, making many decisions from the customer’s point of view.
“We renovated a portion of the tee line to create three private and more premium bays that can host larger groups. Whether it’s a birthday party or corporate team building, the space is designed to be flexible for any occasion,” Charhon explained.
The general manager onsite, Shannen Parker, oversees upwards of ten seasonal hourly employees who focus on sales, customer service and the customer experience, so guests want to come back to Golf Ranch Brookfield often.
Training is a big part of what Parker does with her staff – how to treat the guests, how to explain the technology and how to ensure they have a great experience with each visit. With all the focus on the facility and technology, Golf Ranch Brookfield and all Blue Jeans Golf facilities want to be known for their friendliness and ability to make people feel welcome.
Golf Ranch Brookfield has a putting green and short game area and welcomes local teaching professionals to bring their students and put together player development programs that not only grow the game but the teaching pro’s business and the range’s bottom line.
For more information on Golf Ranch Brookfield, check out their website, and to learn more about Blue Jeans Golf, click here.
