Brothers prepare to tee off with new business, Par’s Indoor Golf in DeWitt

DeWITT — Par’s Indoor Golf, a new business offering indoor golf using simulators, is preparing for a mid-October opening in the DeWitt Town Center.

 

Par’s Indoor Golf is the d/b/a name of Parnell Bros., LLC.

 

The business will operate in a more than 6,400-square-foot space at 3179 Erie Blvd. East in DeWitt.

 

The build-out on the business continues in space next to Harbor Freight Tools.

 

Brothers Jay and Jeff Parnell, who describe themselves as “avid” golfers, co-own the business.

 

“We both realize that there’s about seven months out of the year that you can’t play golf [because of the area climate] and we felt like we wanted to bring that opportunity not just to us but to Central New York,” says Jay Parnell. They spoke with CNYBJ at the DeWitt Town Center on Sept. 18.

 

Par’s Indoor Golf is preparing for a soft opening the week of Oct. 19 and a grand opening in early November.

 

The brothers have been working on the possibility of owning their own business for about five years, including planning for the indoor-golf business for the past two years, says Jay Parnell.

 

“That’s when we really started diving into details … looking up startup costs and locations,” he adds.

 

The co-owners will start as the company’s lone employees, but they want to add more part-time workers as the business grows.

 

The Parnells lease the space from the plaza’s owner, they say. The website of the Onondaga County Department of Real Property Tax Services lists DeWitt Town Center Inc. as the owner.

 

Lindsey Forcione of the Syracuse–based Icon Companies represented the Parnells in the lease transaction. Grazi Zazzara, president of the Icon Companies, represented the landlord.

 

Forcione started showing the Parnells available properties in early 2015, they say.

 

Unique Development Companies Inc. of Syracuse is the general contractor handling the space preparation. Architect John Rose handled the design work.

 

The Parnells decline to disclose how much money they’ve spent to launch the business, but say they used their own money to finance it. They also decline to disclose a revenue projection for the business’s first year of operation.

Operations
The period between October and April will be the “prime months” for Par’s Indoor Golf as golfers seek a place to play, free from weather concerns, says Jay Parnell.

 

The company also plans to conduct some business during the spring and summer months as well, he adds.

 

Par’s Indoor Golf will have six golf simulators from Centerville, Utah–based TruGolf. “They allow you to play 87 different courses … famous courses [such as] St. Andrews [and] Pebble Beach,” Jay Parnell says.

 

A golfer can also use the simulators for training.

 

“We will offer rentals. [But] people are more than welcome to bring their own clubs,” says Jay Parnell. Customers can also use their own golf balls.

 

Par’s Indoor Golf is leasing the simulators from TruGolf. The owners are working with a company representative based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

 

Jeff Parnell says the inspiration for opening the business came from his visit to Tark’s Indoor Golf, a similar type of company, while traveling on business in Saratoga Springs during in late 2013.

 

Besides the golf activity, Par’s Indoor Golf will also offer a small bar serving beer, liquor, and food.

About the owners

Jeff Parnell currently works in outside sales for a Chicago–area-based pharmaceutical company. He’s worked for the firm for eight years and spends a lot of time traveling, he says. Parnell is a 1996 graduate of East Syracuse-Minoa High School and later earned a bachelor’s degree in business management and business marketing from SUNY Brockport in 2000.

 

Jay Parnell most recently served as a manager at the Baldwinsville location of Grossman’s Bargain Outlet. He started working full time for the company in 1997 and departed in August to pursue the new business venture. He graduated from Bishop Grimes High School in 1993, and then attended Onondaga Community College but didn’t earn a degree, he says.