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News reports say golf attracted a bigger, younger and more diverse audience during the pandemic. Now, Northeast Ohioans have a new and different destination to enjoy the game (and much more), thanks to a trio of Baldwin Wallace University graduates.
The
three
alumni,
who
met
playing
football
for
the
BW
Yellow
Jackets,
are
opening
the
West
Bank
Golf
Club,
billed
as
"Downtown
Cleveland's
First
and
Only
Indoor
Golf
Simulator,"
located
on
the
West
Bank
of
The
Flats.
The partners in the venture, who describe themselves as "a group of avid (and extremely average) golfers that love their city," include Jim Basar '12, who studied physics and math at BW, Gabe Adams '14, who majored in accounting and economics, and Jayson Graham '12, a business administration and management major.
The project launch is also being supported by a graduating senior with deep experience in BW's Digital Marketing Center, Margaux Duvall '22.
"We've
raised
capital
and
partnered
with
local
businesses
to
launch
a
unique
space,"
says
Basar,
who
went
on
to
add
a
master's
degree
in
physics,
entrepreneurship
track,
from
Case
Western.
"Our
mission
is
to
bring
the
course
and
the
clubhouse
together,
creating
a
unique
atmosphere
that
provides
a
realistic
golf
experience
and
a
relaxing
entertainment
environment
for
all."
The idea for West Bank Golf Club germinated as the three friends worked to improve their own "average" golf games.
Graham
explains,
"In
the
offseason,
we
consistently
visited
indoor
golf
simulators
to
keep
up
with
the
game.
During
these
visits,
we
realized
we
could
take
this
concept
and
expand
it
to
add
a
relaxing
environment.
West
Bank
Golf
Club
combines
both
the
simulated
golf
experience
with
a
sports
bar
to
enjoy
live
sporting
events."
The facilities include "three cutting edge FullSwing Golf simulators which feature more than 80 of the highest regarded courses in the world," along with nine wide-screen TVs, TouchTunes music, arcade games, duckpin bowling, a bar and a large conference room with presentation capabilities for private events.
Adams,
a
Hudson,
Ohio,
native,
who
also
serves
as
the
BW
Brown
and
Gold
Club
president,
says
each
of
the
co-founders
brings
a
complementary
skill
set
to
the
partnership.
"We love golf, we love Cleveland, and, between the three of us, have a wide range of skill sets that have fused together to move this project forward," Adams notes.
All three men recall BW professors who influenced them. Basar, a Parma, Ohio, native, is especially grateful for his BW advisor, Dr. Edwin Meyer, who helped him develop the critical thinking and problem-solving skills that have served him well since graduation.
"Breaking problems down to their simplest form and solving them in a logical manner has been critical throughout my career," Basar explains. "Whether in IT, project management, complex technical sales, product development or even opening this bar, the problem-solving techniques taught by Dr. Meyer and the BW physics department have been my guiding lights."
In
the
lead-up
to
West
Bank
Golf
Club's
opening
on
Saturday,
April
30
(you
can
book
an
hourly
simulator
rental
here:
westbankgolfclub.com),
the
partners
also
enlisted
the
help
of
Duvall,
a
senior
BW
Digital
Marketing
Center
(DMC)
veteran
from
Avon
Lake,
Ohio,
to
build
their
digital
presence,
both
web
and
social
media.
The DMC, led by professor Tim Marshall, matches students with real-world client projects, and the accomplished Duvall has been active throughout her college career, leading projects and holding a variety of DMC leadership positions.
Duvall, who played varsity soccer at BW and earned Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference honors, says she will graduate this spring "debt-free" after holding down multiple jobs and internships throughout her four years at BW. In addition to helping her pay for school, all that hard work helped build an impressive resume.
The digital marketing major and social media production minor says, "I am unsure what my ultimate career goal is, but I feel well-equipped to handle anything that is put in my path."
