GBN talks to Elliot Godfrey and Chris Ingham, the PGA-trained founders of indoor golf events company PITCH, which is setting out plans for international expansion following the summer opening of its third and fourth venues in London
GBN: How did you two first meet and what led to you coming together to set up Pitch?
Chris: We both come from Luton and we first met in 1998 at our local golf club, South Bedfordshire. I was 14 and Elliott was 15. I only really started to take my golf more seriously when I was in my early 20s, whereas Elliott was more of a late starter. We both studied for our PGA qualification at the University of Birmingham. After I qualified in 2009 I went and coached abroad in Austria for a few years, then I came back and worked at Harpenden Common Golf Club in Hertfordshire.
Elliott: After graduating from Birmingham I got into teaching, and was at Hanbury Manor for a long time, and then when Chris returned from Austria we met up again and chatted about what each other was doing. Chris told me about how it was too cold to practice in Austria in the winter and that some pros were starting to develop indoor studios so that they could carry on coaching during the winter months, and we talked about the possibility of setting up something similar in the UK but using the latest simulator technology, so that it could not only be used for teaching, but also for game play and events.
Chris: Yes, we wanted to set up something which kind of reflects what we both love about the game. I’m really into music, so when I’m not playing golf I was doing some club nights in London as a DJ, so that’s why Pitch is very music-orientated. I’ve even got my record collection stored here.
We didn’t want it to feel like a traditional golf studio, but more of an entertainment space where golf was going on. First-time visitors are always surprised that it’s actually a very chilled vibe, with music, nice lighting, artwork, comfy seating and a quality F&B offering.
Elliot: There were a couple of venues in London which had started down that road, including Urban Golf, but they still had a very golf-orientated feel to them, and there wasn’t that London hospitality element that we were looking to create. That’s why you won’t find any golf memorabilia in our venues or stuff like that.
When did you open your first Pitch site in London?
Chris: We opened our first venue in Bishopsgate in the City in 2016 and then opened our second site in Soho in May 2022.
We were planning to open the Soho site a few years earlier, but Covid struck, and we had to find a new site. We then had to delay the launch until people were properly allowed back indoors. It took us three months from when we first went into the site, which was the basement of an office block, to getting it fully kitted out and ready to open.
I think we would be up to four or five sites by now if Covid hadn’t have come along, so our plans to develop the business are a few years behind where we hoped we’d be at this point. Covid was very difficult operationally and financially, as we had to open and close in different periods, and then we could only have one player per bay, which wasn’t great for business. It was a tough time, but thankfully many of our members continued to pay their subscriptions, which was massively helpful.
What are your plans to grow the business in London and beyond?
Elliot: We’re on track to open in Canary Wharf in September, followed by a second City of London site in addition to our Bishopsgate venue, which will take us up to four venues in London. The Canary Wharf site is over 12,000 square feet and across two floors, so it’s a much bigger operation than the other sites.
We’ll build more UK clubs when ideal locations present themselves, but initially that will include Brighton, Birmingham and Manchester in 2025, with the latter holding high-profile, soon-to-be-announced sporting connections. We are also expanding the business overseas and have sites in Ireland (Dublin) and Australia opening later this year. That’s just the start of what we plan to be a truly global roll out.
Some of our overseas venues will be joint ventures or partnerships, but we are getting enquiries from all over the world, so it’s a question of sifting through them and judging each on their merits.
How many members do you have now across the two existing venues? And are you open to casual visitors?
Elliot: We have around 900 individual members across the Soho and Bishopsgate sites, and we’ll obviously be looking to expand that when our two other London venues open. We also have corporate members.
We want visitors and corporate guests – including walk-in traffic – to be able to visit any of our venues while maintaining a highly premium area exclusively for members. With a huge upgrade to the booking system, as well as our new members’ app, we’re making this a slick, high-tech experience. We advise people to book in advance at all sites, but if you’re new to Pitch, you’re welcome to pop in for a tour of the facilities any time.
Pitch has clearly enjoyed the benefits of the upturn in interest in golf over the last few years from younger people, and the growth of indoor golf experiences generally, but what do you think has made your venues stand apart from other similar set-ups, as well as the more traditional golf club setting?
Chris: Pitch attracts people for many reasons, and the quick nature of modern indoor golf makes it much easier to fit into a busy schedule. The tech we use is so good that you can literally play golf without having to take a day off work or travel a long way – wherever possible, our venues are close to public transport.
Elliot: It’s a premium offering in a non-traditional setting. There’s music, high quality food and drink, and none of the perceived barriers to entry such as dress code. Having top-class golf equipment on-site – we stock the latest Callaway Paradym AI Smoke range in our bays – also removes a huge logistical issue for our customers.
We’re definitely a lot less intimidating than your average golf club for those new to the game to give it a go, whether that be through having a golf lesson or simply playing on a simulator, and we’re obviously more accessible to a large percentage of the younger, urban market who might not have access to car or a set of golf clubs.
How has the brand and its venues evolved since the initial launch?
Chris: We’ve moved away from the old green-and-black-box golf simulator experience. Now we want our bays to look and feel more like a luxury home cinema set-up. We’ve added a slick, clubhouse-decor design so people feel welcome to enjoy Pitch before and after they play, or even visit just to socialise. The original space in Pitch City was about 80 per cent bays, now it’s more like 35 per cent; the rest is members’ facilities, and our food offering has greatly evolved.
Elliot: Our ethos moving forward is to put the club experience first to attract an audience beyond existing golfers. Still, our launch monitor tech will continue to be cutting-edge – we’ve just signed an investment partnership with Trackman – so the golf purist will always have a home at Pitch. We’re also increasingly seen as the perfect place to host product launches and corporate client events due to the experience we offer.
How can beginners engage with what Pitch has to offer?
Chris: For many years, we’ve run what is now called Pitch Futures, where new golfers can purchase a starter pack of lessons and club access for a 60 per cent discount. This gateway offering has hundreds of new members across our clubs and continues to be something we eagerly support in order to break down one of the main barriers associated with golf – cost.
Chris: We’ve also had tremendous success attracting new female golfers into our venues through our partnership with adidas. They have put up sponsorship for free beginner lesson packages for 100 women each year as a part of a Women’s Beginner Academy. Each participant receives five free lessons at one of our venues, including two group sessions and three individual lessons, all led by a PGA Professional, plus five free practice hours. We had over 800 applications for the 100 places at last year’s launch, and we’ve just announced the successful candidates for 2024.
Besides golf, what other services do Pitch venues provide?
Chris: As of this year, Pitch customers will be able to enjoy great food and drink, as well as retail from TRENDYGOLF and our new fitting concept, Radial. Many venues will be able to host live music and date nights at our new lounge spaces, Audio, such as the terrace at Canary Wharf.
One of the most exciting new launches for Pitch is the TRENDYGOLF Concept Store at Canary Wharf, which will open six days a week with its own entrance and staff. They will be stocking a wide range of premium apparel brands, including the likes of Ralph Lauren, Peter Millar, Hugo Boss, J.Lindeberg, G/FORE, Nike and adidas.
Elliot: Purpose-built event spaces have become a huge part of Pitch, with clients loving the quality of the décor, experience and culinary upgrades. During the day, all of our venues are open as casual working facilities and for meetings. Corporate membership has become a popular alternative to country clubs, where access is limited and restricted to proper golfers, versus our ‘whole office’ approach.
For more details, visit pitchgolf.london.