The Journey TO Day One

April 6, 2023

written by: Scott Allar

It’s hard to imagine being confronted with an opportunity that could lead to deeper personal growth than what we’ve experienced with this project. If you’ve found your way to this page, we assume you hold some level of curiosity to learn about who we are, how this idea came to be, and what the entire process has been like. This is a story we are excited to share, because it's been quite a ride.

First a little about us. 

Both Jake and myself have family roots that extend deep within this community, going back multiple generations. While we’ve known each other for most of our lives, our professional relationship began just up the hill from here at the golf course in town, Ridges At Sand Creek. Myself starting in 2007 in the bar and restaurant and Jake in 2012 in the golf side of the business, we sit here today with a combined 27 years of experience in the industry. This is something we both take great pride in. The golf course became a second home to us. We started as young kids trying to learn the patience and skills the customer service world requires and now here we are, as slightly less-young adults having developed enough confidence along the way to feel the desire to build something of our own. Getting to that point didn't come quick, and it certainly wouldn't have happened without the group of people we worked with, and for, during our time at the golf course. We spent years observing and learning, gaining the respect and trust of those responsible for creating such a successful business. The number of things we things we have learned and continue to learn is too long to list. So we write this as a thank you message to our bosses and mentors, and to every one of our co-workers we've come to know over the years. Your friendships and support mean more to us than you know.

January of 2021 is where this ride truly began. Pairing our love of golf with our desire to bring something new and exciting to our town is what led us to this idea of a place with golf simulators available to everyone, from complete beginner to a lifelong player, all year-round. More than that, we recognized the opportunity for a new food and beverage establishment in town. So, we made the decision to add a full bar and kitchen to our plans. After making the total commitment to take the leap, we were immediately exposed to never-ending waves of firsts. These included; developing a business plan, finding a location, securing funding, producing financial projections, designing floorplans, applying for a dozen different permits and licenses, and a whole lot more. Doing our best to not get ahead of ourselves, we meticulously worked our way through the process for more than a year. That's when the real fun began.

We knew early on the only way were going to be able to pull this off was to do most of the general construction ourselves. We lived by trial and error for months at a time, hiring some cheap (free) labor in family members to help tackle whichever part of the project was next. Converting a space that was once a gym into a fully operational golf lounge and sports bar was no small task. A difficult job was made even more challenging by that pesky pandemic we are all too familiar with, causing materials shortages, sky-rocketing delivery costs, and out-of-stock issues that lasted for months. We were given more opportunities than we ever imagined to test our problem-solving skills and patience. Now another year later, the construction is finished, our inspections are almost complete, and we allow ourselves to feel extremely proud of the work we've done. 

To say this project has been a learning experience would be quite the understatement. It was a process Jake and I won't ever forget, and we don't think for a second it would have been possible without the limitless help and support of a small group of people. From the beginning our goal was to bring something new and exciting to the town we grew up in, and over the course of two years that goal never changed. We are hopeful this project provides opportunities to support our community going forward. While we are grateful for the experience we've gained, without a doubt the most exciting experience is just around the corner... the day we can finally say,

“Welcome to Birdies.”