Launch House, a new indoor golf simulator studio in Hillsboro, offers the local golf community a sim-golf experience similar to others. But in addition to what you might find at comparable facilities in and around the Portland Metropolitan area, it also offers that same golf community much more.
The facility, located on 25th Street near the airport, was founded and is being run by Co-Owners Eli Eave, Cameron Smith, and Brantley McEvers.
Eave and Smith grew up in Wilsonville and were friends and teammates playing sports together at Wilsonville High School, were later roommates in college, and after Eave’s eight-year stint flying helicopters in the U.S. Army, the two decided to get into business together.
Two of Eave’s years in the Army were spent in South Korea where he was introduced to what they call “screen golf.” The sim-golf experience as they presented it, along with its popularity stuck with Eave, and now — less than a year removed from the veteran’s tenure in the military — he’s bringing that experience to golfers here in town.
“My time in Korea shaped my vision of how indoor golf can be done better in the United States,” Eave said. “From the technological advancements to the private nature of their simulator locations, I felt the U.S. market needed something more than sports bars with open sim bays lining the walls. I want to bring the best possible product to customers and business owners who have the desire to use golf simulators.”
For two years the duo workshopped the idea, learning everything they could about the game and the necessary equipment to do it the way they thought it should be done. From there, they gauged interest from the public at events like the Clark County Home and Garden Fair, and later as part of the Rose Festival festivities downtown, and used the information gathered from such experiences to mold their business based on the wants and needs of their prospective clientele.
They’re currently working with people and organizations in and outside of the state to market their products and ideas, including the YMCA in Beaverton who’s entertaining putting a simulator in their facility for members and area youth.
“They see it as a way of bringing in more members and maybe helping to start a youth program,” Eave said, “and it helps us get our name out there.”
In addition to the sim-golf experience, Launch House also sells the products that make their simulation a reality.
From the enclosures to the launch monitors, hitting mats to protective netting, and even range finders and GPS products, all can be found and purchased through their website at launchhouse.golf.
But while they’ll happily sell you what you need to create a sim experience of your own, it’s the experience they’ve created in their Hillsboro studio that they hope you enjoy.
The space — which is available all hours of the day and night, seven days a week, and is rented by the hour — allows patrons to play any of 600 courses; practice either on courses, a driving range, or via a number of “arcade” options; test equipment like clubs and shafts; analyze your swing by way of ball spin, club path, angles of attack and a number of other metrics produced by the studio’s simulator; and all in the privacy of the patron or patrons of their choice.
Launch House isn’t located in a bar or rec room, but rather offers its customers a private environment of their choosing.
“We’re always testing new things here because we really want to get the best experience for indoor golf, and we feel that has to be in a private environment,” Eave said. “Most places with simulator golf are in a sports bar. A big open area with a lot of noise and action going on around you, and people have told us they don’t like that. But people come here and love that it’s quiet, that they can watch a game or have buddies with them, and enjoy doing whatever it is they want to do.”
Which is why both Eave and Smith both describe their golf studio as a sort of Airbnb for golf.
“You rent the space and equipment, but the experience is what you want it to be, right?” Eave said.
That includes a welcoming atmosphere for people just beginning the game or for kids.
“If you’re trying to teach your kid to play golf, this is a great place to do it,” Smith said. “And if you’re a beginner and just need to practice without the pressure of a bunch of eyes on you at another sim place or on a driving range, it’s a great place.”
And how does it work? It’s pretty simple, really.
Customers book time through the studio’s website at booking.launchhouse.golf, then 15 minutes prior to their scheduled booking time receive a code to enter the studio. From there, what they do is up to them. There are no usernames or passwords to worry about, for the system runs entirely through one’s phone and only requires the customer enter their phone number upon their initial booking.
First-time customers are offered a tutorial from Eave during their first appointment and any issues during or after such are addressed remotely by Eave, who can access and rectify any potential hiccups from anywhere and at any time.
If it sounds easy, it’s because it is. And it got that way as the result of an endeavor that Eave and Smith undertook when they leased a simulator to a resort in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
“Originally, we could tell they just didn’t know how to operate it. Like they didn’t really know how to market it,” Eave said. “They didn’t know how to tell their customers about it or handle the booking and the payment, so that kind of prompted me to be like, OK, we need to figure out a way to make this really easy to operate. And if we built a system that they could just book online and get access to a door and then we could troubleshoot any issues remotely. That would kind of pave the way forward.”
Pricing differs based on the time and day of the week, but is as low as $32 per hour, and no higher than $40 per hour for the general public, with cheaper rates for members. And those prices are not per person, but rather per booking for the space.
The studio is also equipped with a quality television to allow customers to a watch a game or show of their choice in conjunction with their golf experience, along with a refrigerator to cool any food or drink you might bring with you.
Eave and Smith hope to expand Launch House relatively quickly, and do so throughout the Portland area. But until then, they’ll continue working to give you the best sim-golf experience at Launch House in Hillsboro.
“I think the U.S. is just way behind the rest of the world when it comes to indoor golf, and especially here on the West Coast,” Eave said. “We want to change that and we’re trying to scale this right and open these all over the place.”
And they’re having a good time trying to do just that.
“It’s fantastic working with a friend,” Smith said of Eave. “This guy works really hard and it’s inspiring and motivating. We’re having a great time and are excited about what this can be going forward…for everybody.”
For more information on the products and services Launch House provides, along with their specific location, visit their website at launchhouse.golf.
