By Pamela Cosel, Editor
AUSTIN, Texas – With ties to Round Rock, Aaron Bergman has taken what was just a dream many years ago and turned it into a business with a new indoor golf performance club to serve golfers of all ages. “Golfinity” is set to open in early 2021.
Located just west of downtown Round Rock, at 12332 Ranch Road 620 North, the business was born from Bergman’s “Golf In Schools” program.
Courtesy: Aaron Bergman
“I came to the Austin Area in December 2009 to visit and see if this would be a good place to start my company. The first house I rented was in Round Rock.” Bergman said. “Once I began my after-school program, Round Rock Independent School District was one of the very first partners to offer our classes. The district really helped us grow. In 2013 ‘Golf in Schools’ was named an RRISD Partner of the year. The district has been a tremendous partner and I’ve been honored to serve the RRISD community for the last several years.”
Golfinity’s exterior is unique and eye-catching. With curves and swoops, any passer-by knows there is something special about the place. Bergman has figured out a way to keep going with golf during times of the pandemic.
“We’re very fortunate that we have an existing concept store, the Golfinity Preview Club, which has allowed us to navigate how we can serve our customers while also maintaining a safe environment for them and our staff,” he explained. “We have implemented several safety measures that have proven to be extremely successful. We were also fortunate to still be in the construction phase of our new building when COVID hit, so were able to incorporate some design and structural changes into our building.”
It was the after-school golf program that led to the creation of Golfinity and branching out to also work with adults as a learning and practice center.
“Golfinity is a concept that has been 10 years in the making,” Bergman said. “In 2010, I came to Austin to start an after-school golf program in Elementary Schools. As we expanded our classes throughout Central Texas we realized we were introducing the game of golf to students and their families, but we were not providing development beyond the introductory class. In fall 2015, we opened an indoor academy as a training ground for students from after-school classes to continue their development. Interestingly, not only did the students from the after-school program start taking lessons, but so did the rest of their family members. Very organically, we became a golf learning center for the whole family.”
And thus, Golfinity grew from the ground-up, one could say. Memberships are available at different levels for individuals or families.
“Golfinity really is a first-of-its-kind offering,” Bergman explained. “There has never been an indoor golf training center with a membership model, built on development and service. In a way, we’re a new-age golf club. Most indoor golf centers are focused on entertainment, with food and drink as the centerpiece of the business. And those facilities that are training focused are usually very small and target ‘elite’ players.
“At Golfinity, we’re development-focused, but our programming and instruction are designed to attract golfers of all abilities. Cutting-edge technology shouldn’t just be for the top one percent of ability. It can be fun and educational for everyone!”
Golfinity will be a member-based facility whose current clientele is a split between youth and adult golfers, according to Bergman. The facility will have a proprietary app available to members for booking lessons and practice times, as well as a game qualified learning component called the Skills Development Experience (SDX).
Bergman explained the technology side of things.
“The Golfinity lerning experience is built on innovation, development and performance and we feature a blend of cutting-edge technology around those tenets,” he said. “Our simulators will be a blend of Trackman, Foresight and Uneekor. All three provide their own qualities to help golfers learn and fine-tune their game. We will also feature Gears 3D technology that can map the exact movements a golfer makes in 3D. Another piece of technology availale to our members is our Virtual Green. With the touch of a screen, the green can change shape and undulation to simulate different types of putts. Projection mapping on the green shows the golfer where to aim to accommodate the change in the break. All of our technology has been carefully tested and selected to provide the best learning and training environment.”
Golfinity will feature tournaments and leagues, as well. Bergman believes that will likely be the one of the most fun aspects of being a member at the facility, because playing a round takes less time and is not weather-dependent. “It opens up the game to so many more people who are not able to carve out six hours for a round of golf.”
Bergman is not doing this alone, as he knows the importance of staying connected to family with fun. He has a wife and two children, his parents live in Round Rock, while his sister is also in the region. His mother, Barbara Bergman, is retired from Round Rock Independent School District where she worked as an elementary school principal.
We can expect to see them enjoying a game of golf together in the near future at a Golfinity event.
And there’s more: Aaron and his team have plans to develop a second location for Golfinity in southwest Austin.