‘Elite’ sports simulation venue coming to northeast Wichita will include full bar, kitchen
His parents are about to open a huge pickleball venue — TapsNPaddles — at the District 96 Development.
Now, Brandon Ventling and his fiance, Jenna Headley, are planning to open their own entertainment venue just yards away.
The couple has already started construction on ShotSuite, a new “elite indoor golf and multi-sport simulator bar” that is taking over a 3,600-square-foot space on the south end of the new District 96 strip center that also holds Another Broken Egg Cafe.
They plan to have ShotSuite open sometime this winter, likely in early 2025.
The business will be in the same vein as Good Life Golf Lab, the indoor golf facility that Jason Voos and Amy McKee are opening near 37th and Ridge. But Ventling’s facility will have more bays and also will include a bar and restaurant as well as a golf pro shop.
“I‘ve gone to a handful of these indoor simulators, and I understood the business model,” said Ventling, who along with Headley just relocated to Wichita from Scottsdale, Arizona. “But I wanted to take the concept one step further, where it’s not just food and beverage and rent a bay. We also want to get into the lessons, the practice, the fittings, and have a retail and pro shop. It is going to be a really awesome experience.”
ShotSuite’s big draw will be five Full Swing simulators, which will allow people to hit a ball toward a screen using an actual golf club. High-tech overhead cameras and sensors calculate the ball’s path in real time, and players see the ball land on a virtual course in front of them.
Each of the simulators will be set up in an eight-person suite that also includes comfortable seating and bar stools. People will reserve the private suites and be able to play on any number of virtual golf courses. The software will also allow them to try other sports if they choose, including soccer, baseball, football — even tic tac toe and darts.
ShotSuite also will feature a full-service kitchen that will prepare bar food, shareable dishes and desserts, Ventling said. It’ll also have a 15-seat full bar stocked with beer and craft cocktails.
Customers won’t have to reserve a suite to enjoy ShotSuite, Ventling said. The bar will be open to anyone who wants to stop for a meal, have a drink or gather to watch a sporting event.
The business will be family friendly, he said, and the golf bays will have multiple uses. People will even be able to reserve them for family movie nights.
Even though football was his sport, Ventling grew up golfing and has been impressed by the simulators, he said. Headley, who only recently took up the sport, has been able to improve her actual game by practicing on the simulators.
The bays work well for beginning golfers wanting to practice or pros wanting to fine-tune their skills, he said. They also give groups of friends or colleagues a fun place to socialize and spend a night out.
When they decided to open a business, Ventling and Headley were already sold on District 96, which also includes an Aloft hotel, a Scooter’s coffee kiosk, a liquor store and local restaurant The Kitchen.
“District 96 seems like a really burgeoning area,” Ventling said. “There’s a lot of potential for that location. You’ve got Wichita State five or 10 minutes down Oliver. You have the Koch headquarters just around the corner. There’s a lot of development up that way.”
Brett Harris of Landmark Commercial Real Estate represented the property owner in the deal.
Brandon’s parents should have their big TapsNPaddles pickleball venue open later this year at 4956 E. 35th St. North. It will include 12 professional-level indoor pickleball courts, a full-service bar and restaurant, a pro shop, a covered outdoor patio, locker rooms and a 1,000 square-foot private event space.
This story was originally published October 2, 2024 at 1:20 PM.
.jpg)