TOLEDO, Ohio — Pro Golf Fairways co-owner and contractor, Robert Walsh, was at the driving range when he met his current business partner, Jeff Manore. The reason they met? Bad golf.
“About twelve, thirteen years ago I was golfing so terribly that I went to the driving range and one of the patrons I about hit, told me to go back to basics. I realized I didn't know the basics, so I went down there, and Jeff was giving lessons, and the rest is history," said Walsh.
Years later, Walsh and Manore have opened two multisport simulator locations in the area. Now, they’re welcoming another to downtown Toledo.
“This is our third location that we're opening up. We've been trying to get downtown Toledo for a long time because downtown doesn't have anything like this. We have indoor golf simulators on Monroe street, Reset Toledo and Rossford. With the Mudhens and the Walleye being downtown here, I've always wanted to get some sort of sports venue down here," said Manore.
Manore said that he and his partner believe the downtown location will do good to provide the public a new place for people to take their children, while still having fun themselves.
"I just think it's going to be great family entertainment down here. It's involved with the sports bar down here, and we're going to tie it in with Marco's pizza," said Manore, "So we're going to offer a lot of things, and hopefully we can get open in a few weeks.”
Walsh's grandsons have been helping with the move, and assisting where they can. They said as kids, it's nice to have somewhere to go to get out of the cold.
"Because there's not a lot of open golf courses in the winter, this is where you come," said Keagan Walsh, Robert's grandson.
Walsh expressed his gratitude from the community’s support, and says that he looks forward to being able to serve the public.
"Oh its been exciting. Blarney's Pub down the street posted us on their Facebook and I couldn't believe the response. Within hours, there was seven hundred views, and it's been great support, it really has," said Walsh.