Buffalo Grove approves lease for indoor golf simulator at Arboretum Club
Buffalo Grove's Arboretum Club golf course soon will be offering its patrons an opportunity to work on their drives, chips and putts indoors.
The village board approved a lease agreement Tuesday with WJ Golf to operate an indoor golf simulator, as well as some other amenities, at the village-owned facility.
Buffalo Grove-based WJ Golf will convert the club's banquet area into the indoor golf venue. The company operates a similar facility at 1380 Busch Parkway.
WJ Golf also will be taking over the course's restaurant and banquet operation from Progressive Management Services.
Village trustees agreed to spend $25,000 for an early termination of their lease with Progressive, which has operated the restaurant and banquet facility at the Arboretum Club, 401 Half Day Road, since 2001.
The village also will buy Progressive's assets, including kitchen equipment, silverware and furniture, for $275,000.
Deputy Village Manager Christopher Stilling said that over the 10-year lease with WJ Golf, the village expects to receive approximately $1.25 million in rent, offset by $660,000 in capital expenditures and reimbursements from the village.
"The lease will provide the village a financially sound tenant that allows for a reinvestment of over $900,000 in the golf course's cart paths, sand traps, greens and other building improvements," he said.
Village trustees praised the deal, noting that the revenue growth offsets the costs of terminating Progressive's lease early.
"I'm also pleased with the idea that we can make golf profitable," Trustee Andrew Stein said. "This gives me a lot of hope toward the future."
One of WJ Golf's managers, Won Cho, told the village board the facility will feature eight bays for indoor golfing and a room for private instruction.
"When it comes to joining with Arboretum, we see that the value of the driving range experience is a key essential for all the golfers in the community around Buffalo Grove," he said.
The company's Busch Parkway location, which houses three bays simulating 160 golf courses around the world, will become a members-only facility, he said.
Two vendors will provide food and beverage at the Arboretum, with choices that include traditional and Asian fusion menu items.
WJ Golf plans to begin construction in November, with the golf component available by February or March, and the restaurant and bar open in April, in time for the outdoor golf season.