Brandon Roby
The other day I visited one of the most impressive indoor practice and teaching facilities in west Michigan. Located at the busy nexus of 28th St and Breton Road in Grand Rapids, the BRG Performance Center is now open, offering members a state-of-the-art game improvement space. BRG stands for Brandon Roby Golf as it’s led by Roby who’s been recognized by Golf Digest in its Best Teachers in Michigan rankings annually since 2017.
Before sharing Roby’s background, let me give you a verbal peek inside the performance center. Walking in the doors, the first thing one notices are six bays outfitted with Trackman, the industry leader in launch monitors and simulators providing real-time feedback and data on shotmaking. Highly useful for instruction and practice, Trackman also offers virtual golf at more than 280 courses from around the world.
Across from the Trackman’s bays, there’s a long putting green measuring 1,300 square feet designed to allow for practicing putts of not only various lengths but also ones with some break and slope.
Six Trackman bays at BRG
A real eye-opener is the PuttView putting green, located in a separate area across from the putting green. A first in Michigan, PuttView delivers an augmented reality system that projects every aspect of a putt on the green. The technology delivers the same sort of virtual putting line of a given putt, commonly seen on golf telecasts. An immediate thought: My inner Jordan Spieth sure would love to spend an hour here!
Game improvement amenities include GASP floor plates which measure the direction of force of each foot during a golf swing. Generating more speed—from the ground up—has been a key teaching fundamental in recent years and floor plates provide a learning tool to get there. Not many teaching centers offer them.
And of course, there’s a private teaching bay for Roby, a native of the Grand Rapids area. He’s been in the golf business for over 25 years but found his niche as a teacher in 2004. He credits Gale Peterson, the nationally ranked instructor at Sea Island Resort in Georgia, for lighting the spark for teaching. “Early in my career, I spent several days with Gale watching her teach and interact with her students. She convinced me to follow my passion and pursue that path,” said Roby. “She and other teachers have been very helpful as mentors.”
Following a stint at Kent County Club, Roby found a home at Cascade Hills Country Club with its large and active membership. Starting as an assistant, he later became the club’s Director of Instruction in 2012, the first for a private club in the area. During this time and in concert with the club’s General Manager, he led the construction of a year-round indoor practice facility, another first for a club in Grand Rapids.
“Its reception was slow in the beginning but steadily gained momentum,” said Roby. “One of the keys was forming a core group of people who wanted to practice and get better over the winter. We started with 12 adults and 14 juniors but it grew to over 100 people in a few years.”
Supported by investors for his ambitious undertaking, Roby is confident a similar timeline for success is on the horizon at BRG. “This model is new to west Michigan but it’s been tried and true in other parts of the country akin to our demographics. Our team is confident there are enough people who want this type of facility and are willing to pay for it.”
The business model for BRG is a subscription plan at various levels and duration. For example, there’s a four-month option, at $1500, which provides unlimited Trackman and PuttView time along with reduced guest fees and for adding a family member. And the Center is open from 6 am to 11 pm seven days a week and allows members easy but secure access with a key card.
Other options include a four-month plan, at $200 per month, called the Elevate Winter Series, which provide one group lesson per week and one hour of unsupervised practice at the facility.
Until Spring, the center will have open and non-member hours from 12 pm-8 pm Tuesday through Sunday. So prospective members can experience BRG before making a commitment.
Roby is a big proponent of both guided and solo practice. “We teach how to practice so students are not spinning their wheels and instead gain confidence with proper drills and repetition.” To Roby, there’s a market for such a facility.
“Looking at the price of a private club and the limited access to comprehensive practice facilities, joining here should be seen as a good investment,” said Roby.
Ideally, Roby is looking at 200-250 members although the facility could easily handle more. “Bigger is not always better and I want our members to feel at home here as they would at a place like Cascade Hills.”
Recently, there was a day when BRG seemed to embody its promise and potential. Several junior and high school golfers were using the facility, doing Trackman and putting. After a few hours, they broke for lunch and came back later with a few friends, clearing with Roby beforehand, and spent a couple more hours.
“In all, they were here for over five hours and loved it. Of course, it was a snow day,” admitted Roby with a laugh.
With a number of aspiring and decorated juniors and amateurs among his students, Roby remains poised at this next stage of his career. “Two years from now, I hope the members will say they found a safe and convenient place to work on their games and have fun. Along the way, I’ll be there pushing them to get better.”
For more information, visit www.brandonrobygolf.com
About Brandon Roby
Age: 50
Residence: Jenison, MI
Family: Wife Julie; sons Gavin, 21, at Purdue Univ; Grayson, 15, Jenison HS; and Gryffin, 12, Jenison
Honors: Best Teachers in Michigan by Golf Digest, 2017-present
Certifications: Titleist Performance Institute Levels 1 and 2 as well as Level 2 junior golf: US Kids certified; one of three professionals in Michigan to earn Aimpoint putting certification with founder Mark Sweeney.
Special note: BRG Performance Center is exhibiting at the West Michigan Golf Show in downtown Grand Rapids on Feb. 9-11.
