Meet Ry Hawley | Golf Lounge Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ry Hawley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ry, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The 4 of us owners have had a bit of an obsession with golf for years. As we improved we started training in the winters and used several golf simulators that always left us feeling like we wanted a better space to groove our swings. The idea kind of lingered for a couple of years, and I happened to be ending a job in finance just before covid hit. The timing just really lined up perfectly for me as it was time to start a new project and golf was one of the few activities that saw a huge influx of new players due to the social distancing measures from covid. We all saw the opportunity in front of us and jumped on it as fast as we could! We set out to build a Gatzby style social lounge coupled with spacious golf simulator bays and the best tech we could find to help people improve their golf game or to just play some amazing golf courses.

This was the second business I’ve opened, so I had a little bit of experience in getting things up and running from nothing. After several years in a finance job I was ready to do something more hands on and less looking at numbers on computer screens. I have experience in graphic design, web design, accounting, and finance, but this business is a bit of a departure from my previous skillset so I was very happy to be opening it with some friends and my wife who brought in a lot of experience in marketing and hospitality. I really enjoy design and building functional systems, whether it’s physically building golf simulator bays or integrating digital systems to streamline web booking and payment processes. I knew that opening a new business would give me some of the creative outlet that I was seeking, even if it came with some of the pressure and long hours that come with the entrepreneurial territory.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I think the biggest thing that sets us apart from others is our attention to details and craftwork. We didn’t want to buy pre-packaged golf-simulator-in-a-box type stuff. I put a lot of effort into researching every detail of the space: the color palettes, the decor, the size of the bays, the materials used, each component of our tech. I think the final product really shows our commitment to offering the best feeling and most accurate indoor golf experience. We are extremely proud of our 5-star rating on Google. Even while we are still in liquor license limbo, we continuously receive feedback that we have the best golf simulator experience in Denver, and we are hoping to improve that experience as we (fingers crossed) finally obtain our liquor license and open our bar to accompany the golf.

Some of our hardest challenges have revolved around issues with the city. We started our permitting process during covid and faced months long wait times which can feel very arduous. We received a bit of bad advice on our first attempt at a liquor license and ended up not being able to obtain it before we opened our doors to the public. These have been major frustrations that we have had to swallow, but we have learned a lot through the experience which will serve us well going forward.

Before we opened our business we talked a lot about what our purpose would be and we kept coming back to wanting to create an inclusive space where anyone could find camaraderie around the game of golf. Golf is going through a massive shift from being a stuffy country-club thing to something that everyone can enjoy while laughing with their friends along the way. We wanted to be part of that shift.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Eat – Crema, Dos Santos, Spice Room, Ashkara, Point Easy. Drink – Death and Co, Nocturne, Point Easy. Visit – DCPA, Mission Ballroom, Red Rocks, all of Denver’s wonderful parks!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My business partners and my wife deserve a ton of credit for getting this thing off the ground. They knew that I would be the head of this business and not only did they back me with their investment, they backed me with their contributions of their skillsets to help fill in the gaps in mine. I’d also like to shoutout my dad for being our on-call geeksquad. He loves nerdy tech projects and it’s real treat for me to be able to trouble-shoot any tech problems that arise together with him.

Website: stickandfeather.com

Instagram: @stickandfeather

Image Credits
Kate Ivy Photography