The Broken Tee and Emerald Greens team up for a new business venture in Jasper
Two entrepreneurs are teaming up to bring a new food and entertainment venue to Jasper.
Barry Dunlop and Andrew Knies plan on operating Emerald Greens and The Broken Tee together at a building under renovation on Vine Street. Barry will offer great food and coffee in the front. At the same time, Andrew will operate two unique golf/multisport simulators for walk-ins, memberships and private parties in the back — though he plans on having outdoor access to a patio as well.
Andrew said the idea to create a virtual golf/sports entertainment company began about five years ago when a friend purchased a golf simulator for fun. He’s loved golf ever since he took lessons from Paul East out at Ruxer Golf Course when he was a teenager.
And the simulator allowed him and his friend to play virtually anytime they wanted. “You always get a perfect lie,” he joked about the simulator.
While the idea and plan came together while messing around with this system, it took a few years to bring it to fruition. He had been operating a trucking company, but last year, after selling it, he decided it was time to move forward. “I went back to the drawing board on the business plan with the golf simulators,” Andrew explained.
He was drawn to Full Swing, a simulator company endorsed by Tiger Woods and many other professional golfers, because of the quality of the simulator and the variety of courses offered. “It’s so real,” Andrew explained. “I mean, as soon as you swing, that ball hits the screen, and there’s no lag time. It is immediately projected onto the screen.”
Plus, through the cameras and sensors directly above the golfer, the system is able to accurately project what the ball would do if it were real.
Andrew’s first purchase was designed to be brought to a client’s home for personal parties and get-togethers.
But In October, he began looking for space around the city to install two complete Full Swing sport simulator units with the vision to create a place for year-round golfing and access to other sports and fun activities for any age. After some searching, Andrew got connected with Todd Fromme, the owner of The Vine on Vine Street in Jasper.
The space Fromme had available fit what Andrew was looking for to create his vision — high ceilings, brick walls, rustic patina, and plenty of room.
He also wanted to add food to the options.
Around the same time Andrew was working on his vision, Barry was considering some options for Emerald Greens.
“If you had asked me six months ago, I would have told you I was never opening another restaurant,” Barry said.
However, the food truck’s success affected Barry’s life/work balance. He pointed out that with a food truck, he has a tremendous amount of prep time, mainly on his own. Instead of a single space to maintain and keep up to safe food standards, he has two spaces and has to clean them both daily. Then there is the loading and unloading of everything that also happens daily.
“I do love doing the food truck, but, you know, it is a lot of work,” he said.
Then, the Heart of Jasper reached out to him — his wife, Brittany, is on the nonprofit’s board of directors — to see if he would be interested in checking out some empty spaces. He was considering the former Azura building when he got connected to Andrew and learned about his project on Vine Street.
“I kind of felt like it was meant to be because we have Broken Tee with Emerald Greens,” Barry joked. “It’s basically tee to the green.”
To accommodate the new café, Barry plans on operating from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The breakfast menu includes oatmeal, homemade granola parfaits, danishes, a breakfast panini and plenty of coffee options. On the weekends, he plans on offering chicken and waffles, biscuits and gravy, and some other added items that won’t be on the weekday menu.
He will offer the salads many of his customers are used to for lunch while adding four paninis and a few other options.
He and Brittany want to create an attractive and comfortable space where people want to hang out.
“We are looking to create a cool coffee shop vibe,” he said.
The food truck will continue showing up at Schroeder Sports Complex on at least one day that the café is closed.
Andrew plans on operating 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekly with options for walk-ins, scheduled tee times or private events.
He has two multisport simulators featuring golf, baseball, soccer, football, zombie dodgeball and more. While one simulator sits in the main area of the business, accessible by folks picking up food from Emerald Greens, the second is in a private room that can be used for parties, company events and other private options.
“If someone wanted to just have a get-together with a movie on the big screen, they could rent the space for that time,” Andrew said.
Rates are based on the hour and increase depending on the day of the week. Mondays and Tuesdays are $30 an hour, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays are $40, and Fridays and Saturdays cost $50 an hour. The total cost will depend on how long you use the simulator, not the number of people in your group. For example, eight guys playing Pebble Beach together may take four or five hours to play through and would only be charged for those hours.
Andrew also offers 25-hour and 50-hour packages with six-month and 12-month calendar visibility, respectfully.
Visitors will have access to sodas, beers, and wines, as well as food from Emerald Greens during its opening hours or from the kitchen after Emerald Greens closes for the day. In the evening, you can expect to see burgers, flatbreads, nachos, wings and the return of some pretty popular french fries on the menu for Broken Tee customers.
Andrew sees the venture as a great addition to the area. “When the golf courses are full, or it’s raining, guys like me have nothing to do. Nowhere to go,” he explained.
It also brings more recreation and entertainment options to the area for families and youth. “These are primarily golf simulators, but you can do Home Run Derby, QB Challenge, Soccer Showdown,” Andrew said. “The kids that I’ve had in here really love the dodgeball.”
Barry sees the move as an opportunity to continue to do what he loves and liven up an area that has been quietly developing somewhat behind the scenes of the more obvious developments around the city.
“In a way, I think the area (Vine Street) needs a little love,” Barry said.
“I love the food truck and seeing the people every day. But I’m looking forward to opening up and seeing new faces,” he added.
The businesses will be located at 1280 Vine Street. More information on The Broken Tee can be found here, and you can follow them on Facebook here or Instagram here. You can find Emerald Greens on Facebook and Instagram or contact them through the website here.
