Jeff Sturdivan left a job in the corporate world for life on the golf course.
He plays on courses all over the world — Italy, Australia, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. He does it without ever leaving Santa Barbara.
“Golf as a whole, especially since COVID, has just gotten wildly popular over the years for everybody,” Sturdivan said. “As that happened, the indoor golf business has also just boomed.”
Sturdivan is bringing the boom to Santa Barbara. Last month, he opened SwingPath Golf Club, a golf simulation business that allows golfers to play more than 300 courses from around the world, using Trakman technology.
The golfers swing from the green onto a screen that projects the hole and the course. Golfers can play at places such as Pebble Beach, PGA National, Lofoten Links, Liberty National and hundreds of other courses.
Each swing brings analytics and data about club path, face angle, ball speed, club speed, the carry and spin rate to improve a golfer’s game.
“You’ll hit a ball and within seconds it’s drawing lines and it’s replaying your swing in slow motion, so you are seeing exactly what you are doing versus what you think you might be doing,” Sturdivan said.
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have invested in indoor golf league TGL, which is the buzz of the golf world and set to debut on ESPN in January.
Popular in cold climates, the indoor simulation game is also picking up momentum in warmer areas of the nation. A golfer can play 18 rounds of golf in one hour, since there’s no walking from tee to tee.
“From a practice standpoint, you really can’t beat this,” he said. “For golfers who like to go out to the range a lot, you can do that here, but get so much more feedback and data and video analysis.”
People can participate through monthly memberships and special events, and it’s an activity for advanced players and beginners.
Jeff Sturdivan’s SwingPath golf simulation business allows golfers to play more than 300 courses from around the world, using Trakman technology. Credit: Joshua Molina / Noozhawk photo
“It’s kind of intimidating to go out on a course and play when you really struggle, and it can be either embarrassing or intimidating, but it’s a place where a couple can come in and have this space and do their thing,” Sturdivan said.
Golf is so popular, Sturdivan said, that it’s difficult for people to get tee times.
“It’s a busy sport, and it will take you anywhere from four to six hours to play 18 holes,” he said. “If you want to do it by yourself, you can play 18 holes here in an hour.”
Find membership costs here. Members can bring up to three guests. The golf areas include a television, a seating area, a refrigerator and automated entry. There are also darts and shuffleboard.
SwingPath is located at 417 Santa Barbara St., Suite B-1.
“It’s really just another option to play and practice golf, or to have a holiday or birthday party,” Sturdivan said. “Another space, another entertainment attraction.”
Hotel Popularity Growing
Hotel occupancy on the South Coast increased 6% to 74% capacity in October, year over year.
The average rate for a Santa Barbara South Coast hotel room in October was $350 a night, up 3% from the same month last year.
“October offered a variety of popular festivals and events that played a role in the South Coast’s hotel performance success, all while the weather remained pleasantly favorable,” said Kathy Janega-Dykes, president/CEO of Visit Santa Barbara.
The data includes hotels in Santa Barbara, Goleta, Montecito, Summerland and unincorporated Santa Barbara County between Gaviota and Summerland, and is collected by STR, an independent hospitality data analytics company.
Bella Rosa Jewelers is Closing
Bella Rose Jewelers in Santa Barbara is having a four-day sale that started Thursday. Its last day at 1103-A State St. is Dec. 28.
“After 18 years of serving the community from its State Street location, the family-owned jewelry store, a purveyor of fine antique and estate jewelry, has been ordered to liquidate its $5 million inventory of diamonds, gemstones and jewelry,” the company said in a statement.
All artwork, fixtures, equipment and showcases are to be sold. Upon closure, Bella Rosa Jewelers will operate by appointment.
Unemployment Rate Flat
Santa Barbara County’s unemployment rate is 4.2%, about the same a year ago during the same month, when it was 4%.
In California, the unemployment rate was 5.4%, up from 5% in October 2023.
The U.S. unemployment rate is 3.9%, up from 3.6% from the same month last year.
Government jobs increased by 800, while farm jobs declined by 500 jobs, according to the Santa Barbara County Workforce Development Board.
