BLYTHEWOOD – I am not a golfer. Let me get that out of the way right at the top so nobody gets their hopes up. I repeat: I’m not a golfer … but Fairway 24 Almost made me one.
The closest I have ever come to playing golf is the Nintendo Wii and watching “Happy Gilmore” for the first time last year. Yes, last year. I know. Save the letters.
So when I got the chance to check out Fairway 24, the new indoor golf facility in Blythewood, I had no idea what to expect. And I mean that literally. Not a clue. So I did what any reasonable man does when he is in over his head; I called for backup. I brought my buddies Benji Glover, Mike Glover (no relation, at least not that I know of), and Daniel Cook.
All three of them showed up looking like they were headed to Augusta for the Masters. Bags. Hats. Gloves. Clubs. Shoes with actual spikes on them. I showed up with the pin code to get us in the door. That was my whole contribution to the group. Every team needs a leader, and I led us through the entrance.
The place is nice. Three separate bays, comfortable couches, and this matters in a South Carolina summer—it is cool inside. The technology runs on TrackMan, so you can play just about any famous course in the world. We went with St. Andrews over in Scotland and Pebble Beach out in California, which is a pretty good travel day for four guys from the Carolinas. There are all kinds of modes, too: practice, competition, little games, or you can play a full round if you have the time and the patience.
Mostly what happened is my friends gave me pointers. Grip. Stance. Where to look. What not to do with my hips. I want to be honest with you: I started off rough. But somewhere in there I started making real contact, and if I keep at it I can absolutely see myself out on Tour. Dubai, go ahead and get the paperwork ready. I’m on my way.
The quote of the night, though, belongs to Benji. Standing there watching his ball slice into a digital tree line, he said, “I can play just as miserable in here as I do on the course, but this is a lot more fun.”
That right there is the whole pitch.
I caught up with owner Brandon Boykin afterward, and his story is worth telling. He’s originally from the Great Falls area and came up playing at a small public course, The Republic Golf Course. He lives about 20 minutes away near Lake Wateree, and he still works a full-time job out of Blythewood on top of running Fairway 24.
He told me he got deep into researching TrackMan systems and realized how much potential there was to bring a tour-level experience to a growing town. He wanted the place to feel premium but still laid back, somewhere serious golfers, beginners, and families could all feel at home.
Why Blythewood? “This area deserves something like this,” he said. He pointed to the size of the local golf community, the talent around here, and the fact that folks in this area genuinely show up for local businesses. Rather than wait on somebody else to build it, he built it himself, designed and laid out the whole thing from the ground up, no franchise involved. He credits his wife Ashlyn, his family, and his friends for making it happen.
He was also candid about the harder part. Fairway 24, he said, was built on faith as much as it was on business. There were plenty of moments when walking away would have been the easier move, but he felt called to make something that would bring people together. Down the road he wants to host tournaments and leagues, competitive events that still double as a reason for the community to come together.
A few things worth knowing, because Brandon says this trips people up: Fairway 24 is not an open-door during business hours. It’s a 24-hour facility, and you book your bay online in advance. That’s the trade… you reserve it, and then the time is yours, whether that’s 6 in the morning or 11 at night.
Bring your own clubs for now; he’s hoping to provide them down the line. You’re welcome to bring your own food and drinks, and there’s a snack bar in the back if you’d rather not pack a cooler.
Go check it out. Take your buddies, take your kids, take somebody who has never swung a club, and let them find out what that feels like. As Brandon put it, if people leave with a smile and a great memory, then he’s done exactly what he set out to do.
Mission accomplished, my man. Dubai, I’m coming.
