New golf simulator, bar area coming to One Niagara

Nick LoTempio is a man of simple solutions.

After concussions put an abrupt and permanent end to a potential college hockey career, the Wheatfield native dove into golf. But in Western New York, Old Man Winter shows up each year and puts a months-long pause on his new athletic outlet. So LoTempio is taking his game indoors, and he's inviting area players to hack along with him.

This November, LoTempio will open The Links Golf & Tap at the One Niagara Welcome Center, located at 360 Rainbow Boulevard in Niagara Falls. The space will include three TrackMan 4 golf simulators along with a bar and lounge.

One Niagara is owned by an investment group that includes local attorney Paul Grenga, the father of LoTempio's wife, Nichole. The foundation for a golf facility was laid while brainstorming ideas on how to attract visitors when tourism season gives way to the cold, quiet winter months.

"Pretty much once summer and fall ends, the place kind of goes dark," LoTempio said.

The Links seems like a decent bet to brighten things up. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a boon for golf. According to industry research company Golf Datatech, the number of rounds played in the U.S. in 2020 increased 13.9% over 2019, the largest year-to-year jump since Datatech began logging such information in 1998. For reference, the number of rounds played increased just 1.8% from 2018 to 2019.

Datatech released its 2021 Mid-Year Report on U.S. Golf Retail Performance & Rounds Played on July 27, and rounds played were up 23% from the COVID-altered early half of 2020 and "high single digits" from the last pre-pandemic year, 2019.

The business model has also already proven a success in WNY. In March 2020, Buffalo Golf & Social opened in downtown Buffalo. After weathering the heaviest months of the pandemic, it took off. This April, owner Jesse Struebing signed a seven-year lease to open a second location in West Seneca, according to Buffalo Business First.

But Buffalo is not an easy trip for Niagara County golfers, especially in winter. Even Tonawanda's Paddock Chevrolet Golf Dome is a 16.6-mile ride from Niagara Falls.

"I don't think we'll be competing at all," LoTempio said. "I think it's good actually for me that something like (Buffalo Golf & Social) is already up. People see the experience, what they're doing, and hopefully they get the same kind of draw (to The Links)."

The Links will offer simulator rental as well as host leagues and lessons from local professionals. LoTempio said he's already had members of the Niagara Falls Police Department sign up for a league and has been talking to local high school golf coaches about using the space in winter.

To start, LoTempio said he plans to use a rotation of local pros for lessons, with the possibility of hiring a full-time pro in the future.

LoTempio, who works full time at Thermo Fisher Scientific on Grand Island, will run The Links and said he plans to hire four or so staff members to start. That doesn't include the bar area, which he has been debating leasing out to a hospitality company.

If everything goes well, LoTempio has plans to add a few things next summer, including a creating a mobile golf simulator that would be available as an attraction for local festivals, golf tournaments or private parties.

But first, there's a November debut that can't come soon enough.

"It's been awesome," LoTempio said. "You meet a lot of people. I've been marketing this now for over a month and people are just raving about it. I can't wait until it opens."

Anyone interested in more information can visit thelinksgolfandtap.com or call 716-482-5666.