OnCore Golf proposes revised $30M golf-themed venue

Slated for a property on Ganson Street, it would have included a sprawling driving range, four floors of golf bays, parking ramp and six-story hotel with restaurants.

It never went anywhere, waylaid like many other projects by the Covid-19 pandemic. But it never quite went away either.

Now, after a long period of re-evaluation, redesign, cutbacks and fine-tuning, OnCore and its partners are bringing the project back, still at $30 million, and still with a heavily golf-focused theme, including a driving range.

But it’s much smaller and more narrowly focused, without the hotel or interior parking. And it’s got a new name and a different location at 555 Elk St. in Buffalo – with a second identical one planned for Knoxville, Tenn., for a total investment of over $60 million.

Redubbed ShotClub Social Powered by OnCore, the new complex will feature a two-story structure of 40,000 square feet, along with an interactive driving range in the rear. It will offer elevated bays on both levels from which players hit balls into the range, but in a manner “very different from what you might be familiar with,” said entertainment consultant Jerry Merola, whose firm is tasked with project management.

Serious golfers can still focus on traditional hitting, but using OnCore’s “genius” smart balls equipped with technology to identify trajectory, range, speed, condition and other aspects of the participant’s swing.

The driving bays will take up only a small part of the back of the building, which will be open to the outside. The rest of the facility will feature other gaming and entertainment, such as duck-pin bowling, amusement arcades, multi-sport simulators and virtual reality components. Additionally, the complex will include dining options on both levels, from fast-casual to fine-dining. And it will cater to families, adults and corporate user groups.

OnCore just completed its purchase of the eight-acre site on Elk Street, and has also purchased 10 acres in Knoxville. Merola said he did not know the size of the exterior driving range on the site, but said it would be “significantly sized” and “designed to support the substantial capabilities of golfers, in general, including highly skilled golfers.”

Merola said the development team is finalizing the architectural and engineering plans before submitting site plans and other documents to the city for municipal review. He declined to identify the design firms or contractors yet, and said he doesn’t have a more detailed timeline for project construction or opening at this time.