NEW ULM — The Golf Project LLC, owned and operated by Caleb Christensen, opened its doors in New Ulm in early November of 2020.

This brand new business is Christensen’s second business after having a teaching studio in Sleepy Eye that he used for Caleb Christensen Golf. Now Christensen teaches and has the facility in New Ulm open to the public for use all in one place. Located at 5 N. Minnesota St. Suite B, The Golf Project offers multiple golfing opportunities for the New Ulm community.

“Our Indoor Golf Center offers two aboutGolf simulators where people can play, practice, and have something to do during the winter months,” Christensen said. “Golfers and non-golfers alike can have a blast here because it’s super casual and easy to use. We offer leagues and tournaments throughout the winter for players who like to compete and have fun with their buddies. Along with our Indoor Golf Center is The Golf Project Golf Academy, which provides lessons and coaching year-round at TGP Indoor Golf Center and New Ulm Country Club. Here people can learn the game for the first time, improve their game, and better enjoy their time on the golf course. We work with players of all ages and abilities, from Division 1 college players to brand new beginners, making our programs options expansive and fun for everyone.”

The Indoor Golf Center is open every day of the week, with a rate of $44 per simulator per hour. There are two aboutGolf simulators at the facility, which means it can accompany up to eight players at one time.

“It takes roughly two hours for a foursome to play 9 holes, which is only $22 per person,” Christensen said. “Our Indoor Golf Center also features a 225-square foot putting green to keep your short game sharp.”

Counting repeat customers, Christensen said that he’s had close to 1,000 people come through the doors since November.

“League play during the week has been great and Saturdays have been booked solid the last few weekends,” he added.

Opening this business during the pandemic has given Christensen his share of challenges.

“Opening a business during a pandemic was a situation I didn’t see myself ever having to navigate, so that brought a unique set of challenges my way,” Christensen said. “We were shut down for almost five weeks from mid-November to mid-December just two weeks after opening, so that was a bit of an unsettling time. Now that we have a few months under our belts, business has been picking up and it’s been fun to see the number of people we’ve seen coming through the doors.

“New Ulm has been a great location for our business so far,” he added. “We’ve had great support from the community and the members of the New Ulm Country Club, and we’ve also been able to bring in customers from other communities as well. Hopefully the success can continue as we already have some fun new things planned for next winter.”

For avid golfers or those just seeking a fun time, Christensen said that The Golf Project Indoor Golf Center was worth checking out. He also said that the simulators are consistently rated as the best, most realistic and easiest to use and that they’re even used by the PGA Tour and the Golf Channel.

Christensen said he plans on adding new things to the facility in the fall, such as food sales and new mini games like darts, pong, range games and mini golf.