Twenty-four hours a day — come rain, snow or shine — there will be golf in Concord. The Fox family, owners of Hotworx on Loudon Road, is opening up a new business just next door: Back Nine Golf.
The indoor golf simulator franchise is coming to New Hampshire in style with one of its largest locations. The facility has six bays, four public and two private, decked out with couches, stools, TVs and of state-of-the-art “Full Swing” trackers to give customers all of the insights on their skills.
The business will officially open up to the public on Aug. 28 but is accepting demo bookings and offers two-tiered “founding” memberships at discounted rates.
“It’s really for 3 years old up to 93. I mean, it’s anybody that wants to start and has never played, or they’re experts and want to better their swing,” said Nick Fox.
The family, parents Nick and Denise Fox and their children, James Fox and Emily Lozada, came together around the vision of providing new opportunities for health and wellness year-round in the capital city.
The idea to open Hotworx came from Emily looking to manage sciatica symptoms and joint pain. This time around, it sprouted from James’ passion for golf. Although not therapeutic in the same way as the infrared saunas next door, there’s definitely some release in swinging a club along with the social aspects of the sport.
The Full Swing Pro 2.0 technology is at the top of the game. A spotlight comes down from the ceiling onto the synthetic turf, giving the cameras full access to every inch of the swing.
James Fox demonstrated the technology. As his ball rocketed onto the screen ahead, whether it was a famous PGA Tour course like Pebble Beach or TPC Sawgrass, the simulator displayed the path of the ball as if he were playing there.
On screen, every single data point was displayed. Carry distance? 132.8 yards. Ball speed? 102.5 miles per hour. Spin rate? 9,698 revolutions per minute. Face angle? 7.7 degrees right. Launch angle? 23.7 degrees.
For more in-depth analysis, a pop-up menu can be pulled up on the big screen, including a slow-motion replay of the swing. It’s as close as one can get to feeling like a pro gathering data.
That’s the main selling point for all the avid golfers, Nick and James explained, but what they want to create is a space that can also be fun and low-stakes.
“It’s very informative, and so you can either be essentially like as try hard as you want and get all this info and really perfect your craft,” James said, “or you can bring someone in here who has no idea what they’re doing, throw in a boost and play a hole.”
James Fox, co-owner of Back Nine Golf, demonstrated how the Full Swing simulator worked. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor 
The Full Swing Pro 2.0 technology gives access to in-depth data on golf swings and performance from the comfort of an indoor facility in Concord’s Back Nine Golf. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor
No rush to pick up the pace of play, no need to section off a whole morning or half-day to golf. A group of four could come in and get done playing 18 holes of a premium course in an hour. The simulator can run all sorts of games, too, like darts and tic-tac-toe, for the little ones and families.
Because of the location, the business has partnered with Buffalo Wild Wings to offer straight-to-table food delivery, and they have a bring-your-own-beverage policy. Back Nine will also offer corporate memberships for businesses looking to host events and use the conference room.
In terms of expansion, the Foxes hope to bring in kids’ camps, local high school teams, leagues with prize pots and scholarship programs.
“So many people have called and said, ‘I’ve never played.’ I’m like, this is the exact place to learn,” Nick Fox said.
More information can be found on thebackninegolf.com/local/concord-nh/.
