Perfect Place to Putt

November 15, 2021

With six golf courses and a population of 65,000, it was obvious to three local businessmen, Matthew Serfas, Justin Morin and Jonny Seitz, that Medicine Hat residents would favour a golf simulator studio.

A historic building that was previously occupied by an auto detailing business on South Railway Street, now showcases Studio Fore, an entertainment studio that features four golf simulators, a putt simulator, a full-serviced bar and a pub-style food menu.

“We’ve already received huge support from the community. Many people that drive or walk by have come in and asked for a tour. We’ve had people reach out to us on social media with excitement and questions about group bookings,” says Morin, owner, Studio Fore. “We’ve been well supported thus far and look forward to see the community response once the doors are open.”

The putt simulator they’ve installed is one of its kind in this type of environment in Canada. The technology tracks the line of the putt and is designed for avid and beginner golfers to improve their putt during all seasons of the year.

The simulators offer other entertainment options where guests can kick a soccer ball, and children can play carnival related games by hitting a golf ball or kicking a soccer ball.

“It all started as a conversation, and then we started to really look into it. It became apparent that there was huge opportunity here, and we decided to go forward with it,” says Serfas, owner, Studio Fore. “Medicine Hat is home and it always will be. We wanted to create something that would be a meaningful part of this community.”

80 per cent of materials were sourced locally to complete the renovations and interior décor inside the 4,900 square foot space. The three owners look to collaborate with more businesses in the area to help grow and define the new district and contribute to the cluster effect that is now happening on South Railway Street.

“It’s a central location where anyone can get to in 15 minutes from anywhere in the city,” says Serfas. “On top of that, we love that we are in the middle of a budding entertainment corridor that now includes Studio Fore, The Silver Buckle, DayzOff Pub and Grit City Distillery, all within a 5-minute walk of each other.”

The entertainment studio will present tournaments of all kinds, while they serve cocktails, wine, an extensive whiskey selection, over 50 craft beers and eight beers on tap. The three Medicine Hat breweries will be featured on the menu.

“Golf simulators are gaining popularity around the country, and we felt Medicine hat was ready for an entertainment centre that is typically offered in larger cities,” says Seitz, owner, Studio Fore. “This is something unique to the city where people can experience this as a bar, an entertainment studio or both.”

All three businessmen were born and raised in Medicine Hat. The quick completion of Studio Fore happened because the three were able to focus on different aspects of Studio Fore using their different business backgrounds. Serfas, a power engineer by education working in the oil and gas industry, Seitz, a 13-year real-estate agent, and Morin, retired from the oil field industry and now an investor and entrepreneur took the business model, put it into action and are now proud to offer residents and visitors an entertainment studio in the heart of Medicine Hat.

Studio Fore is located at 753 6th Street S.E., and online at https://www.studiofore.ca/.