Golfinity’s Founder and CEO Aaron Bergman is featured in the Austin American-Statesman article highlighted below.

Could Austin’s new Golfinity become a national brand?

Written by Tim Schmitt, Golf Week

While much of the golf world has thrived during the pandemic, largely because the game naturally promoted social distancing, some portions of the industry have been dramatically impacted by COVID-19.

Take, for example, the state-of-the-art indoor practice facility currently under construction near the Lakeline Mall in Northwest Austin.

Golfinity, the brainchild of local teaching pro Aaron Bergman, was set to open last winter on RM 620, but multiple delays, many brought on by COVID-19, have pushed the debut into late 2021.

Give him credit, the affable and energetic Bergman hasn’t lost any steam when it comes to the project, which will be unlike anything in the simulation space. This is hardly TopGolf — in fact, Bergman winces a touch when you suggest as much — but rather a space for golfers of all levels to not only ramp up their game but become part of a greater golf community.

His backstory is impressive — Bergman once hosted a golf TV show in Thailand and after multiple stops at prestigious clubs, he founded the Austin Golf in Schools after-school program that’s helped more than 2,000 students get hooked on the game.

When his new project is ready, Golfinity will house somewhere between 1,800 to 2,500 members at a 20,000-square-foot facility that will include a full bar/restaurant, numerous massive swing bays, an unrivaled putting practice facility and amenities that will allow members to work on every part of their game throughout the year, all under the watchful eye of well-respected teaching pros.

How serious is this facility? Dylan Frittelli, who played at the University of Texas and lives part-time in Austin, is signed on as an ambassador and investor. Frittelli also made some suggestions during the construction phase that led to a revamped plan.

But here’s the kicker: Troon, which has taken over a massive chunk of the golf management industry, has also signed on, seeing this as a prototype for what could potentially become a national brand.

Leading the way on what could become a massive coast-to-coast franchise could be unnerving to some, but Bergman feels he’s up to the task.

“There are a lot of people who have put faith in me, the company and the plan,” he said. “It’s such a positive thing. There’s pressure no matter what you do, but I feel like this is more of an opportunity and one I’ve always been working toward. This is going to be a very special place, where young and new golfers can come to learn the game, but established golfers can come to get to the next level. It’s exciting to be a part of.”

And as for the constant questions about when the facility will finally open?

“It’s interesting, I look at that a little differently,” Bergman said. “If nobody was asking, that would be a problem. But the buzz is real.”

Tim Schmitt is the managing editor for Golfweek, golf coordinator for the USA Today Network and lives in Round Rock within a driver and subsequent wedge from Dell Diamond.