'One of a kind' business opens in Chesterfield with indoor golf simulator and children's gaming parties

The ‘one of a kind’ business called Leisure Pods was launched by Kelvin Wilson, 42 and opened in the upstairs of Tapton Park Golf Club on Crow Lane last week.

He converted the room which was formerly a function room and gym into a gaming space, which has an indoor golf simulator and multiple screens for people to play Nintendo Switch games.

The father of three, first started working on the two-pronged business which also specialises in renting out portable leisure pods – similar to a marquee or gazeebo – featuring a projector and a cinema screen for people to use in their back gardens in March this year while the country was still in lockdown.

But Kelvin made Leisure Pods his full-time priority in June 2021 after he was made redundant from his job as a business development manager and has since opened the hub in Tapton Park Golf Club following a partnership with Sheffield City Trust.

People can bring their own golf clubs and balls to use on the indoor simulator which is projected onto a giant three metre wide and four metre tall screen that provides data on the user’s spin and ball rate to improve their technique.

The room also doubles up as a Nintendo Switch gaming room, with multiple screens and a library of multiple player games for people to use while socialising with their friends, which can be rented out for children’s birthday parties.

Kelvin, who said the room is the “only one of its kind in Chesterfield” has been in the fitness industry for 20 years and hopes the simulator and movement games such as Mario Olympics will help children to keep active.

He said: "What excites me the most is that we are bringing the technology side of it, the golf simulator or the switches, kids love digital and I want kids who are into tech to get into golf and get the bug from that side of it.

"Then the pathway is we want to get them out on the golf course.

"And for the switches I want the kids to be able to have a different kind of birthday party rather than their standard bowling or soft-play.

"They absolutely love using the switches, they've got the music and lights on and keeping fit and healthy and and that's the atmosphere that I want for this business.”

Kelvin’s 10-year-old and six-year-old sons along with his three-year-old daughter have given him feedback on the gaming room and even invited friends to trial-run a party in the space last week which proved a success.

The dad of three added: "They've all been actively involved in kind of helping me quality assure and making sure that the things we are offering for the kid side, in terms of parties, are sound.

"It feels amazing amazing now that the space is open, a lot of hard work has gone into it and I'm really, really pleased.

"Sheffield City Trust have been really supportive, I'm really excited now and I want the room to be used.”

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