A New Spin on the Golf Scene

What started as a golf simulator in Mike Wilson’s garage has grown into Backspin Social, an indoor golf and social destination with locations in Wilmington and Leland.

Photography by Jessie Heim

My father, like many dads, used to say, “Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

Turns out, he was right. I spent 37 years teaching high school and never once dreaded Monday morning. I loved it enough to retire with nearly 500 unused sick days. And now I somehow get paid to visit bars and drink beer, which suggests Dad may have been onto something all along.

Mike Wilson, owner of Wilmington’s Backspin Social, seems to have followed similar advice. Introduced to golf at age 12 while tagging along on family outings in Colorado, and later making the school varsity golf team as a freshman, he developed a lifelong passion for the game.

After working for years in the corporate world, he came up with the idea of putting a golf simulator in his garage. The idea was to not only improve his game, but also play when weather conditions said “stay indoors.”

Trying a few different ideas to put his plan into effect, he decided to utilize a larger rented space that would allow for more people — like his buddies — to enjoy the activity.

Then it dawned on him: “If I’m going to do this, there has to be a way to make money from it.”

And Backspin Social was born.

Wilson left the corporate scene and devoted all his time to getting his idea off the ground. He found a building on Market Street adjacent to the Enterprise Rent-A-Car business, got busy building the four bays that would eventually be used by his customers, invested in the remarkable cameras and software that would make the experience exciting, and built his first indoor golf course.

“Our business model is exactly opposite from most of those in Wilmington, as they do their best business in the spring and summer months,” Wilson says. “We do ours in the fall and winter.”

Which makes sense, given the caprices of the Port City weather. While most duffers would prefer to be out in the fresh air titillating all their senses when possible, not many want to play in the chill, the rain, the sleet and — recently — the snow.

So, for just $40 an hour per bay — not per person — from Sunday to Thursday and $60 on Friday and Saturday, golfers can have some fun and work on perfecting their games in the comfort of a controlled environment.

To make the idea even more enticing, they can now dial up more than 2,200 national courses (including Augusta National, which goes by the name “Georgia Golf Club” due to licensing rights) on which to test their skill.

When I ask Wilson to dial up the famous Amen Corner hole at Augusta — the 12th — he does so and puts the ball six feet from the cup.

“During The Masters, we had all four bays packed with guys trying to compete with the likes of Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Justin Rose,” he says.

“Did anybody come close?” I ask.

“No,” is his curt reply.

The graphics are incredible, and the overhead launch monitors with high-speed cameras can tell you exactly how you are striking — or mis-striking — the ball. It measures things like ball speed, club head speed, back spin, vertical and horizontal launch angles, club attack angle and total spin.

Each bay has four barstools that will allow the rest of your foursome to watch your progress.

“It’s really helped me,” says Wilson, who managed to drop his handicap from a 12 to a 5. It would not, however, help me, as my handicap is the game of golf itself.

But Backspin Social does have a full bar and two comfortable lounges with 14 (mostly local) beers and craft cocktails on tap, and I’m pretty sure I could acquit myself well there.

The business also has special Putt View putting systems, darts and a pool table, and the back garage door opens up to an artificial turf area, which is a great place to set up a game of cornhole or lawn Yahtzee or to occasionally watch live music.

And Wilson is not done. The second Backspin Social opened in Leland on July 24 in the building that formerly housed MOBA, the Museum of Beer and Art.

The place is ideal for birthday, bachelor or bachelorette parties and corporate events. It would also be fun just to come down and hit a few balls with friends or spouses, enjoy a few beers and, best of all, be able to find one’s ball after hitting it.

“If you’re a golfer who’s looking to get better, you can do that here,” Wilson says. “If you’re just looking to have some fun and enjoy some swings, you can do that here too. It’s a great place to join the local golf community. Play in a league, compete in skills challenges and even tee it up with the Backspin group at a local course.”

It does look like a lot of fun, even for a guy like me, who only hits brand-new balls every time I play. Because I can never find any of the used ones.

TEE TIME ANYTIME
Backspin Social
9600 Ploof Road SE, Leland
6717 Market Street, Wilmington
(910) 660-8004
backspinsocial.com