Nick Teodosio has turned a 250-square-foot studio space in a former warehouse in Ridgewood into a sprawling golf course where he offers training lessons for beginners and coaching for more seasoned golfers with his virtual simulator.
Teodosio opened up Brooklyn Greens at 1001 Irving Ave. in August 2016 as a way to get back into the game of golf after stepping away for a little while because he was tired of working in country clubs across the United States.
“By being away from the game I started to miss it a little bit,” Teodosio said. “I started playing in Flushing Meadows [Corona Park] with my buddies who didn’t know how to play golf and I got the bug again.”
After managing his friend’s punk rock band, he went back to golf and now uses his virtual simulator at Brooklyn Greens to teach and coach golfers.
“I love to teach. That was the one aspect of the golf business that I ended up wanting to continue,” Teodosio said. “I enjoy teaching absolute beginners. I have a relaxed style and I make it really easy by teaching very simple things that can get you to hit a ball that you didn’t think you could probably hit. I do prefer introducing the game to people, but I also like working with good players.”
Teodosio offers a wide variety of lessons and services at Brooklyn Greens, including a “Practice & Play” session where customers can just take some shots on some of the country’s best courses on the simulator, an “Introductory Golf Lesson” for a one-on-one golf lesson, as well as golf club fittings.
Most golfers don’t really get to practice too much, Teodosio said. Most of the time they are on the course playing, so he believes Brooklyn Greens provides a much-needed service to those looking to just take a few swings.
There also aren’t too many places in the Ridgewood area where golfers can go and practice and Teodosio believes that taking swings on the simulator is one of the best ways to practice.
“For people in Ridgewood, if they want to go practice golf, other than going to play at Forest Park you have to go to Chelsea Piers or Randall’s Island,” Teodosio said. “So there’s really no place for anybody to practice at a convenient location around here.”
Teodosio hopes that through Brooklyn Greens, he can help grow the game of golf and bring in new players.
“It’s an interest of mine. It’s a passion of mine,” he said. “I truly get excited helping people play golf. So growing the game and introducing the game to people who have never played it, or think playing it would be fun is exciting to me. I think golf gets a bad rap. Golf is for the rich, the elite. It’s boring, it’s stuffy, it’s super hard. And I find that people who think those things find that golf is fun.”
Playing and training time at Brooklyn Greens is available by appointment only. Booking an appointment can be done at brooklyngreensgolf.com. And as a special holiday sale, through November, Brooklyn Greens is offering buy one get one free on lessons and practices, as well as 20 percent off package deals.
