NEWBURYPORT — Golf lovers can come across as never being satiated with the only thing getting in their way of their obsessions is bad weather.
With that in mind, PGA golf pro Rico Riciputi has been putting in some overtime on Graf Road this summer working hard to offer golfers a chance to play 18 virtual holes, year-round.
Riciputi will open his second Coach Club golf instruction location in the former Mill 77 Trading Company space on Sept. 3.
“You can play in here 365 days a year and it’s 70 degrees inside every day, all year long,” he said. “This is going to kill it, Newburyport.”
Promising a focus on coaching, game improvement and instruction, Riciputi will be offering a trio of Trackman simulators that will give people 350 golf courses, including iconic St. Andrews or Pebble Beach, to experience.
“Basically everything you would get at an outdoor country club is happening indoors,” Riciputi said. “We’ve got instruction to club fitting, clinics, tournaments, member guests and club championship. All of that stuff we’re doing indoors.”
A former director of instruction at the Wentworth By The Sea Country Club in Rye, N.H., Riciputi opened his first Coach Club in North Hampton in October, 2022. Since then, the New Hampshire resident also had his eye on opening his second Coach Club in Newburyport. When the 5,000-square-foot Graf Road space became available, Riciputi said he didn’t waste any time.
“I hopped on it immediately,” he said.
Coach Club, Riciputi said, specializes in teaching golf to beginners, all the way to tour or elite junior players looking to play in college.
“It’s a very club atmosphere,” he said. “I’ve spent a lot of time and attention on how the interior looks. I want people to feel like they belong to a club. and I believe that’s what people get when they walk through the door.”
Running an indoor golf center, Riciputi said, gives him the opportunity to offer year-round coaching.
“We have plenty of working people with families who don’t have the time to play four or five hours of golf,” he said. “So, it’s nice to be able to come in at (7 or 8 p.m.) and get a good practice session in or play around a golf. Then get home.”
Memberships range for $2,700 to $5,000 a year and give members unlimited access to practice and play.
“You don’t pay any other fees, unless you’re doing a coaching package or some type of program where you would pay extra on top of that if you were looking for instruction,” Riciputi said.
The club will be open, seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The facility will also offer a 600-square-foot putting green.
“Not everyone that comes in is taking instruction,” Riciputi said. “They might be coming in and just practicing or playing a round of golf. They can go and play on the simulators at St. Andrews or Pebble Beach. and play a full round of 18 holes in about an hour.”
Hampton resident Scott Lambert said he has been taking lessons from Riciputi in North Hampton for about a year now.
“I go about, five, six times a week in the winter,” he said. “Rico is an excellent teacher. My swing speed has gotten better from working with him, practicing more and getting that feedback.”
Working with a simulator, Lambert added, also gives him instantaneous and detailed feedback.
“It’s more beneficial than just hitting off the mats or the turf at the country club,” he said. “It can tell you if you’re swing is inside out or outside in. It lets you know if your clubface is open or closed and how fast you’re swinging.”
Riciputi said his business model usually ends up building a community of golf enthusiasts.
“When you have a guy who’s 40-years-old and he meets 48 other people at league every Thursday night during the winter. That’s just cool to see that all come together,” he said.
Greater Newburyport Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Nate Allard hosts a golf tournament each summer.
He said he recently spoke with Riciputi and is excited to become a Coach Club member.
“Golf is very relatable in the business world, so I dabble in it,” he said. “I’ll be good to learn new skills and I’m excited Rico is in the community.”
Staff writer Jim Sullivan covers Newburyport for The Daily News. He can be reached via email at jsullivan@newburyportnews.com or by phone at 978-961-3145. Follow him on Twitter @ndnsully.