Golf simulator and other businesses to fill former Art Van Furniture store in Cherry Valley

By Mary Sisk
Rock River Current
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CHERRY VALLEY — The former Art Van Furniture building is set to become a multi-use commercial property anchored by an indoor golf simulator.

X-Golf, a chain franchise that features semi-virtual golf that replicates the real flight of the ball, is preparing to open its first location in the area. Its closest other locations are in Algonquin and Glenview.

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Ravi Yanamadula, CEO of VASS Group and the developer behind the proposal, said X-Golf had been trying to expand into the Rockford area for some time, and the building at 7047 Newburg Road was purchased in May.

Art Van Furniture closed in 2020 as the company liquidated stores across the country.

Yanamadula said that X-Golf will allow golfers in the region to keep playing even after the harsh Midwest winter sets in.

“It’s obviously going to extend golfers’ season from May to typically what is late September or early October into being a 12-month sport,” Yanamadula said. “That experience of golfing during the summer can now be extended into where you’re golfing in the winter.”

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X-Golf puts players in front of a screen that can display various different courses, but you still swing a real club and hit a real ball. It uses laser, light, impact and camera sensory technologies to simulate the flight of the ball.

“Even though you’re playing virtually, it’s not all virtual in the sense that you’re actually swinging a club, hitting a ball,” Yanamadula said. “You can play a whole 18 course on 56 different courses.”

Yanamadula encourages everybody of any skill level to visit the venue once doors are open.

“It’s a family-friendly place and it’s meant to be for people of all skill levels and all ages,” Yanamadula said.

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X-Golf plans to hire around 15 employees from the Rockford area and anticipates opening early next year.

Plans for the property aside from X-Golf include event rooms, an indoor climate controlled storage facility and wholesale of appliances and renovation equipment.

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This article is by Mary Sisk. Email her at msisk@rockrivercurrent.com or follow her on Instagram at @maryrrcurrent