Founders Elliot Godfrey and Chris Ingham talk simulators, Trendygolf and why they’ve expanded to east London with their latest launch
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Pitch’s Canary Wharf opening is a serious statement of intent.
Spread over two floors at the base of 30 Churchill Place, with views over the dock to Hawksmoor, it extends to some 14,500sq ft.
But it’s what founders Elliot Godfrey and Chris Ingham have put in the space that sets it apart as something entirely different for the estate.
Firstly there’s the golf – Pitch’s primary function.
The venue boasts 11 simulator bays, the first physical Trendygolf shop for apparel and accessories and a PGA Academy.
This is a place where people who are serious about clubs and handicaps can play detailed renderings of the most famous courses in the world.
But it’s more than that.
The bays also offer arcade-style games and challenges where players compete to get closest to the pin.
Its bars and restaurant offer spaces to socialise and relax for those new to golf or who prefer to do their talking on the shuffleboard table.
Then there’s the record collection…
It’s an evolution of a business Elliot and Chris first started as a concession in a gym in the City.
from friends to business partners
“We’ve known each other since we were playing as teenagers – we’re both from Luton,” said Elliot.
“We’ve always been good friends and played golf competitively as professionals.
“We went our separate ways – Chris to Austria and I fell out of love with the game for a bit, perhaps because I’d played too much when I was young.
“At that time I was more into DJ-ing and so on.”
Both missed playing in the UK, however and, with Chris back, an idea for a possible business emerged.
“We were living in east London and the only golf club you could get to was Wanstead.
“When I came back from abroad, the new indoor tech was just coming out, but there were so few facilities for people to use.
“We thought we’d try setting something up now that the digital systems had made it possible.
“We thought we wanted to make the game more sociable with people playing in groups.
“We had our original site at Citypoint in Moorgate and we did that for about two and a half years.
“It was one of those bad-luck, good-luck situations.
“It was a concession within a gym, but it was taken over and we were homeless.
“We were having a good time there, and probably would have stayed as we had a good fanbase, but it was time to get out and take the next step – to go from a small centre to something bigger.
“We took over a place in Bishopsgate, which was the first iteration of the full concept.
“Then the pandemic hit and stopped everything.
“But we’d been successful and got through Covid with the support of our members, opening a branch in Soho in 2022, then Dublin four months ago and now Canary Wharf.”
growing Pitch
Manchester, Birmingham and Brighton are all expected to open too, with an international franchising model for branches in Australia, Germany and America.
“Indoor golf is exploding, because of the convenience factor and the technology is so much better, with the AI tools that are about to come,” said Chris.
“We’re in the right industry and there’s a lot of demand for it, especially as indoor golf isn’t that common here.
“We use a technology called Trackman, which is the best in the world.
“On the system you can play 350 courses and one of the beauties of it is you can finish a round in an hour.
“There are also different games you can play, such as training games, social games, where you can have some beers and bring your friends for a round.”
With its expansive hospitality offering, the latter is a key offering for Pitch, which is hoping to tempt companies in for corporate events and groups in for parties alongside the more serious golfers.
competitive socialising at Pitch
“The technology makes golf more accessible, and that’s one of the chief things for us,” said Elliot.
“It can be quite a hard sport to get into but here you don’t need to bring clubs and you can wear whatever you want.
“I think that’s one of the reasons we’ve been popular – anyone can just come down and play.
“One of the best things about this place is that you can walk in and see a group playing for fun with serious golfers in the next bay.
“Other people will just be listening to music and having some food or cocktails – it’s that mix we want in our venues.
“We do have bays with orange curtains for the more serious players, but there’s congregation in the middle – a social area where everyone comes together.
“The important thing for us is that Pitch doesn’t just offer golf.
“We’ve brought in Des McDonald of Insight hospitality to help create our menu which features Asian flavours – there are plenty of things to do if you don’t want to play golf.”
While anyone can book a bay at Pitch, the company also offers a range of membership options aimed at taking the best elements of traditional golf club membership and updating them in line with the venue’s cutting-edge tech.
Packages start from £35 for a Pitch.social membership with full details available here.
‘everyone’s a potential customer’
“The breadth of our offering here in Canary Wharf is ideal because everyone is a potential customer whether they’re into golf or not,” said Chris.
“We are super proud of what we’ve created here and it’s great to see it working.
“It’s taken a lot to get on the estate, there’s been a lot of planning but there are a lot of golfers in this area and for those who don’t play, we have a great bar and restaurant.
“It’s good to create a bit of dwell-time in the venue and it will be fantastic for corporate events.”
Elliot added: “Sometimes we forget to stop and assess how far we’ve come and remember that we’re actually very proud of what we’ve achieved.
“From those early days in the City a decade ago, it’s taken a long time for us to reach our final vision of what we want Pitch to be and our Canary Wharf venue is a really good representation of that.
“There isn’t an abundance of golf facilities in this part of London, but the area is changing and evolving with lots of major hospitality brands opening here now.
“It’s a blend of office workers, visitors and residents now and the estate has become much more of a destination.”
Pitch itself is one of a new breed of venues that have opened in Canary Wharf in recent years, joining the likes of Hawksmoor, Marceline, Dishoom and Mallow as visitors increasingly head to the eastern end of the estate.
With a new theatre coming, a host of openings down toward Harbord Square and established offerings such as The Cube, MMy Wood Wharf and Emilia’s Crafted Pasta, there’s no shortage of attractions.
key details: Pitch
Pitch Wharf is located at 30 Churchill Place with entry via the dockside concourse.
It’s open daily although hours vary so check with the venue when planning a visit.
Group bookings of bays start at £56 per hour.
Walk-ins are welcome in the bar and restaurant.
Find out more about the venue here
Read more: Awe London to open its doors at 8 Harbord Square
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