Golf may be the game, but the owners of Tee Time 44 want customers to know they don’t need a good swing – or any swing at all – to enjoy their new Lake Country business.
Bryan and Amy Pulliam celebrated the opening of Tee Time 44 with a Sept. 10 ribbon-cutting hosted by the Eatonton-Putnam Chamber of Commerce, introducing a concept that combines indoor golf simulators, professional golf instruction, and club fitting with a full restaurant and bar.
The Pulliams envision Tee Time 44 as a restaurant and gathering place, every bit as much as an indoor golf facility. Bryan Pulliam said a highquality food and beverage service was part of the plan from the beginning.
“With this kind of golf venue, it’s very beneficial to have a bar as well as a restaurant,” he said. “We knew that would be very important.”
Brett and Julie Riccardi oversee the food-and-beverage operation. Pulliam said he has known Riccardi for more than 20 years and turned to him early in the planning process because of his extensive restaurant experience.
“He’s a great guy, great character, and an even better cook,” Pulliam said of Riccardi. “He knows how to run the restaurant side.”
That combination, Pulliam believes, is a natural.
“Really, what goes better together than golf and a beer and some good food and good fellowship?” he asked.
Amy Pulliam said the goal is to create the sort of place where people linger, rather than simply eat, play, and leave.
“People eat and play together. They fellowship together,” she said. “They create friendships, community, and families get closer.”
The concept has been about two years in the making. Bryan Pulliam said he attended the PGA Show in Orlando for three consecutive years while researching simulator technology and visited 12 to 15 simulator businesses before settling on what he wanted for Tee Time 44.
The Lake Country location was deliberate. With a large golfing population surrounding Lake Oconee – and the new Publix soon opening nearby – Pulliam said he believes the business landed in the right place.
“I don’t think we could have picked a better location than the lake. But we had no idea about Publix coming when we bought here, so that was just pure, dumb luck,” he admitted.
For serious golfers, Tee Time 44 offers more than entertainment. Cole Bennett, the Pulliams’ son-in-law and director of golf operations, oversees the golf side and is one of three professionals offering lessons, alongside Mark Gunthorpe and Lee Miller.
A dedicated coaching bay uses cameras and other technology to analyze swings, weight transfer, and ground force in golfers.
Bennett said the instruction can benefit everyone from beginners to highly accomplished players. Additionally, five practice and entertainment bays allow golfers to swing away on even the wettest days, or in between bites or drinks from a well-stocked menu.
Child-sized golf clubs are also available to encourage families and young players, and the simulators can also offer soccer, baseball, basketball, and other sports and arcade-style games, Bennett added.
For Bryan Pulliam, though, success ultimately will not be measured only by meals served or golf balls hit.
“I would like to know that people come in looking for an appropriately good time and leave here with a smile on their face,” he said.
Tee Time 44 (1027 Ga. 44, Eatonton) is located directly across the road from Goodwill on Hwy. 44, and is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 11 p.m.