By Andrea Harwood Palmer
A man with local ties to the resort industry is planning to open a new restaurant in downtown Glens Falls, but won’t be ready until 2022.
Daniel McGurk is planning to renovate a three-story structure at 196 Glen St. for a project that is being called One Below Urban Golf Club.
McGurk and partners purchased the building in December 2019 for $435,000. The interior of the building is currently being renovated and modernized. A full modern kitchen, HVAC and modernized plumbing is being installed.
The building will include golf simulator machines for those who enjoy the sport. But, “We want people to be able to enjoy the space whether they golf or not. Having different levels will help separate that,” McGurk said.
McGurk has been working with AJA Architecture on modernization design and branding for the golf club and restaurant.
“AJA Architecture came highly recommended to us by mutual associates of ours at the Garrison and the East Cove. We liked their vision. They’re really good with utilizing our narrow space so it feels more open. It was a perfect fit to work with them,” said McGurk.
He said customers will “still get that club and restaurant feel. The first floor will be a classic restaurant. You wouldn’t know it’s a golf bar unless you actively tried to reserve golf time. It’s pretty separated,” said McGurk of the design.
Entrances to the bottom level and second floor will lead patrons to the golf simulators. Food and drinks will be available on those floors as well.
“We want the best air flow possible. We want the space to be energy efficient. Some of the decisions we’ve made, people might not have thought of a year ago. Our engineers have thought of everything,” said McGurk.
The space is around 2,500 square feet per floor. The basement used to be a dance club in the 1990s, and did not have direct access from inside the first floor.
The floor plan is being opened up to allow stair access to the renovated basement. The third floor currently houses a large AirBnb. The entrance to the AirBnb is being moved from the front of the building to the back.
McGurk had been using the golf simulators available at Bogey’s Pub & Grill over the winter. He saw the foot traffic at the pub. At times, it was so busy that customers could not get time with the simulator. He thought a golf simulator partnered with a restaurant would be a good addition to the downtown Glens Falls space.
The menu has simplified lunch fare and more elaborate dinner offerings, such as steak, pasta and seafood. The menu will have a lot of food available for snacking while golfing, he said.
“A lot of golf simulators are free standing or part of a golf course. With this restaurant, the golf simulator can be a small part of your night, or the entire night,” said McGurk.
The simulators are being produced by locally owned AboutGolf Simulators, located at 79 Warren St., Glens Falls.
McGurk’s mother, Maureen, owns The Heritage Motel of Lake George and the Admiral Motel on Canada Street.