(Photo by Shelley Hanson) Meetinghouse Golf owner Aaron Norris stands beside some of the apparel for sale inside the indoor golf entertainment and training facility that opened recently in New Martinsville.

A new downtown New Martinsville business is providing people with entertainment and the ability to sharpen their golf skills while indoors.

Meetinghouse Golf, located inside the former Family Dollar building at 152 North St., opened recently and is already filling up booking times from the community and students.

The business has two bays where people can hit golf balls into a screen that has simulated golf courses projected onto them. Since it is computerized the software provides feedback on one’s swing and much more.

Owner Aaron Norris said people can choose from hundreds of golf courses from across the United States. The computer system reads the ball and has high-speed cameras.

Norris, a Huntington, W.Va., native and his wife, Brittany Stalder Norris, a native of the New Martinsville area, decided to move back to the region and open the business after realizing there was a real need for it

“This is a community-driven effort to make sure people in the community have access to entertainment,” he said.

Norris noted the closure of the Riverside Golf Course also played a role in wanting to open the business.

“We wanted to give kids entertainment. Wanted to give the community something to do,” he said. “Riverside closed and the school systems lost access to a driving range. They lost access to an 18-hole golf course. There’s a lot of golfers in this area.”

Norris said while he and his wife were living in New England he noticed people had much more access to different types of entertainment.

“We were like, Appalachians deserve access to the same thing,” he said. “So we made the move and both started working remote, and we came down here and I purchased this building from Mr. Witschey.”

Norris added that Family Dollar was closing the location.

“It was going to be another vacant building in New Martinsville,” he said. “We opted to purchase it to keep something going in the town. This town is wonderful. People have been incredibly open to what this is.”

People can book tee times at https://www.meetinghousegolf.com/. People can bring their own golf clubs, but there are a couple sets available if needed.

Norris said other downtown business owners have also been welcoming and supportive, along with city leaders.

“It’s a great little area. If you skipped out on New Martinsville, you lost out. Any businesses that aren’t doing something physically here are missing out because the people are here,” he said.

Along with the two existing bays, Norris is working on opening a party room in the back of the building with a golf screen as well. Future plans also include renovating another larger portion of the building as a gathering place for Meetinghouse Golf members to use and relax in.

Before opening Meetinghouse Golf, Norris said he worked for a company that helped people start businesses and grow them. His area of specialty was customer service.

Meetinghouse Golf also sells some golf apparel from Minnesota-based Waggle along with golf balls and gloves.