Here in the Northwest, we pride ourselves on being able to multi-task. What the Northwest golfer really needs, therefore, is a year-round indoor training facility allowing us to combine our love for golf, coffee and wireless internet, a place where we could rip through a 9-hole round on one of the world’s top courses, bang out a report for our boss at “the turn,” then complete our round — all in less than two hours. Of course, no such place exists — but it will. Tom Matzen, President and CEO of ParMasters Golf Training Centers, Inc., will be throwing open the doors of North America’s first year-round indoor training center franchise, Links Golf Café, at Kent Station in Kent this fall. The 35,000-square-foot facility will feature two state-of-the-art simulators, allowing Northwest golfers to experience some of the world’s finest courses year-round, at a fraction of the price and roughly a fifth of the playing time. “The simulators are hugely popular, because you can squeeze in nine holes whenever you want – before work, at lunch, on the way home,” Matzen says. But that’s hardly all — Links Golf Café will also include a full-service café, a coffee bar, an expansive golf retail area, a boardroom in which companies (or individual golfers) can hold off-site, virtual meetings, a game-improvement center with lessons from leading area pros, and an ultra-hip golf lounge, featuring couches, chairs and wide-screen TVs streaming golf programming all day long. “We wanted to create a place where golfers could just come and hang out, year-round, for as short or as long as they like,” Matzen says. “We made a list of everything a golfer might want – from simulators, to lessons, to every golf book and golf game imaginable – and incorporated it all into the final concept to create a truly complete golf experience.” Matzen envisions not only golfers taking advantage of the facility, but golfers’ friends and families as well, who can consider the Cafes a one-stop gift shop for all things golf. Ten additional franchises are already in development in Washington state and dozens more in Canada, with plans for global expansion in place. Most will be centered in malls, factory outlets or airports. “We’re excited to be making our grand opening at Kent Station,” Matzen says. “We think people are going to be really excited when they step inside.” For more information, call 1-800-663-2331 or visit www.linksgolfcafe.com.