Built By Two Golfers Who Actually Play

Darren Chapman and Mathew Barnes built The Bay because they still love the game and ran out of Saturdays for it.

About us

Two Mates, One Tuesday Night League, One Simple Idea

Darren Chapman and Mathew Barnes have been mates for years, mostly through cricket and golf. In 2025 they were both playing the same Tuesday night indoor golf league: regulars, banter, the odd serious competitor.

The jokes started there: what would you change about this place, how would you build it better. The jokes turned into a real question: why not build it themselves, somewhere closer to home, done properly.

By the end of 2025 the idea was real enough to test. Darren and Mat checked the numbers, signed a lease in Kirrawee, and put everything on the line.

The beginnings

Two Very Different Golf Stories

Darren picked up his first golf club as a kid, walking to the local course with an old, rusted buggy. He drifted away from the game more than once, frustrated by how hard it is to get good at. Indoor golf brought him back, because he could finally practise on his own schedule, not his kids’.

Mat started even younger. His dad gave him one club at eight and rationed which holes he could play. He’s been an honest, everyday golfer ever since, more interested in the mates than the scorecard.

Different starts, same reason for staying. Golf is time with people they like.

Room for Beginners, Not Just Good Golfers

Darren remembers how easily golf puts people off: one bad round, a lost ball, an impatient stranger on the fairway. He wants The Bay to be the opposite of that. Beginners get the same welcome as scratch golfers, with forward tees, a quick setup, and nobody watching.

Long term, Darren and Mat want The Bay woven into local schools, clubs, and leagues of its own. The goal is more people in the Shire falling for golf the way they did.

What They're Actually Building

Darren and Mat call The Bay the local heartbeat of golf in the Shire. Their standard for it comes down to three things.

Real data, every swing.

The Bay runs the same launch monitor and simulation software Darren and Mat use themselves. What shows up on your session is what actually happened, and the full breakdown lives on the technology page.

A team that comes to you.

Darren's rule for The Bay's service model is simple: come to the customer, don't make them come to you. Hosts work the bays here, not a counter you queue at.

Golf that fits your week.

Mat still remembers driving half an hour for a round he barely had time to play. The Bay exists so that stops being the only option.

FAQs

Golf Simulator Questions, Answered

Who owns The Bay?

Darren Chapman and Mathew Barnes, two Sutherland Shire golfers who built the venue themselves in Kirrawee.

Where is The Bay located?

Unit 2, 102-106 Bath Road, Kirrawee, in the heart of the Sutherland Shire. The Bay opens on 14 November 2026.

Is The Bay good for beginners?

Yes. Darren and Mat built it to be the easiest way to start playing golf, with no pressure and no judgement.

Come Meet Them In Person

Darren and Mat will be in and around The Bay from day one, not tucked away in an office.