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Sleepy Ridge owners Golden Holt and Keith Holdaway pose for a photo in front of The Range at Sleepy Ridge golf course in Orem on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Orem Mayor Karen McCandless cuts the ribbon with other dignitaries at The Range at Sleepy Ridge golf course in Orem on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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A golfer hits a golf ball at The Range at Sleepy Ridge golf course in Orem on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Visitors hit golf balls at The Range at Sleepy Ridge golf course in Orem on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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A bay sits ready for visitors at The Range at Sleepy Ridge golf course in Orem on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Visitors relax in the bays at The Range at Sleepy Ridge golf course in Orem on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Most golf courses featuring a driving range where golfers can come to practice or warm up before hitting the links.

Sleepy Ridge golf course in Orem has always had such a facility — but owner Golden Holt came to see that it could be something more.

“I was down at Black Desert golf course (in Ivins) a year ago and saw that they have little tripods with iPads and Trackman technology,” Holt said. “I thought that is a good idea. I’ll get little iPads. If it’s good enough for Black Desert, it’s good enough for me. Then my mind clicks and I think, ‘I might as well put a carport over it.’ Then it clicks again. If I’m going to put a carport, I might as well put some heaters. If I’m going to do that, I might as well put some lights. That’s the evolution of the idea.”

In less than a year, that initial vision became The Range, a new comprehensive facility that had its ceremonial opening and ribbon cutting on Thursday.

“I envisioned it, but it’s so fun to see that vision become a reality,” Holt said.

He explained that the process actually went quickly as the pieces started coming together.

“It took eight years to design and build the golf course, so to do this in less than a year is pretty fun,” Holt said. “We went to the PGA show in Orlando last fall and there was a company called Cover the Tee that did modular construction. Originally I thought I’d just call someone who did carports and put something in but we saw that they had a first-class product that was already built, so we hired them. They shipped them from Florida. We did the carpet and the furniture. We had a contractor do the cement and hired our own electrician and stuff, but it was kind of their base design.”

Now the facility boasts 32 covered, heated and lighted hitting bays designed for year-round use. Each bay has Trackman technology, allowing golfers of all skill levels to track shots, play virtual courses and games.

There is comfortable seating for groups as they take turns hitting golf balls from the real-turf mats, and guests will also enjoy full-service food and beverage options delivered directly to their bay.

“This is a real golf experience at a golf course,” Holt said. “We’re excited that you can have that with all this technology.”

He also said that the additional elements will allow the facility to have significantly more usage during the year.

“Steve Marett, my golf pro, did the math,” Holt said. “Based upon our estimations, there are 1,560 more hours of golf available yearly at Sleepy Ridge because of the heaters, covered bays and lights. Winter may become our busiest time because there’s no other place to golf.”

While most of the bays will be set up for individuals and groups to reserve in 1-hour increments, Holt said the plan is to have two of them be set aside during the day for golfers to use to warm up before teeing off on the regular course.

“We love our golfers,” he said. “We have a strong men’s league, and they’re used to coming out and hitting a bucket of balls. So two bays in the daytime when we’re golfing are going to be warm-up bays. You get to warm up for 10 minutes before you get called to the first tee for no extra cost. We want to take care of our golfers. From 3 p.m. on, we switch to having four or five people in here with their family. We’re trying to hit both markets, but we don’t want to disrespect our loyal golfers.”

Holt sees Sleepy Ridge’s central location in Orem making it a great destination for groups and families to be introduced to golf and the enjoyment that comes with the game.

“I want to get 80% of Orem down here at some point having a good time, and this will allow that,” he said. “You can just go out and whack some golf balls if you want. The Trackman has arcade games. You can play Pebble Beach. You can play Sleepy Ridge. We’ll have a men’s league in the winter down here. It just broadens the base of who can come and have a good time down here, and that makes me happy.”

He is providing introductory passes in October and inviting groups to come experience what The Range has to offer.

“We want the community to come down and see it,” Holt said. “We’re inviting neighborhoods and groups to come and enjoy it. We see it like Kevin Costner’s movie Field of Dreams, that if we built it, they will come. We want to invite the world down here.”

For more information on The Range or to reserve a bay, go to https://www.sleepyridgegolf.com.