Marinello tees off indoor golf on the Island

Daniel Marinello continues his swing into the business realm with a massive blast up the Mercer Island fairway.

The local resident has given linksters a new haven in the form of the Mercer Island Golf Club, a 1,400-square-foot indoor space where they can play 18 holes on one simulator bay or practice their swing on another bay.

Marinello — a third-generation Islander — opened the club, which also features a small gym and a lounge area, on Oct. 1 and already had 16 members at press time. Construction started on June 1 and Marinello had people testing the bays in August.

On bringing golf home and into the Island’s first golf club, Marinello noted enthusiastically: “It’s awesome. I feel like I’m helping my community. I’m providing a solution for probably the people I’m closest with, which is the golfing community.”

In the past, initiatives were set in motion but didn’t garner enough votes for a course to be built at Pioneer Park, so Marinello is pleased to now put technology into action for the golfing community.

Per COVID-19 state guidelines, golfers must mask up in the common areas. When teeing off, they can play the world’s best and most exclusive courses like Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black and Bandon Dunes. Only six to eight people are allowed inside the club at one time and members can reserve a tee time for two hours a day.

Marinello figures golfers can knock off 18 holes in approximately 75 to 90 minutes. As for the practice bay, the owner said it’s a time saver for golfers, who can now hit balls locally instead of driving to other courses in the region. It’s also a plus for members to play inside during harsh weather, he said.

The club is open 24/7 and members can unlock the door with an app on their phones; they can also access the simulators on their own.

“It’s worked out really well business-wise, just ‘cause it feels like all my people,” said Marinello, who also runs his Seattle Golf Fitness business out of the club’s gym. He feels a strong connection with people within the golf subculture through his performance coaching and now at the club.

Marinello first broke out his golf clubs at the age of 7 or 8 with his dad and grandfather leading him around the course.

“It was just always something really fun for me to do, and (it’s) relaxing, just being outside and being with friends or family,” said Marinello, who was a member of the Mercer Island High School golf squad.

Marinello received his national personal training certification as a high school senior. He graduated from Penn State University while studying business, and during his senior year he became aware of the Titleist Performance Institute. He took some courses at the golf performance center, and later became a golf performance coach and started Seattle Golf Fitness.

On the business side, Marinello gained inspiration from his mother, who runs the successful Susan Marinello Interiors firm.

Word of Marinello’s new club spread like wildfire not long after launching his website.

“I think I just texted 10 people, and I posted on my personal Facebook page about it, and then within 24 hours, we had 2,500 people from Mercer Island that had been on the website,” said a surprised Marinello, adding that he received 202 email submissions from people wanting to become members.

Mercer Island resident and member Scott Trethewey, who has worked out with Marinello at his gym for two years, has golfed at the club five days a week since it opened.

“It’s great. I belong to a golf club, but I never really ever went to the range and practiced. So coming here, it’s actually got me practicing, which is helping my game quite a bit,” said Trethewey, a longtime golfer.

The Mercer Island Golf Club is located at 2448 76th Ave. SE, Suite 100. Visit www.mercerislandgolf.com