Kuujjuaq businessman swings for a hole-in-one with new lounge

Dennis Lock, the owner and operator of NunaGolf, stands behind the bar of his business. NunaGolf is the only place in Kuujjuaq to serve beer on tap. (PHOTO BY SARAH ROGERS)

Oleepeeka Saunders serves up a plate of nachos to customers at Nuna Golf last weekend. (PHOTO COURTESY OF D. LOCK)

A golfer lines up his shot at Kuujjuaq’s new simulated indoor golf course, NunaGolf, which serves as a sports bar and lounge. (PHOTO BY SARAH ROGERS)

KUUJJUAQ—Jason Saunders lines up his shot.

It’s so quiet that you can hear the swoosh as he swings his club, but loud shouts erupt as his long shot rolls into the rough.

The vast expanse of treeless tundra across the North has lent itself to natural golf courses outside of many Nunavik and Nunavut communities, bringing a typically southern sport to golfers in the Canadian Arctic, although short summers limit the golfing season.

But now Kuujjuamiut have an indoor option: local businessman Dennis Lock has brought year-round golfing to the community with his sports and social club.

Nuna Golf is Kuujjuaq’s newest lounge, complete with two golf simulators.

“It’s pretty accurate for a simulated game,” said Saunders, who regularly comes in with friends to play an 18-hole game.

Lock, a carpenter by trade and partner in Nunavik Construction, renovated his long-time woodworking shop last year.

The wood-trimmed room is classed as a sports centre. In addition to its two golf simulators, it has big-screen televisions, three dart boards, a food and drinks menu, and seating.

“I really got into golf a few years ago,” Lock said. “There are a few courses around Kuujjuaq, but in the winter we have to go south to play, to Cuba or to Myrtle Beach.”

He spent $52,000 to purchase the two simulators, and charges customers $40 an hour to use them.

Lock’s application for a liquor license was approved about a month ago, and now his place is the first in town to offer beer on tap, including $11 pints of Guinness.

The sports bar also offers a small menu of pub-style foods such as nachos and hot dogs, prepared by his wife, Oleepeeka Saunders.

“It’s taken about a year to build up,” Lock said. “We’re been selling beer for about three weeks now. That’s brought in some more people, for sure.”

Nuna Golf opens mid-afternoon—often by appointment from students after school. Lock doesn’t start to sell alcohol until 6 p.m.

While the local sale of booze can be a touchy subject in Nunavik, Lock said most Kuujjuamiut were in support of Nuna Golf serving alcohol. (Kuujjuaq already has two bars and the local co-op store sells beer and wine.)

To encourage responsible consumption, Nuna Golf operates as a social club by building a membership. Customers pay an annual fee, which Lock says helps offset his own costs, while promoting a sense of ownership among Nuna Golf users.

Birthdays and private parties have become a popular event at Nuna Golf in recent months; the venue has also been hosting theme nights and live music.

Lock has more plans to expand, as he builds an enclosed terrace on the back part of the building which he hopes to outfit with a woodstove next summer.

“Everyone really likes it,” said Lock from behind his wood-framed bar. In front of him, the Montreal Canadiens game is on as the evening crowd starts to fill the room.

Owning and operating a business in Nunavik is no easy task, Lock admits, and he couldn’t have launched it without the help of a business loan through the Kativik Regional Government.

He hasn’t made money off the business just yet, but that will come with time and growth, Lock said. If all goes well, he’d like to expand the business to other communities in Nunavik, and maybe even Nunavut.