A passion for golf and a desire to go into business for themselves led Vonita Jordaan and her cousin, Barb Reddy, to open Long Shotz Driving Range & Academy.
“My cousin and I had been talking about going into business together,” says Vonita. “I had some experience with the driving range business, so we thought about buying land and setting up a driving range.”
With Alberta’s housing boom in the 2000s, there wasn’t a lot of new land available for free-standing driving ranges like Long Shotz Driving Range & Academy. “Instead, we found this diamond in the rough and thought we could turn it into something great,” says Vonita. “The owners were looking to sell, so we went from there.” The pre-existing range had been built in 1997 under different ownership. When Vonita and Barb took over in 2005, they made many changes. “There are a few full courses in our area with driving ranges, but they are either a long drive away or a private club where only members can hit balls,” says Vonita. “We are local to the Sherwood Park Community. Service, good balls and mats – that's what we are about.”
