The Monroe Golf Club offers year-round tee times on hundreds of courses across the world — simulated

A little more than a year after opening, The Monroe Golf Club, a golf simulator experience, is thriving. From league play to group parities, the two golfing bays are keeping busy, especially in the winter months.

“The winter months are really busy. We also have a league in the fall and after the New Year. We’ve had several teams for that. It is a lot of fun,” co-owner Brad Cartwright said.

Located in the former Great Southern Bank building at 108 E. Washington St. in Monroe, MGC is a perfect fit for anyone itching to work on their golf game any time of year. Co-owners Tyler Vander Linden, Dru Nelson, Jordan Woody and Cartwright had first kicked around the idea of just having a simulator for their own use but decided if they could find a building it could be open to the public to enjoy, as well.

The guys took possession of the future location in June

2021 and started renovations right away. A full gut job, the group made sure there were 14-foot ceilings to accommodate all heights and swing lengths during the five-and-ahalf-month project.

MGC first opened with one bay up and running but it didn’t take long before there was enough demand to open a second bay.

“The demand was good enough that we decided to open a second bay shortly after opening because we filled up immediately,” Cartwright said. “The weekends and week nights are pretty full all of the time, so that’s good.”

The bays are 18-by-17 foot with a 16-foot hitting screen and a top-of-the-line overhead launch monitor that can provide every detail of swing analysis. Each bay is also equipped

Spring brings Jasper County birds — and their watchers — back to their natural habitats

When the spring weather arrives to thaw the final layers of Iowa frost, the first wave of birds will have returned from their migration to seek shelter in the calm prairies, thick forestry or vast ponds in Jasper County’s parks; and the people who get up early to watch these feathered creatures from their binoculars or behind a camera lens will have stirred from their hibernation, too.

Katie Cantu, a naturalist at Jasper County Conservation, said bird watching is one of the most popular hobbies in the world, and might be second to gardening. Whether people are observing birds from a feeder in their front yard or venturing out to conservation land to find the rarer breeds of fowl, the activity is highly accessible to bird watchers of any level.

Jasper County is part of the Tallgrass Prairie Audubon Society, a private nonprofit affiliated with the National Audubon Society that has nearly 150 members. According to county conservation, the mission of the Audobon is to “conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats.” The chapter often sponsors bird watching outings.

“In our area we do have some very active birders,” Cont.

Not your average drinks, 1st Ave Nutrition is serving up meal replacement shakes, healthy energizing teas, iced coffee, kid blast drinks and hot drink options. Darian Morrison, the 19-year-old owner, fell in love with the idea of helping people while working at the shop, not knowing a short time later it would become hers.

“I never knew this is where I’d be at 19. I thought I’d still be in college. It changed my whole mindset on life, too. It’s like a dream come true,” Morrison. “I just loved getting the opportunity to introduce a new business to every single person because we’ve never had anything like it.”

Like its name suggests, the business is located at 109 First Ave. W. in Newton, open from 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.