KINGSTON, N.Y. — With the amount of snow still on the ground, local golf courses don’t figure to be open for quite some time.
But for those golfers who want to sharpen their games before courses open, New York Golf & Fitness provides an opportunity to get started early.
The 17 Grand St. business, which is located in Kingston’s Millard Building, also offers a state-of-the-art private gym for golfers and non-golfers alike to get fit for any time of the year.
Co-owners Mike Romano and Adam Paddock, who are both members of the Wiltwyck Golf Club, teamed up to open the new business on Dec. 11, 2025.
The pair also hired Swan Country Club pro Andrew DeForest as their in-house pro to give golf lessons, club fittings, and golf clinics, with the assistance of four state-of-the-art golf simulators.
Romano is the director of personal training, while Paddock is the director of golf operations.
Golf performance amenities operate within a members-only setting, but non-members are always welcome to train with personal trainers, attend fitness classes, or book private golf coaching sessions or lessons with DeForest.
New York Golf & Fitness offers full golf equipment services — including professional club fitting, regripping, club repair, and a variety of new and used golf clubs are available for purchase.
Romano said he and Paddock met three years ago, and Paddock began working on his personal fitness under Romano’s training.
New York Golf and Fitness co-owner Mike Romano, left, observes Ben Covi as he does squats with a 135-pound barbell at the 17 Grand St. training facility in Kingston, N.Y., on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (Rick Remsnyder/Daily Freeman)
“Adam was a client of mine, and we started diving pretty hard into the golf and fitness world and here we are, less than three years later, and we’re co-owners of New York Golf & Fitness,” said Romano, a Saugerties native who is the owner of his own personal trainer business, Maximum Results Fitness.
The idea for the golf and personal training business came together after Paddock had trained with Romano for a couple of years.
“I told him getting you in better shape will make your golf game better,” Romano said. “I told him we weren’t going to do just golf-specific things. I’m going to get you in better shape.”
Paddock lost 70 pounds working with Romano and said his golf game improved due to his better fitness.
“I also put 20 pounds of muscle back on,” Paddock said. “It was a great journey with Mike. Mike is a great trainer, and he can make an hour go by like that. But it’s also his love of golf. You’re talking golf the whole time you’re working out. I’ve worked out with Mike four or five days a week for three years.”
Paddock said his golf game definitely improved by getting into better shape.
“I’m like everybody who wants to hit the ball farther with a faster swing speed,” Paddock said. “But what you really find out is that strength training allows you to do everything better. It allows you to hit out of the rough better, be stronger at the end of rounds, and be more mentally tough.”
Romano, who was training Wiltwyck Golf Club members twice a week for the past several years, discovered a location for the business after a conversation with one of his clients.
Declan O’Brien told Romano last year that he was closing the Culinary Warehouse, a popular kitchen and supply store in the Millard Building. Romano and Paddock decided to take a look at the space.
“So we came over and looked at it and the second that I walked in here, I pictured exactly what we built in here,” Romano said. “Our place is built on performance. We have people who want to get healthier, happier, and stronger on the gym side. And on the golf side, we have people who want to get healthier, happier, stronger, and hit the ball better and play better golf. People understand it takes work to get to that.”
Paddock said many local golfers have benefited from working on their games at New York Golf & Fitness since the business opened.
“Even in the short time we’ve been open, handicaps have been plummeting, swing speeds have been increasing, and the members who have been here are getting better,” Paddock said.
Romano said it’s a 50-50 split between fitness and golf members at this time.
“It probably doesn’t start like that,” Romano said. “We have a lot of guys who come here and know we’re a golf simulator place, and they want to come hit balls. But then some of them notice the gym, and they see we take both golf and fitness seriously. Then they realize they want to get better, and they do both.”
Paddock said the business takes both fitness and golf seriously.
“This isn’t about drinking beer and eating chicken wings,” Paddock said. “The membership model allows people to know they have space reserved for themselves, and they can frame it for practice and for play. The bottom line is it’s an exclusive place for people who are serious about their golf games. They’re not going to be next to four guys who ran out of stuff to do on a Sunday and want to whack the ball around.”
New York Golf & Fitness offers a free trial for anyone interested in a membership. An appointment for a first session can be reserved by calling (845) 802-0448 or visiting the website at newyorkgolfandfitness.com.
