One tough thing about being a golf addict is that if you live in a cold climate, as many of us do, you have a long winter
to forget everything you were doing the last time you played and have to, more or less, relearn the game every Spring.
However, a brand new indoor virtual golf place opened a short distance from my house. This chain is called "Champions Indoor Golf" and
they promised state-of-the-art graphics and shot tracking, a huge choice of famous courses to play and a much-improved putting
system from the earlier simulators. They also have a bar with a decent draft beer selection and clean restrooms.
I've gone 3 times so far and really like it. There is little to no lag time so the shot you hit into the screen is then displayed on the screen just like you
would expect, other than it traces the shot. There is also a screen which displays technical data like launch angle, club and ball speed. It
also captures a close-up video of your club face contacting the ball which you can review. Bottom line is that I get very similar results
to what I get on a real course other than you can tweak enviornmental factors like wind and rough etc., to make it easier or harder. You can
also make "gimme" putts as long as you wish, since that is still a weaker aspect than the full shots are, but not too bad.
So far I've played Bandon Dunes, Augusta National and a course in Nova Scotia called Cabot Cliffs. Bandon was the most fun with the other
two being more challenging. The graphics are quite nicely rendered and picturesque (so far) but what seem to be accurate physics make this a fairly realistic
and satisfying experience. If you cut across the ball and it feels like a slice then you'll see a slice on screen and so forth. The price is 60 bucks an hour to rent
a bay regardless of if you are single or have a foursome, so it's not cheap, but I have completed 18 holes in an hour playing solo and thought it was a decent
way to treat myself once in a while. I might ask for gift cards for Birthdays or Christmas.
If you haven't tried this sort of thing before then you might want to give it a shot. I'm hopeful that I'm less rusty come April. I'll
be playing Thursday with my brother at a different Champions location while the wives do lunch. The video isn't great but it will give
you the general idea. Check it out if interested.
View: https://youtu.be/auRjbhnxq1s?si=KSy4CEffvO3p-A6y