New golf simulators allow for summer fun all year round

By Brian Lockhart

When the snow covers the greens and fairways, it's time to find a winter sport – or is it?

The new golf simulators at the Headwaters Fitness & Racquet Club provide a year-round indoor golfing experience with a high-tech approach to playing the game even when the weather outdoors means the local clubs are closed.

The new simulators offer golfers the challenge of playing 36 different golf courses from around the world including several Canadian courses, some renowned links in the U.S. and even some of the world-famous courses in Scotland.

Each simulator has a 14-foot wide screen for the full experience of being at one of your favourite golf courses

When you tee-off, the simulators track your shot and provide the path your ball takes based on sensors that can project distance, arc, and even the spin rate of your golf ball.

“It's HD golf,” explained Headwaters Fitness coordinator Kerri Greenwood of the high resolution screens that display the courses. “There's 36 different courses you can choose from. You can play golf, you can practice, you can do competitions like closest to the pin. You can also do tournaments with other people in Canada or in the States.”

You can sign up, then play against people in other places in the world.

“On cold days or rain days you can still come here and play a round of golf,” Kerri said. “The simulator also has the ability to play other games like darts and mini-putt. This type of game is perfect for something like kids' birthday parties.”

The simulators are surrounded by a laser system that tracks your swing and the impact on the ball. It gives an accurate depiction of where your ball will land on the course. The screen provides a lot of detail on the fairways and in the rough if you slice a shot.

On the putting green, it provides the distance to the cup as well as the lay of the green in term of slope and direction.

If you are a real hard-core golfer, there are sensors that can be attached to the ball that provide even more information.

“There's a metallic strip you can attach to the ball that will tell you all the information you need,” Kerry explained. “It will tell you your spin and all sorts of additional information about your swing.”

Since the virtual course doesn't require a golfer to walk or ride to where the ball lays, you can get through 18 holes of golf in about one hour for a single player.

When you're on the virtual links, you can also enjoy the clubhouse experience.

The Edge Restaurant will be serving food and drinks you can enjoy while your friends take their turn on the tee.

You don't have to be a Club member to play the golf simulator. They are open to the public.

Rates for the simulator are by the hour, not by the person, so you can bring your foursome and enjoy a round of golf at a very reasonable rate.

To try the simulators you must book your tee-time in advance by either booking online or calling the Racquet Club directly.

Bookings can be made up to seven days in advance.

If the weather has you pining for a day on the golf course, the Headwaters Racquet Club's simulators are the next best thing to really being on the fairway.