FORE! - I tried Higham Ferrers' new golf simulator and this is what I thought
Launch It Golf, the new family-owned business in Westfields Avenue, hopes to offer local golfers a different option as the winter draws closer, so we went along to its opening to see it for ourselves.
Much to the dismay of those around me, I won’t miss an opportunity to talk about my love of golf.
No short amount of my free time away from the newsroom will be spent wandering the fairways of my local course, but with the recent drop in temperature, I’m faced with waterlogged greens and grey skies over the next few months as myself and my fellow golfers eagerly await the opening act of spring to once again indulge in our oh-so-boring hobby.
Some will stuff their clubs at the back of the garage until April, whereas others will brave the elements and instead persevere on the course, or hone their swing on the driving range.
However, Ian Garley and son-in-law, David Robertson, have recently opened a new indoor simulator in Higham Ferrers, which seems to be the perfect solution to our woes.
Ian said: "There’s nothing locally like it, this particular part of the building used to be a warehouse and it’s quite narrow, so we figured we could take this space that was warehousing and condense it in the next couple of buildings to keep it separate.
“People who have a background in golf will be able to experience all of the functionality here because they know how to, whereas beginners most likely will just enjoy hitting balls.
“We just wanted to dive in head first, if you build it, they will come.
“We had a vision with this, and I think it’s been achieved without any compromise.”
Perhaps its biggest strength, Launch It Golf goes out of its way to cater to all abilities and preferences, with men’s, women’s and children’s clubs available to use at no extra cost, and enough space on both simulators to ensure all golfers are safe.
The business also includes a generously-sized seating area for refreshments, including offering Hawkstone Lager, made famous by Clarkson’s Farm.
Built over the summer with its fair share of ‘teething problems’, it has the potential to expand in size and scope, though Ian and David are keen to take each day as it comes.
For the serious golfer, a simulator can be a useful tool to get a better understanding of distance, spin rate, shot shape, clubhead speed, and other key data, which can make all the difference to adept players, who will take any advantage they can get to lower their score.
However, simulators aren’t just designed to mimic the feeling of being on a driving range, they often also come with several pre-loaded courses to virtually hack your way around, getting just a taste of the world’s top courses.
Launch It Golf, offers the iconic Augusta National, home of The Masters, Bay Hill, and Pebble Beach, among plenty of others fans will recognise on the PGA tour or majors’ calendar.
The space truly is ideal for people looking to improve their game, or those who see it as a fun way of spending time with friends.
Thanks to skyrocketing green fees and golf’s ever-rising popularity, a simulator is likely the closest I’ll ever get to teeing it up on Pebble Beach’s iconic sea-view 7th, or driving over the Old Course Hotel on St Andrews’ signature 17th, and for that the experience is worth it. While it’s not necessarily an adequate replacement of real golf, it does save you the embarrassment knowing that a wayward tee shot in a simulator will go largely unpunished, and gives people of all levels a chance to try their hand at courses which the sport’s elite still struggle to master.
Spending a day at Launch It Golf is likely a luxury, however, as prices can be quite a bit steeper than a bucket of balls at your local driving range.
The technology is impressive, and as such the cost of entry is more than worth it for parties, or the odd session in the winter months when rain, snow, and wind force some clubs to close. That said, it’s not a replacement for a driving range session in the summer or even autumn.
Pytchley Golf Lodge, near Kettering, has a floodlit range and free use of Trackman, a similar technology. Other driving ranges will have their own twist on that formula for less than the £24 per hour, or £36 for 90 minutes, and £48 for two hours it costs at Launch It Golf.
This is by no means a knock on the business, as it seems – to me – to occupy a new space in the market locally.
It’s warmer, smaller, and less crowded than your local driving range, so while the tech isn’t going to render golf courses obsolete any time soon it instead feels like another choice for golfers who perhaps want to pay a premium to leave the waterproofs and winter clothes at home.