Putt your act together
With six simulators and a wide putting green, Gurgaon's Golfworx, offers all you need to turn pro at the game.
It is hard to be a golfer in India with just a desire for the game and not much else. When exorbitant membership and equipment costs leave behind many a talented golfer, there's finally some hope for the way the game is played and enjoyed. The result of a demand for more pro golfers as well as India's rising star in the game, people like Rahul Singh are trying to change the way the game is perceived-as a preserve of a privileged few. Rahul is the owner of Golfworx, a 44,000 sq ft indoor golf lounge at Ambiance Mall, Gurgaon, an establishment that could launch a trend in the country.
A first-of-a-kind venture in the country, Golfworx provides allweather golfing facilities with six 20 ft x 12 ft High Definition Golf simulators where a golfer can virtually play eighteen different courses from across the world, at a regulated temperature of 22 degrees throughout the year. It also houses a plush members-only cigar and malt lounge, Baronial, and an 8,000 sq ft retail pro shop. The largest such outlet in the country, it provides golf merchandise from 32 different brands including Callaway, Taylor Made, Nike Golf, Puma, Wilson, and Footjoy. A year since it opened in January 2010, Golfworx now boasts of an Academy Programme that aims at educating golf enthusiasts through its various courses that cater to both old timers and 'nutters with putters'.
To do the honours, the company has roped in golfer of international repute, John D. Volz, who is listed as a 'Class A' golfer in the Professional Golfer's Association (PGA), USA. Training is provided on one of the six simulators which gives an accurate measurement of everything including ball speed, launch angle, ball spin, swing path, and real ball flight simulation. There are cameras set up at different angles which help you analyse your body postures while you play. The simulator screen and walls of the enclosure are padded to prevent the ball from ricocheting, while the floors are carpeted with turf grass to facilitate a stable and smooth drive, just like a fairway on a golf course.
According to Volz, the simulators are the most helpful things a budding golfer could hope for. "The simulator provides you instant feedback on key swing training aspects such as clubhead path, clubhead speed, launch angle, amount of loft and carry and the total distance the ball has travelled," he says. These figures are useful in analysing your game. Addressing aspects like long game, short game, course management as well as the player's mental preparation, the training programme helps players evolve.
Ultimately, the simulators are all about the experience of playing at real golf courses. While the software features some of the world's best courses including Pebble Beach and Banff Springs, the pre-recorded sounds of roaring crowds when the ball topples into a virtual hole just add to the fun. But unlike a regular golf course, where you spend endless hours walking from one hole to another and about five hours to complete 18 holes, the simulator helps cover the same ground in just two and a half hours.
This helps the player focus on improving his/her technique. It's quick, it's fun, and where else could you improve your swing at the picturesque Kiawah-Ocean course or tee-off at the lush Torrey Pines or catch up with friends for a quick session at Pebble Beach- all in one day-and still be home in time for dinner? Golfworx also houses a 1,500 sq ft 'putting green' with eight 'real' holes for fine-tuning one's technique. The right gear is as important in golf as the technique. Here, the experts guide you through your irons and can even custom-make them in a way to suit your requirements.
Whether the concept of indoor golf appeals to you or not,there's no doubt that this helps you learn the game better. Purists might feel that seeing the actual flight of the ball and facing challenges of the sun and wind are a part of the game, others believe it's all about perfect putting, which is rather conveniently achieved through virtual simulators. As Volz says, "Venues like Golfworx will slowly but surely chip away the doubts a golfer may have regarding a simulated experience. In time many will come to appreciate the benefits of a such an environment".
As compared to membershipbased courses such as the JP Greens in Noida where non-members need to shell out Rs 1,500 for a 45-minute lesson and the Delhi Golf Course which entails a cost of Rs 1,200 for 30 minutes, Golfworx aims to offer more for less. So whether you endorse convention or embrace novelties, here's a comfortable way to build up your game in all its aspects-from posture to swing- before you hit the green.
A first-of-a-kind venture in the country, Golfworx provides allweather golfing facilities with six 20 ft x 12 ft High Definition Golf simulators where a golfer can virtually play eighteen different courses from across the world, at a regulated temperature of 22 degrees throughout the year. It also houses a plush members-only cigar and malt lounge, Baronial, and an 8,000 sq ft retail pro shop. The largest such outlet in the country, it provides golf merchandise from 32 different brands including Callaway, Taylor Made, Nike Golf, Puma, Wilson, and Footjoy. A year since it opened in January 2010, Golfworx now boasts of an Academy Programme that aims at educating golf enthusiasts through its various courses that cater to both old timers and 'nutters with putters'.
Putting Green and the simulators;
| Courses offered 1. Corporate clinics programme: A twohour lesson with a minimum of 10 people. Price: Rs 2,000 per person 2. Group lesson: A two-hour lesson for minimum four people. Price: Rs 1,500 per person 3. Individual lesson: A 45-minute lesson with advanced video analysis.' Price: Rs 1,600 4. Short swing programme: Four lessons of 45 minutes each. Price: Rs 3,000 5. Full beginner's programme: 12 lessons of 45 minutes each. Price: Rs 10,000 |
Training sessions at simulators
This helps the player focus on improving his/her technique. It's quick, it's fun, and where else could you improve your swing at the picturesque Kiawah-Ocean course or tee-off at the lush Torrey Pines or catch up with friends for a quick session at Pebble Beach- all in one day-and still be home in time for dinner? Golfworx also houses a 1,500 sq ft 'putting green' with eight 'real' holes for fine-tuning one's technique. The right gear is as important in golf as the technique. Here, the experts guide you through your irons and can even custom-make them in a way to suit your requirements.
Whether the concept of indoor golf appeals to you or not,there's no doubt that this helps you learn the game better. Purists might feel that seeing the actual flight of the ball and facing challenges of the sun and wind are a part of the game, others believe it's all about perfect putting, which is rather conveniently achieved through virtual simulators. As Volz says, "Venues like Golfworx will slowly but surely chip away the doubts a golfer may have regarding a simulated experience. In time many will come to appreciate the benefits of a such an environment".
As compared to membershipbased courses such as the JP Greens in Noida where non-members need to shell out Rs 1,500 for a 45-minute lesson and the Delhi Golf Course which entails a cost of Rs 1,200 for 30 minutes, Golfworx aims to offer more for less. So whether you endorse convention or embrace novelties, here's a comfortable way to build up your game in all its aspects-from posture to swing- before you hit the green.
