During this week’s PGA Merchandise Show, a new concept showed up. It’s from Golfuture, and it could change the way we play golf.
There are two big issues when it comes to trying to go out and play a round of golf. They both revolve around time. The first is setting aside the required amount of time to get out and play a round, especially when there isn’t a lot of daylight. The other is the place of play on the course. Golfuture is looking to get around both of those issues.
It’s real golf, but with Top Golf thrown in. The basic’s are as follows. The “course” is split four ways. An area for driving, approach shots, your short game, and then putting. Availability isn’t an issue whatsoever. This setup can actually provide for more golfers than a course, with the capacity for 120 people in the driving area alone, which is similar to what a course can hold on all 18 holes.
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When I first heard about this, it sounded like a lot of walking back and forth between areas. Not so fast. This is where the Top Golf aspect comes in. Everything is done in bunches, and the data saved. You start at the driving range area, and hit all your drives for the par 4 and par 5 holes. Each station has a screen showing you the layout, and telling you where to aim on the course for realistic results and lies. After hitting all of these drives, which the computer saves, you move on to the approach section.
Since all of your information has been saved, this is where you are going to hit your second (or third, fourth, or even ninth shots), as well as your par 3 shots. Not every shot is created equal though. Miss the fairway? In the deep rough or a bunker? Don’t worry, cause there is a section for you to hit from. There are different sections to each mat, making those shots as realistic as possible from a mat.
Once done there, you move on to chipping and putting. Each area has different setups, so that every shot isn’t vanilla, forcing you to deal with different lies, breaks, and slopes. If it is something you enjoy once finished, everything you did during the round is saved. This means in future trips, you are able to pull up your data, and compare to see how you have done over time.
Two of the largest factors that could make Golfuture a reality are time and size. With the majority of walking from shot to shot and searching for lost balls no longer needed, rounds take about 25% less time. You also won’t have to worry about missing the beverage cart here, as the entertainment aspect is important (which could be the reason your round takes a little longer).
The amount of space that is taken up is much smaller as well. An average course takes somewhere around an average of 150 acres. For Golfuture, the impact is around 10-20% that size, coming in at 15-25 acres. This means that they could drop in facilities in places all over the country, without having to take up a ton of space. Accessibility is huge for the game of golf, and if Golfuture is a short drive away, it’s popularity could be instantaneous.
Many people have issues with the range or simulated experiences, because they just aren’t the same as walking the course. Of everything out there, Golfuture seems to be the closest to the real thing, giving you almost everything you would get in a real round, besides the walk. It’s an exciting new look for the game of golf, and something i look forward to trying.