Par-Tee Time

Golf is one of those games that people either love or hate – and that’s just the folks who play it. Otherwise, non-golfers are often puzzled by this strange obsession to hit a ball into a small hole at the other end of a paddock. Why do it to yourself?

It is, of course, very big business and a fast-growing sector of the sport is golfing simulators, in particular at the latest X-Golf facility in Preston, Melbourne, where you get to experience all the joy of smashing golf balls down a fairway, but in the comfort of air conditioning, with a beer close to hand, and without all that inconvenient walking and the hazards of being in the open countryside.

Seriously, while computerised golfing has been around a long time in the shape of console games and in-store machines to analyse your wild, hacking swing, the accuracy and realism with which X-Golf offers a simulation is truly amazing. A variety of world-famous courses can be loaded into the system, and infra-red sensors and high-speed cameras will map your every stroke to the nth degree to replicate exactly what would happen if you were really there. Alongside the simulation, X-Golf venues provide organised team sports and leagues, entertainment, food and beverages, and access to big-screen sporting broadcasts. It’s a fun, social place to be even if you’ve never sliced a 3-iron in your life.

TOUR PRO

Darryl Byrne of NQAV was involved in installing the Townsville X-Golf facility with high-grade audio and video. At the time, Darryl was able to demonstrate the benefits of professional gear such as Lab Gruppen and Tannoy, and how these, when coupled with a well-considered network controller, would be far superior to any consumer products. Not just the management at Townsville X-Golf were satisfied with the end result, but a deposition from X-Golf Head Office was so impressed they asked Darryl to chuck his tools in his bag and replicate the system in multiple venues around the country, including Preston.

Despite the focus on playing golf, the X-Golf venues are versatile spaces. For example, if one of the five simulators isn’t being used, that section can instead display a televised sporting event on the high-resolution, large screen – and the accompanying audio is routed to just that area. Since you want to avoid spoiling that crucial putt in the next booth, precise control and zone segregation is a must. Also, in Preston the venue has a Hey Caddy mini-golf course. Not what you might think, Hey Caddy is a mix of mini-golf, family entertainment, and a singles pick-up bar. Once the kids have been tucked into bed, the staff of “caddies” at Hey Caddy can shake up a mean cocktail, cater finger-food and snacks, and the place can really rock – there’s that zoning again. By the way, the themed courses at Hey Caddy can vary between places, offering the streets of New York and even Mars – yes, the planet. Keep the cocktails coming.