A golf trip to Bandon Dunes in Oregon or The Belfry in England means booking tee times many months in advance, making travel plans and a hefty budget. Or you could play those two golf courses virtually for the cost of a dozen Titleist Pro V1 balls. That’s a new option at the Jewish Community Center.
The golf simulator in the fitness center of the Staenberg Family Complex recently opened. It’s one of the new features that came courtesy of funds raised by the J Associates. The virtual golf setup offers a driving range for practice and a choice of many courses. The technology behind the system even analyzes a golfer’s swing, according to Mat DeWinters, the J’s director of sports, recreation and day camps.
“It tells you the launch angle, distance, and backspin,” DeWinters said. “It will also tell you the side spin, and how much you are off from the target. It will also tell you the optimum range you should be hitting each club.”
The heart of the system is SkyTracker, a small device that trains a laser beam on the spot where the ball is teed up. A photometric camera produces four images and uses artificial intelligence to measure the golfer’s club speed, ball speed and descent angle.
Much of the data can also be stored for golfers via the E6 Connect smartphone app.
“The nice thing with E6 is you can create a free account, then come here and log in,” DeWinters said. “It already has your profile in the system. So when you play golf, you log in to your account.”
In addition to virtual courses and a virtual driving range for practice, the simulator offers special skill competitions like closest-to-the-pin. The new simulator will also be used for the longest drive competition in the 2024 Senior Olympics. The indoor facility should also be a popular feature in winter months and on rainy days.
Pricing for the J’s golf simulator is $36 per hour for members and $50 per hour for non-members. It is currently available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Reservations can be made here.
