Owner and golf professional Wade Roberts’ 7,000-sq. ft. facility features three golf simulators, with plans to add an additional simulator, pool tables, and a golf video game in the future.
Golf professional and Carolina Indoor Golf owner Wade Roberts is bringing indoor golf to Greenville, S.C., the Greenville News reported.
Using giant simulators, golfers can get the opportunity to play some of the world’s most famous courses without paying a fortune to actually travel to them. Each simulator has software with the capabilities for golfers to play one of 86 or 87 courses, including Pinehurst Two and Eight, Pebble Beach and St. Andrews, the News reported.
“It plays just like if you were on the course,” Roberts said. “You can set whatever positions you want. Fifteen of the courses are PGA Tour stops during the year. It’s got a ton of the major championship courses, your Pebble Beaches, St. Andrews, Pinehurst Two and Eight. It’s got Spy Glass. It’s got a lot of the courses anybody really would want to play.”
Roberts’ facility, a more than 7,000-sq. ft. space, has three simulators, with more planned. He has been in the building since April, spending most of that time teaching, the News reported.
“Golf, as a sport, has lost a lot of people who play. A lot of it is because the pace of play is so slow. People get frustrated. The last time I played on a course, it took me about five and a half hours to play. That’s crazy. That’s your whole day. It shouldn’t take that long.”
Roberts has obtained a license to serve beer and wine in the facility. Growing up playing and loving golf, he knew early the path he wanted his life to take, the News reported.
“I was playing at TPC Sawgrass at Ponte Vedra Beach and I met the guy who owned Edwin Watts Academy,” said Roberts. “I told him I was about to go to school to teach because I just wanted to teach. He said don’t waste your money and go because they are going to teach you a bunch of stuff that you don’t even need to know to teach.”
Roberts went to work for the owner of Edwin Watts Golf Academy and made an upward climb through the ranks. Roberts continues to teach during the week, using one of his simulators to help his students. It has a camera that helps to analyze and help eliminate their deficiencies. Roberts says clients are impressed with the simulators’ realism, the News reported.
“It tells you everything,” said Roberts. “It tells you the direction of your punt. It also tells you how far your shots go, the carry yards, the roll yards, the backspin. People come in, especially during the week to rent it out for a half hour. It’s got a driving range so, when they hit the ball they get all the club information so it helps you practice.”
One of the advantages over playing golf outside is the speed of the game, the News reported.
“I can play 18 holes in about 40 minutes,” said Roberts. “Usually one person can play it in about an hour. With two people, you’re looking at about an hour and 45 minutes or something like that.
“The pace of play is faster. It is more enjoyable. It is more social. People like to sit down, have a good time, drink a beer and play. You don’t have to worry about waiting on people.
“If it is too hot, too cold, obviously that brings people in. Other than that, some people don’t feel comfortable playing on a real course. It can be overwhelming, I guess, if you’re starting.
“This kind of helps that out because people struggle with hitting the ball.”
While his place is open for business, there has yet to be any advertising as his early clients have visited mostly due to word of mouth. With the construction of the inside of the facility nearly complete, that is about to change, the News reported.
Next on the agenda is a fourth simulator, followed by a room with a pool tables and the golf video game Golden Tee. He says playing indoors is very affordable as well, the News reported.
“If you bring a bunch of your buddies in here, it costs you maybe $25 to play,” said Roberts. “You can watch TV. You can drink a beer. It is more of a social environment. It is less frustrating, a little more enjoyable.”
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