My son wanted to go golfing for his special birthday activity to celebrate turning fourteen today. I know some people here in Michigan still hit the links outdoors in December but with the winter weather we decided instead to try out the brand new GOLFZON simulators at the Tee Times location that just opened up this week in Rochester Hills. I took my son and two of his friends to tee it up at this new golf simulator venue for some birthday celebration fun.
They played an hour long round of golf at Pebble Beach which gave the boys the experience of playing on scenic oceanside California links without the expense of actually going to the real site. The indoor facility also had the vibe of playing a round of clubs on a course rather than the feel of just swinging clubs at a driving range. Though when a player isn't up instead of sitting in a golf cart waiting for a turn, you sit in an area designated for your group either on leather couches or bar stools with a table for holding food and beverages that you can purchase from the facility's kitchen and bar. Available are appetizers, sandwiches and salads that all looked good from what I saw other folks eating; but the boys just wanted to share a pizza which wasn't available on the Tee Times menu so I took them over to the Hamlin Pub to eat after they were done playing.
The kids played on a state-of-the-art GOLFZON TwoVision Simulator which can portray 200+ different real-world courses to choose from. This simulator would cost $70,000 to install within your home so paying $50 an hour of "green fees" accommodating up to a foursome seemed a reasonable cost and provide a decent value for the experience. It has cost me $100 to treat my child and two friends to an hour of games at Dave & Buster's so $50 for the three of them to play a virtual round of golf actually seemed like somewhat of a bargain.
This simulator has a lot of high-tech aspects to it, yet it was easy to use and overly complicated to manage your gameplay. It has five distinct hitting surfaces that include fairway, rough and sand trap which sensors and displays that make sure you are hitting the ball from the appropriate spot on the swing-plate players stand on. This swing plate also can move in twenty-four different directions to replicate elevations and ground conditions of where you are hitting from on a course.
The visuals on the screen you hit into were good, but I was a bit underwhelmed by them. They looked like visuals you'd see in a video game rather than a real-life photography or videography. The boys commented it was like playing a Golden Tee arcade game with their gold clubs instead of a roller ball. Don't get me wrong the graphics were nice, but the visuals didn't immerse you into feeling as if you were actually looking out onto a real course.
TwoVision's highlight is its two advanced high-speed sensors that provide an accurate representation on where your ball would go on the course by how you hit it in the simulation bay. Whether it is hitting off a tee, chipping out of a bunker or putting on a green the sensors provide accurate representations of these experiences, so you feel as you are actually replicating the feel of course play. The boys liked that it was like playing a video game but had them going through the motions of the real-life activity. These three spend a lot of time at home playing video games against one another over Internet connections, so I liked that it got them out and about doing an activity together outside of each of their houses.
Most importantly they had fun trying something new. This place literally opened two days before we went but you wouldn't have known it because its staff was running the place very smoothly and professionally. Minimum booking time is an hour for $50; note though that if you are having fun and want to stay longer you probably can't because they book up and there is probably someone waiting for their turn to start as your time expires. Keep that in mind when making your reservation.
My son and his friends had a good time and we had a hassle-free experience so that is the primary reason Tee Times earned A Geek Daddy nod of approval. Whether you are just looking for something out of the ordinary to do or are a serious golfer wanting to play when there is six inches of snow on the ground, if you live in Metro Detroit check out Tee Times. For beginner golfers who may intimidated about going out on a course and having annoyed foursomes of more advanced golfers backing up behind you this is a great way to get some practice in before actually hitting the links. Note you do need to bring your own golf clubs to use on the simulators so don't show up without any in hand expecting to play.
Tee Times is located at 2612 S Rochester Rd, north of M-59, within the city of Rochester Hills. For more information, visit playteetimes.com.
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