INDOOR GOLF LEAGUES ARE A THING

INDOOR GOLF SIMULATORS have been around for decades, but they were mostly tools for teaching or demoing clubs. Now the technology has gotten so good that simulated golf might be more fun than real golf. It's certainly more convenient.

"I tried out the simulator 10 years ago and was blown away by the accuracy and what we could do with this product," says Ryan D'Arcy, CEO of X-Golf, an indoor golf simulator facility that will double its number of venues in 2022.

Step into one of the 43 X-Golf locations that are currently open across the country, and you can rent a simulator by the hour, get lessons from the in-house PGA pro, play any number of world-famous courses in the simulator's system, or sign up for the X League, a team-based weekly tournament similar to old-school bowling leagues.

Playing indoors doesn't have all of the same qualities as "green grass" golf but it has its advantages: Weather is never a concern, you don't have to wait for the slow four-some in front of you, and did we mention there's a bar right there?

But the biggest draw might be the pace of play. A traditional round of golf can take several hours, but with X-Golf, you can knock out a full round during your lunch break. "With these simulators," says D'Arcy, "you can play Pebble Beach and be back at the office in an hour."