All nature shouted “fore” but Tiger Woods is having none of that. He bends his knees before a giant screen to tee off as Rory McIlroy looks on. Simulated indoor golf lacks the emotional gut punch of hitting a four-iron over the pond — from 200 yards away — to about 15 feet from the pin or watching the ball edge towards the cup while thousands cheer on. Yet, there’s no denying high-tech indoor golf’s ability to deliver a twist on the sport is on point.
If 2018-19 shaped the pickleball craze, the present is about golf simulators. The past few years have birthed the craze in places in Brooklyn, New York, to Shilla in Seoul, where you can successfully whack a ball into a 20-foot screen or get the swing up to scratch in case you have been worried about the handicap while playing the real thing.
These golf simulators deliver digital replicas of famous golf courses and a soul-crushing lineup of data about the speed and accuracy of swings. The technology is at the heart of TGL or TMRW Golf League, a venture formed by sports executive Mike McCarley and golfers Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in partnership with the PGA Tour.
Helping meet the demand for golf simulators are companies like Taiwan-HQed BenQ whose expertise in the projector and display industry is well-known.
Projected image of the options needed to play a round of golf.
Golf sims are becoming popular beyond the US, Europe, South Korea and Japan. “Right now, we are doing 15-20 installations per quarter in India. The majority of these installations are happening at HNI (high net worth) residences, in apartments and also farmhouses. We are also doing installations in luxury hotels that don’t have golf courses but have clients who play golf. We are having premium clubs for golf simulations,” said Rajeev Singh, managing director of BenQ India, when we met at the company’s headquarters in Taiwan.
Growing in popularity
Golf simulators have been around for some time, but they were once anything but perfect. The last few years have been kind to the new form of golf.
Dedicated golf fans have more options now than just practising on a putting machine in the bedroom or hallway. The people who are getting simulators installed spend hours at the machine and have friends come over. It has become a way to socialise, say, after a dinner party.
Such simulators don’t come cheap, even if you intend to go the DIY route. There are resources on the Internet offering the design blueprint for a golf shed, as well as the technology; owners then hire a local contractor to execute its construction as directed.
The price for a BenQ setup can be anything upwards of Rs 10 lakh, with the sky being the limit. It all depends on the screen size, whether you are going 1080p or 4K resolution, and the number of sensors/cameras you are installing for tracking of the club and ball.
Rajeev Singh, managing director of BenQ India.
Prices for such simulators have become slightly approachable in recent years because of more affordable screens. If you could afford a home theatre five years ago, you may go for a golf sim now.
“Every year, the salaries of NBA players, cricket players and others are getting higher and higher. The same goes for golf. To improve their golf skills, a lot of people practise using an indoor golf simulation. Earlier, it was popular in the US, but more countries are now using it. BenQ can offer accurate 4K resolution. It’s our strong point. Tiger Woods and others have been a catalyst in growing the market for golf simulation, leading to serious competition. What he is doing is a different kind of golf tournament. More and more people are watching it,” said Jeffrey Liang, president of BenQ Asia Pacific Corporation. He is responsible for BenQ’s regional operations in Asia-Pacific, comprising Australia, Japan, Korea, South East Asia, India, the Middle East and Africa.
TGL, the catalyst
Fueling demand is TGL, which is operating in partnership with the PGA Tour, meaning no LIV golfers have been included. In recent years, golf’s civil war has divided it into PGA versus LIV. PGA Tour is the organiser of North America’s largest professional golf tournaments. LIV Golf is new and is backed by the Saudi government. To attract talent, LIV reportedly offers players millions of dollars in guaranteed contracts. So popular names like Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka will not be seen playing TGL.
TGL’s playing area is about the size of a small football field, surrounded by thousands of seats. Matches come with an emcee and a DJ, creating a party atmosphere. Players emerge like wrestlers from a tunnel and compete under bright lights. TGL CEO Mike McCarley said he wanted to create the feel of gladiator fights.
Playing a hole in TGL requires all the same shots as on any other golf course. Each team tee up on a ‘grass tee box’ and then hits the ball into a massive screen, which is called a ‘screenplay’. Resulting upon the tee shot, the teams will continue to play into the screen, be it from grass, rough or sand in case they happen to have landed in a bunker. The shots continue until the ball lands in a green zone, where it’s important to bring out the putter. Play continues until the ball drops into the cup.
Jeffrey Liang, president, BenQ Asia Pacific.
Currently, there are six teams (Atlanta Drive GC, Boston Common Golf, Jupiter Links GC, Los Angeles Golf Club, New York Golf Club and the Bay Golf Club) from six different cities, all made up of four players with three playing at a time while one is kept on the bench. The matches run for around two hours and players go through 15 holes. Motor City Golf Club, representing Detroit, will become the seventh team in 2027.
There are two sessions, the first being Triples — nine holes, three-on-three alternate shots. Each team will alternate playing until they complete a hole, and the lowest score wins. No points will be awarded for a tied hole, just like in traditional match play.The other session is Singles — six holes, head-to-head matches. Points are scored based on winning matches. If there is a tie, the match goes into overtime.
Teams can increase the stakes of a hole by deploying The Hammer. If the opposing team accepts, the value of the hole becomes two points, rather than one. If they refuse, they effectively concede the hole.
There are short clocks, referees and timeouts. More importantly, you can hear what the player is saying.
TGL season is from January through March, with the regular season ending on March 4. These are matches that are broadcast live and appear like e-sport matches, where there is commentary and you can hear what the golfers have to say.
The magic of TGL lies in the screen size, which could be 64 feet by 53 feet. That’s like several times the regular size of the simulator screen. Full Swing Simulators, which produces top-of-the-line launch monitors, is the official technology partner of TGL. There are supposed to be 18 launch monitors all talking to one another to make sure no data is missed.
“Every time I step in here, I’m just blown away by the size of the screen, the fact that we’re able to put something that looks like golf on a stage like this. It’s really cool and we’re obviously really excited about it within the game of golf. I think a lot of other people outside of the game are going to see this and hopefully get excited about it as well,” McIlroy told CNN.
TGL co-founders Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy
TGL is using three surfaces to hit off — fairway, light rough and sand. Mats can be unforgiving, so this heightens the element of realism. Next comes the massive green placed on a turntable that rotates. It changes the slope based on the hole that is being played. Every hole uses the same green but as it rotates, it makes it a completely different surface.
One of the issues with golf on TV is that the viewer can never see every shot live. Players hit shots simultaneously all over the course. With TGL, you can see it all.
Does all of this make golf simulation the next pickleball craze? “It could happen but may not be for India at the moment. It definitely is sought-after in markets like the US, South Korea and Japan, where golf is very popular,” said Singh.
Before getting a golf simulator
Golf sims are used more during winters in the US and Europe when enthusiasts want to practice indoors. There are a few mistakes to avoid if you plan to have a simulator. You will be able to play golf whenever you want and whatever time of day, even if it is at 2am.
Getting the wrong launch monitor is a rookie mistake. Remember, room construction plays a big role in this department. Projection, in this case, requires space since the projector needs to sit behind you. If you are in a garage, for instance, a lot of concrete may interfere with the data-reading sensors, giving inaccurate readings. Do not cheap out on a golf sim. It’s better to save up and buy.
Second, enclosure is important. Instead of buying a premade enclosure, you may want to build one. It will be a fun process but, in the end, the solution may not be perfect. For example, side or top protection may not be enough in such cases. A hidden metal case can be dangerous when a ball hits it and ricochets towards you.
Third, get a good mat. A couple of inches of mat is needed to protect you from injuries. Some injuries can last a lifetime.
Fourth, having the right projector is perhaps the most important element. Think about the throw distance (how far above you/next to you the projector needs to be placed to fill up the entire screen) and what can be in focus. There are calculators online to get the throw distance right. When it comes to choosing between 1080p and 4K, ensure the projector runs smoothly, even if that means sticking with the former image quality. You don’t want projections to appear with shudders.
Fifth, even if you are a pro golfer, there will always be a family member or friend who will come into your zone and hit an errant shot. Make sure the expensive projector is protected.
Many opportunities
In Australia, there are a few hundred golf simulator venues, and the difference they are making to the sport is immense. There are beers, soft drinks and food going around while more and more people are appearing in leggings and runners. Golf sims are breaking down barriers and making golf popular among a larger crowd.
A round on a simulator takes around an hour, which is far less than what it would have taken outside. Players watch, share and discuss every shot, which brings about socialisation.
It is also a way for young people to get introduced to the sport. More importantly, women are coming forward to start their golfing journey. Sims are a logical pathway to gather confidence before going out on a real course. According to Golf Australia, 51 per cent of golfers who never set foot on a golf course are women, compared with 30 per cent for those who only play on-course golf. The off-course group is increasingly driven by simulator users.
Jeffrey Liang of BenQ says golf simulation projectors have a place in golf academies and he is hoping more such places will take advantage of the technology.
There isn’t a green jacket on the line with TGL or after a match at a golf simulator but there are always the happy screams players let out after sinking a putt. And that’s what matters.