Imagine playing golf without the hassle of renting a pull cart or driving an electric cart in the rough. You don't have to wander off in the woods to look for a lost ball, and you don't have to recalculate your score after every hole. Add in the idea of playing golf year-round. Sounds like a dream come true, but it's just the inventive game of Virtual Golf at Year Round Golf at 12733 N. U.S. 131 in Schoolcraft Michigan. "This is still a very new idea, but it's been very popular," said Mike Valk, president of Year Round Golf. "We've had the golf simulator since December and it was rented from open to close every day during the winter last year." The golf simulator is just what it sounds like: One can play a round of golf without walking from hole to hole and still get the feel of a real golf course. Participants tee off into a screen, and two infrared sensors placed roughly four feet apart read everything the ball does, just like the real thing. "With the simulator, you can go on the practice range and see how well your ball carries, how much it rolls and it also tells you the flaws in your game," Valk said. "It will read if you hook or slice as well." And after practicing your game, you can play on one of 20 different courses offered, courses like Pebble Beach, Pinehurst, Bay Hill Club and Harbor Town. "You can also customize the game however you want. You can play in heavy wind or none at all," Valk said. "You can also have early-morning dew." The simulator has four different surfaces to hit from to make the feeling real: fairway, light rough, intermediate rough and a sand trap. It's also so real that you have to call ahead and make a tee time. "It's just like a regular golf course, except you don't have to walk from hole to hole," Valk said. "You play accordingly to how you regularly hit the ball. "We've even had people who throw their clubs after a bad shot, although that is not recommended." The simulator is rented by the hour, with anywhere from one person to a group of eight at one time. The cost is $25 per hour, no matter how many are in the group. "Who doesn't want to play golf in the winter?" Valk said. Year Round Golf also has league play, which will probably be around $13 per week. There's couples leagues, father-son, and others that will run Monday through Thursdays. "Every week is a different course and each time, the pin location is changed," Valk said. "But putting is the hardest for most people. They don't have the 3-dimensional view, so it messes with your eyes." And there's always support. "When you're playing good, the crowd gets louder," Valk said. Valk has also used the simulator as a teaching tool. "You can evaluate a lot about a golfer from the simulator," he said. "It tells you more than any driving range can." Among the helping concepts are a practice green, the speed of a shot as well as the loft, and it also traces shots to show exactly where the ball goes. "When there's snow on the ground, the only place to play is inside," Valk said. "If I had one of these in my basement, I'd never leave the house." Year Round Golf is open from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. every day and also has memberships available. For information, call 616-679-2090.