Big MAC Attack

Last month we showed the benefits of using an indoor driving range in the off-season. This month we are covering option 2 for staying in shape in the off-season. That is the VR Simulator. The hardest thing about using a VR simulator has to be trying to find one. Luckily we found a location with not one, but two VR Simulators. "Where could I find such a glorious place?" you ask. Believe it or not, the place is the Michigan Athletic Club, and is located in East Lansing, Michigan and is just 10 minutes from the capital, and practically right next to Michigan State University. Why is this important? It’s not really, but it does make for some beautiful scenic trips to the MAC.

The MAC is one of the top fitness centers in Michigan and probably one of the best in the entire country. I could spend an hour telling you about everything that the MAC offers, I know because it took me an hour just to take the "short" tour, but I don’t think my fingers could take all that typing, they are already starting to cramp as most of you read this. What I will tell you is that the MAC has a great golf facility. They offer individual golf instruction from its PGA professionals who are normally based out of Forest Acres Golf Course until the winter months roll around.

The facilities include the aforementioned VR simulators, two practice hitting bays, practice green, and the ASTAR Video System, which is used to record a golfer’s swing. For this article though, I’ll be focusing on the VR Simulator. The VR simulator allows players to choose between 22 actual championship courses to play. The Simulator displays the stats for each hole. Once a shot is right into a large screen, the simulator analyzes the velocity and direction of the ball, and from this information, it extrapolates a flight path, which is displayed onscreen along with the balls distance and new lie. Depending on the lie, sand, rough, fairway, etc., the golfer must place the next ball in the appropriate hitting area. Don’t worry, they thought of everything just short of an actual tree to hit around.

The simulator seemed to be pretty accurate, and was not fooled by my throw test. While the feel is slightly different than that of an actual round of golf, the variation in hitting mats does prove to be much more realistic than those typically found at a driving range. All in all the VR Simulator proved to be a lot of fun and manages to keep players in good golf shape during the off-season. Now the bad news, what does this all cost?

Well, I’m sorry to report that Joe Blow can’t just come in off the street and pay to use the MAC’s Golf Simulator. Golfers have two options here, they can either join the MAC and pay each time they want to use the simulator, $9.00/ _ hour or they can sign up for the Winter Golf Program which runs from November 1 to March 15. The Winter Golf Program can run between $250 and $400 depending on when an applicant signs up and whether or not the applicant is already a member of the MAC. This winter Golf Program includes weekly 30 minute lessons and 9-holes of golf on the golf simulators.

If that doesn’t sound appealing you might want to consider the membership route. I’m not going to lie to you, the viewing public; a MAC membership is not cheap. It costs roughly $400 to set it up and at least $90 / month depending on how many people you get to join with you. If you can afford it and have time to kill, I can think of no better place to do it than the MAC. It has something for every member of the family. I think they even have a fitness program for the toddlers in the daycare area. If you are just interested in using a golf simulator, there are others available throughout Michigan. The trick, as I said, is finding them. We at USGolfer will do our best to keep you all informed of Simulators and Ranges in the Mid Michigan Area.

Until Next month, keep your head down, and your spirits up, Golf season is just around the corner.