Last week, a couple of friends and I had the privilege of playing the best golf simulator ever at Coaches Sports Bar and Grill in Katy (1-10 and Barker Cypress).
Like most of you, I’ve swung clubs at a number of golf simulators at golf retail stores and a few training facilities. I’ve always thought that they’re adequate for taking a few cracks with a club I have no intention of ever buying, but the thought never crossed my mind of playing an entire round of golf in one of those contraptions!
I recently discovered that the owner of Coaches invested in the most technically advanced golf simulator available on the market, so I figured it be fun to kick back a few pints and test that bad boy out. So I gathered a few friends and we did just that. The strangest part of the whole thing was walking into a bar with your golf clubs. You’re better off though playing with your own clubs.
One of my buddies, Stuart, is from Scotland, so wanting to show off his intimate knowledge of a course he played growing up, he recommended we choose to play St. Andrews. (I’ve play that course so many times on Tiger Woods I don’t think it’d matter.) There are about 75 other courses to choose from, including Bethpage, Bay Hill, and Pebble Beach.
After a quick demo of how it works from Bill (I guess you could call him our caddy for the night), we played a whole round of golf on a Wednesday night! Here are a couple of notes from the experience:
The ball automatically comes up for you before you shoot. No need to chase balls down!
On your tee shots, you can adjust the height easily with up/down arrows and it’ll remember your setting for next time.
The mat where you hit the ball from is really cushy and even if you hit the ball fat, you aren’t going to get that vibration recoil feeling. It’ll even track how far behind the ball you are if you do hit it fat!
The platform you stand on changes angle and elevation depending on your lie.
At first, the putting was kinda tricky, but after a few holes and understanding the speed, we sank a few 20+ footers. The first hole, I 4-putted from 12 feet (which never happens in my real golf game of course).
Stuart was driving about what he normally hits, between 250 yards and 270 yards. Rick and I weren’t driving it as far in the simulator as we normally do in real life.
Chipping and pitching work too. In fact, I sank a 30 yard chip.
Stuart, Rick, and I all had a blast and enjoyed playing. We all agreed that this golf simulator is the best any of us have ever hit a ball in. The pricing is affordable, ranging from $20 to $40/hr depending on the number of people playing.
I didn’t get any good pics of the golf simulator while I was in the bar due to the lighting and the poor quality of my phone camera, but there’s some links below to the manufacturer’s website (and a video I found on youtube below).
When it’s too late to start or round (or if it’s too hot), go check this out at Coaches Sports Bar & Grill. Call ahead if you need to make a reservation.
The Antigua brand of genuine performance golf apparel, with a strong reputation as a golf industry standard for high quality performance fabrics and fashion golf styling in both men’s and women’s apparel has received a genuinely overwhelming response to the direction of it’s recently launched Spring ’12 performance collections.
In a bold 360 degree change in direction which incorporates an innovative updated bright color palette and compliments it with contemporary golf apparel styling the collection’s achieved success denoted by increased seasonal sales with deeper market penetration along with further establishing brand recognition as was the intent of the direction update.
Antigua has continued its R&D to bring further innovations in fabric technology expanding on the D2XL (Desert Dry Xtra-Lite) fabrics with newness in construction, a softer hand (feel) while maintaining focus on the drape of the fabric and how it correlates to the fit of the garment says Sean Gregg, Director of Product Development at Antigua.Add to that some simple but elegant style detailing in the way of pop color piping or contrast stitching and the finished garment appeals to each (golf) sense Gregg adds.
The philosophy during the development cycle is that each garment be built to stand alone – as though you were creating someone’s ‘favorite’ piece – and build those pieces out to assemble a full collection of favorites.The response to the collection has been received as it was intended and as the collections focus for its initial delivery has been the sun-belt the sell in and sell through has already proven phenomenal.The pop colors as they represent the collections divisive groupings and introduced first are Keylime, Berry and Wedgewood… and the colors that are following and added to the first offering as new product are Turq, Mellon and Azalea and are available for delivery in the Northern territories as green grass shops open their doors for Spring ’12.These fresh bright colors are represented as all over solid tonals, engineered chest stripes, tippings on rib treatments, pop accents on argyles and as filament cover stitching details on innovative outerwear pieces from base layers to water resistant wind garments.
Below are two collection for Antigua 2012:
Wedgewood/Cobalt Color Group
The inspiration for Antigua’s Spring 2012 performance golf collection is color, and in bringing this inspiration to life Antigua has developed for the collection six different color groups, including the Wedgewood/Cobalt group, focusing on bright, bold colors. “We found many ways to weave our ‘pop’ colors in as subtle details while keeping them sharp and proud,” says Sean Gregg, Director of Product Development at Antigua, “and tried to focus on how a color affects the textures of its complementing neutrals and sits as a critical contrast as the spark to the paler surroundings.”
The Spring 2012 performance collection has been merchandised to tell one cohesive story about color between all six groups, and the Wedgewood/Cobalt group brings to that story the cool wedgewood and cobalt blues that, paired with shades of grey and every shade of neutral, form an unexpectedly pleasing palette. “The philosophy during the development cycle is that each garment be built to stand alone – as though you were creating someone’s ‘favorite’ piece – and build those pieces out to assemble a full collection of favorites,” says Gregg. “With the wide selection of shirts, shorts, outerwear and hats offered in the Wedgewood/Cobalt group, any piece from this group may be combined with any others to create a fashion-forward golf ensemble that’s both simple and elegant.”
Add to this the tie-in with the complementing outerwear which Antigua has expanded on in both layering styles as well as sweaters, vests and wind shells, and the color story and presentation is enhanced even further. Says Gregg, “The initial introduction of the line to date has been well-received, and gives us confidence as we continue to follow our new tradition of color in the development of our upcoming Summer collection.”
Berry/Bordeaux Color Group
Bright, bold colors are the inspiration for Antigua’s Spring 2012 performance golf collection, and with six different color groups, including the Berry/Bordeaux group, Antigua has brought that inspiration to life. “We found as we interpreted our color inspiration that the colors themselves remained sharp and proud even as they were in many ways woven in as subtle details,” says Sean Gregg, Director of Product Development at Antigua. “It was important to us that the color we used not be contrived or forced, that it could affect the textures of its complementing surrounds and provide a contrasting spark to the neutrals.”
The Berry/Bordeaux group is highlighted by bright berry shades that pair with shades of grey and every shade of neutral to form an unexpectedly pleasing palette, an essential component of the single color story of the Spring 2012 performance collection. “The philosophy during the development cycle is that each garment be built to stand alone – as though you were creating someone’s ‘favorite’ piece – and build those pieces out to assemble a full collection of favorites,” says Gregg. “With the wide selection of shirts, shorts, outerwear and hats offered in the Berry/Bordeaux group, any piece from this group may be combined with any others to create a fashion-forward golf ensemble that’s both simple and elegant.”
Price Land and Energy is proud to hold this tournament to benefit Houston’s shelter rescue animals at the Uptown Park animal center. K-9 Angels Rescue is committed to rescuing and re-homing shelter dogs in and around the City of Houston, regardless of their breed or circumstance. We are motivated by the dire need to educate the public about the effects of irresponsible breeding practices, while helping the community in alleviating overcrowding in area shelters.
http://www.k-9angelsrescue.org/
For more info, call 832-767-1546 or email honor@priceland.com.
HUMANA ENCOURAGES HOUSTON GOLF FANS TO LIVE A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE AND TAKE STEPS TOWARD RAISING $100,000 FOR LOCAL HOUSTON CHARITIES
Humana is bringing its Well-Being Tour, a national mobile health initiative, to the Shell Houston Open for its first PGA TOUR stop since it debuted at the Humana Challenge in January. The Well-Being Tour is a mobile, 18-wheel trailer displaying a variety of Humana innovations geared towards health. It will tour the country for seven months, providing a fresh perspective on healthy living.
In addition, Humana is giving pedometers to fans who visit the Well-Being Tour as part of the Humana Walkit program. Tournament attendees are encouraged to track their steps, and Humana will donate $1 for every 50 recorded steps up to $100,000 to local Houston charities.
Activities at the Well-Being Tour include:
Walkit: Receive a free pedometer with an RFID tag through the HumanaFit program to track your steps during the tournament, each step counting towards a donation to local Houston charities
Humana Biometrics Stations: Visit one of four (non-invasive) biometric screening stations, receive personalized results and ask qualified professionals questions
Xbox Kinect: Play the Humana co-branded Xbox Kinect “Your Shape” game that demonstrates how being healthy can also be fun
Photo Station: Share physical feats using green-screen technology
Well-Being Wall: Join in a living collage by sharing personal definitions of well-being
Please join Humana as it continues to make fun things healthy and healthy things fun through the Well-Being Tour. Also, learn more about how the company is infusing its philosophy of helping people achieve lifelong well-being into a PGA TOUR event.
Only 14 spots left for the Klamerican Golf Tour’s opening tournament this Saturday at Pine Crest. KGT is open to all that enjoy the game of golf. Sign up as a team ($300) or by yourself ($75). Price includes golf, beer, dinner and some great KGT swag. Email jeffrey@klamgolf.org to check availability and secure your spot.
4 person team scramble at Pine Crest, 1:00 shotgun start.
Registration open until February 24, payment must be in.
$300 for teams, $75 for individuals. Covers golf, beer and dinner.
Karaoke to follow afterwards at course.
If you want to play, email Jeffrey Klam at jeffrey@klamgolf.org.
For those that didn’t come out last year, the opening scramble had 81 players with beer throughout, pizza and live music after. They expect over 100 at this one, so don’t be shy about signing up. Our new friends at No Label Brewing are providing beer during the round and we might have to bring back our old friends at Brothers Pizzeria for dinner.
They will have a raffle after play on March 3. Tickets are $10 each and benefit the Dylan Brown Foundation. The prize is a Danby Kegerator, which everybody needs if you really think about it. You don’t have to be present to win, just email jeffrey@klamgolf.org.
There are a lot of great things planned for 2012 KGT, come be a part of it.
Keep checking with the website for future events and email jeffrey@klamgolf.org to get on to our mailing list.
Originally from Detroit, Chris Koss has lived in Houston for about 5 years. He started playing golf about 10 years ago, but didn't get serious until mid-2008. Best start ever: par, birdie, par, birdie.
Originally from Detroit, 
