Alright, we’re in December, and it’s winter \u2013 not the ideal season for hitting the golf course. But if you’re playing inside, none of that matters. Just like indoor golf, mobile casinos let you skip the hassle. You don\u2019t have to worry about bundling up in layers or packing extra gear. And just like the excitement of indoor golf, mobile casinos offer perks like mobile casino free spins<\/a><\/strong>, giving you extra chances to win without the weather ever being a concern. So, whether you’re teeing off indoors or spinning the reels online, the experience stays comfortable and thrilling.<\/p>\n

So it was that last week I took myself off to Urban Golf (www.urbangolf.co.uk<\/a><\/strong> ; 020 7248-8600), located near Smithfield Market in central London. Its CEO and founder is James Day, a former golf professional who initiated the business 20 years ago with what he calls \u201csecond-generation simulators\u201d; the ball was tracked by radar and infra-red beams. In 2009, he upgraded to \u201cthird generation\u201d, which involves the ball\u2019s strike and flight being photographed by multiple cameras. This was a costly process but he reckons that without it he may have gone bust. \u201cWe started getting a lot more repeat business,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople realised they could now really trust the feedback.\u201d<\/p>\n

He reckons there are about 20 similar facilities to his in the UK which have at least six simulators. Urban Golf has 11. Their premises are open seven days a week and they get about 600 visitors a week. During the day, the majority of players use driving-range simulators (there are several options to choose from) to work on their games. In the evenings, a more frequent sight is a groups of mates playing an array of games on courses such as the Old at St Andrews or Pebble Beach, although Urban Golf\u2019s generous collection of Ryder Cup venues generally prove to be the most popular \u2013 another testament to the pulling power of that event.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way ahead is to design courses for a simulator, incorporating holes that would not work outside,\u201d says Day. \u201cWe need to take advantage of the technology to do what we can instead of getting hung-up about what we can\u2019t. We need to stop worrying about what works better outside.\u201d Perhaps you are familiar with those surreal and bizarre fantasy golf holes created by the late American artist, Bud Chapman? (If you aren\u2019t, there\u2019s always Google!) Well, maybe not quite as outrageous as that, but it gives a sense of what might be achieved.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think indoor golf will eventually engender a different culture to outdoor golf,\u201d says Day. \u201cNot inferior; just different. Golf is played on a simulator in South Korea way more than it is played on a course. What we need to do in the UK is develop the indoor game so that it has its own distinct appeal, not trying to usurp the traditional game but nurturing it so that it becomes a more enjoyable experience than at present.\u201d<\/p>\n

The launch next month of the Tiger Woods\/Rory McIlroy vehicle, Tomorrow\u2019s Golf League (TGL), an indoor golf series featuring top tour players, isn\u2019t going to do any such notions any harm at all.<\/p>\n

You can follow Robert Green on Twitter @robrtgreen and enjoy his other blog\u00a0<\/i><\/b>f-factors.com<\/i><\/b><\/a> as well as his golf archive on robertgreen-golf.com<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Winter golf without the waterproofs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":214027,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":119,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9324],"tags":[3780,5115,117],"class_list":["post-1254801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","tag-golf-simulators","tag-indoor-golf","tag-robert-green"],"yoast_head":"\n