Digital golf becomes a hit during cold New York winter

Oakmont Country Club, Pebble Beach and several other famous golf courses, provide the backdrop for golfers like Larry Dunlap, who is recently retired and golfs almost every day.

And when he can’t play outside, he makes an online reservation and puts in his code for a round of indoor digital golf at Mulligan’s on Fairmount Digital Golf and Fun Center in Lakewood.

“So this is a welcome diversion. It’s been fantastic. It gives you insights into your game you can’t get when you’re outside,” said Dunlap.

Dunlap joins a number of golfers from across the state, as more and more indoor centers are popping up for golfers to help fine tune their game.

“Practice, practice, practice. This gives you the data, and the statistics you can’t get on the course. Outside you’re hitting the ball. It’s going, it’s left, it’s right, it’s high, it’s low. Here you can actually see the ball make contact with the club,” said Dunlap.

Mulligan’s owner Kyle Crandall sits at the controls where golfers can build their profile and select a course.

“You can watch your club face as a replay, you can watch your swing as a replay. You get much more feedback indoors than you would outdoors,” said Crandall.

Crandall says many of the course programs focus more on the technical aspects of the game and can follow the trajectory of the ball once it leaves the club.

“You could just keep hitting this hole, over and over and over again to dial in your yardage. Use it like a driving range,” he said.

Dunlap’s been dialed in for a few years now, just happy to be able to tee off.

“Anytime we’re golfing, it’s great. So, anytime I can swing a club, I’m all over it,” Dunlap said.

Many golfers are in luck, as some courses across the state have opened early because of the relatively mild winter and little to no snow.