Visit one of the almost 200 golf simulator venues around Australia and the differences between this new kind of sporting venue and a traditional golf club are numerous. There’s the technology, tracking swing biomechanics and ball rotation hundreds of times a second. There are beers, soft drinks and food, available metres away. There are groups chatting while rotating quickly through a round.
Then there is the lack of collared shirts. “Our coaches wear leggings and runners, we don’t mind if people have bare feet,” says Big Swing Golf Kew co-franchisee Tracey Ellett. “It helps to break down barriers and be less perceived as a ‘prestigious’ sport, it invites the common person. You know, anyone can do it.”
