New simulator golf in Kansas City area: What is it and how do you play?

LEAWOOD, Kan. (KCTV) - Simulator golf has taken the golf world by storm. A new professional golf league, played entirely on simulators, was launched this week.

It’s called the TGL, or Tomorrow’s Golf League. Competition will be played with simulators in an indoor stadium in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The league is comprised of PGA Tour players who will compete together on teams, rather than through individual stroke play typical of tournament golf.

But what is simulator golf? Is it like real golf? KCTV5 stopped by X-Golf in Leawood to find out.

“Really, you can do the same [on a simulator] as if you were outdoor,” said X-Golf Leawood’s Director of Instruction, Jacob White. “You can hit the driving range; you can work on short game; we have sand shots; we can hit the driver.”

Simulator golf is played entirely indoors, with golfers hitting into a screen. Sophisticated technology tracks golfers’ swings, and provides real-time data on total distance, swing speed, ball speed, and other analytics. The simulator also allows golfers to play at some of the world’s top golf courses– giving them the experience they might not get otherwise.

“We have about 100 different courses,” White said. “We have everything from Pebble Beach to Doral to PGA National. It kind of allows them a cool feeling of playing somewhere they normally wouldn’t get to play.”

A big positive for sim golf is the pace of play, where one person can play 18 holes in an hour.

“We basically say an hour per person,” White said. “Very convenient and nice that you can play a little quicker. You don’t have to chase your ball. You don’t have to look for anything.”

Players do chip and putt on the simulator, giving sim golf a very real feel despite it being indoors. For more information on X-Golf Leawood, you can find their website here.

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