Full Swing Golf Simulator Hong Kong

Here’s a quick interview back in 2005 from Full Swing Golf which has 4 of their latest golf simulators in Hong Kong’s Golf Simulator facility – City Links Golf.

Over the past 16 years, San Diego-based Full Swing Golf has sold more than 3,000 indoor golf simulators for installation at golf courses, retail stores, golf shops and other venues throughout the country. Company President Floyd Arnold has witnessed first-hand the technological changes that have led many course owners to install the indoor machines as an important supplement to their outdoor operations. Among the company’s golf course clients are NGCOA members Schenley Park Golf Course in Pittsburgh; The Golf Center at Bunker Hill in Medinah, Ohio; and Gray Eagle Golf Course in Fishers, Ind.

Golf Business: How has the simulator market changed in recent years?

Floyd Arnold: Our market is expanding. In the early 1990s pro shops and stand-alone indoor golf centers were, and still are, a big part of our market. But as the simulator improved in realism of play, others caught the vision of indoor golf. We now have units in fitness centers, on cruise ships, in hospitals, corporate offices, colleges and such high-profile courses as Isleworth Country Club in Orlando. Donald Trump has three units on order for one of his courses. Custom units for homeowners have also become a major part of our market.

G.B.: What makes them attractive to course owners?

F.A.: Basically, the Full Swing Golf simulator provides entertainment for customers and profit for course owners. It is not unusual for each simulator to generate revenues of more than $6,000 per month. Weather forces many courses [especially in the North] to close five months a year. The simulator gives them the opportunity to provide year-round employment for course staffs. Many instructors do all their teaching in the simulator, regardless of the time of year. Sometimes the golf industry looks at simulators as competition, but it is just the opposite. Lenny Shaw, manager of Eel River Golf Course in Churubusco, Ind., has had four Full Swing Golf simulators for the past six years. He says they have increased outdoor rounds because people in winter leagues get to know the facility and management and return to play in the summer.

G.B.: Are new markets developing for indoor simulators?

F.A.: Foreign countries have developed the indoor golf concept much more rapidly than the United States. In many Scandinavian countries, golfers must obtain a playing permit before they can play an outside course. In Oslo, Norway, a city of about 500,000, we have about 100 golf simulators where people learn to golf before they go outside. During the winter these facilities are booked solid from morning until night with leagues and practice.

G.B.: Why do simulators work so well for club fitting?

F.A.: The infrared tracking system gives instant feedback of the exact launch angle and ball speed. Accurate ball flight enables the customer to fit his swing to the proper club. Ball flight data is so accurate many pro shops use it to match the proper ball to the customer’s club. The Full Swing Golf simulator at the PGA Learning Center in Port Saint Lucie, Fla., is used primarily for club fitting.

G.B.: Do simulators become obsolete?

F.A.: If someone had purchased a Full Swing Golf simulator in 1991 and wanted to update by replacing the computer, projector, software and screen it would play like a new machine.

G.B.: Do courses use simulators during the outdoor-playing season?

F.A.: Many courses are having success with simulators in their 19th-hole lounges. Giving golfers the opportunity to have a closest-to-the-pin or long-drive contest is fun and very profitable. Kids love the simulator, which opens opportunities for little leagues or parent-youth leagues. Simulators also give kids the opportunity to golf inside while dad plays outside.

To try out Full Swing Golf Simulators in Hong Kong, visit City Links Golf Hong Kong.