Gemini’s golf simulator unique to Westshore area
By Chris Voloschuk
Sports
Published Aug. 6, 2008

In terms of entertaining equipment, the Fairview Park Recreation Center could be considered a stroke ahead of the curve.

The building opened in January as a part of the Gemini Project. And while it provides everything from free weights and basketball courts to a brand new competition pool, the facility has recently been able to boast a piece of equipment that can’t be found at many other similar recreation centers — a golf simulator.

According to Fairview Park Recreation Director Tim Pinchek, one of the best parts about the simulator is its ability to give interested patrons yet another fun way to spend their day at the center.

“It really gives them another option,” Pinchek said.

The idea to purchase a golf simulator started about a year ago. The room where it now sits was originally intended to be an expansion of the free weights area on the second floor of the facility. When it was decided the space would be better served for a simulator, Pinchek went about ordering one from a company based in Canada.

In early March, Pinchek had the simulator delivered to the recreation center. It took a couple of months for the machine to be ready for use by the public.

“We actually had a delay on it because they were putting it together in Canada,” Pinchek said. The simulator opened for play in May after the audio-visual company came to set it up, Pinchek said.

Mary Long, office manager at the Gemini Center, demonstrates the rec department’s new golf simulator. (West Life photo by Kevin Kelley)

The machine came with a $25,000 price tag. The simulator stands about 15 feet tall on all sides. The screen at which the balls are hit stretches from the floor to the ceiling of the second floor room, making it tough for even the most inexperienced of golfers to miss. When a ball is hit, lasers located on both sides of the screen track where the ball would travel on a real course, calculating distance and sending the virtual ball in whatever direction it was hit.

The fairways and greens have a professional look. There are a plethora of real-life courses to choose from, and the recreation center has provided two brand new sets of clubs for people to use.

Once a course is chosen, everything from the wind speed to the weather to the surface of the greens can be adjusted based on player preference. The game will even suggest what club a player should use. Frequent mulligans are also an option.

In order to play, golfers are required to hit their ball off of a mat and at the screen. Drives are hit off an actual tee, and shots from the fairway are taken from the mat itself. When a player hits the ball into the rough or a sand trap, there are two sections on the mat made out of thick fibers that simulate both surfaces. Putting can be done from the floor several feet from the screen.

Despite some minor differences, Pinchek said the simulator is pretty accurate.

“With the woods, your drives will be shorter than normal,” Pinchek said. “And with the irons, you have to hit it longer than normal. We always tell players that in advance, so they can adjust their game.”

This fall, players will be able to adjust and work on their games on a more regular basis. The recreation center plans to host several golf leagues in the fall and winter. And for people who are just interested in playing a little, they are required to call ahead and schedule a tee time, just like at an outdoor course. Currently, the cost is $10 to play nine holes. A nine-hole game will usually take about an hour, with 18 holes running about two hours in length.

Despite the nice weather outside, people have been in and out, trying their luck on the virtual course.

“The response has been great,” Pinchek said. “We’re very excited.”

And so far, it’s benefited both the recreation center and the Fairview community. The simulator is the only one at any of the recreation centers in the Westshore area. The only other one nearby is in Broadview Heights.

“It gives another alternative option for people of all ages to use,” Pinchek said. “For instance, your seniors, when they come up here, besides swimming, besides working out, it gives them another leisure activity that they can come up and take part, especially in the cold months and the bad weather months. They can play a round of golf up here instead of waiting for the spring thaw to come.”