When you think indoor golf you usually think mini-golf: leaving the bag at home and tackling odd shaped obstacles with your putter. All good fun, but hardly a serious training session for your all-round game. This impression is set to change if the Indoor Golf Arena® concept takes off. Aiming for a 2010 opening, the planned "world’s largest Indoor Golf Center" in The Netherlands will incorporate 20 ProTee golf simulators, a roof top driving range with 34 bays and 150,00 square feet (14,000m2) of golf practice facilities with chipping greens, bunkers and water hazards catering for every aspect of your short game along with a huge golf shop, kid’s training facilities, a wellness center with sauna and spa and a 4-star hotel.
The location of the center has not yet been finalized, but architects Zwarts & Jansma have already been engaged to undertake the project and talks are underway with local councils in The Netherlands (where golf is currently the fastest growing sport) to establish a site for the facility which is expected to attract up to 150,000 visitors per year according to Jon Standing, CEO of Indoor Golf Project.
There are also plans to take the concept abroad. “We expect Indoor Golf Arena® to draw 150,000 visitors per year”, says Standing. “Eventually, the Indoor Golf Project management aims to build 8 to 10 Indoor Golf Arena’s® worldwide. In addition, approximately 250 smaller satellite versions of Indoor Golf Arena® will operate under exclusive Indoor Golf Arena® licence and support the worldwide Indoor Golf Arena® concept".
Via Indoor Golf Arena.
