Leonard’s Golf - Erie, Colorado

March 3rd, 2007 by mulligan

Would You Buy a Colorado Golf Course Calendar for 2009?

• No (17%, 1 Votes)
• Yes (83%, 5 Votes)

Total Voters: 6

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A few days ago I managed to make it to Erie for a 2 hour visit inside Leonard’s Golf. For those who didn’t read my earlier post, this is an indoor practice facility. I live about an hour and 15 minutes from Erie and on the day we had reserved it decided to snow…. imagine that! Now on the way to the place I was seriously questioning my sanity with regards to how badly I really wanted to swing my sticks. Of course I had heard about the golf simulator and how neat it was etc. etc. so my interest wasn’t focused on simply hitting a ball into a net. I wanted to see how “real” this simulator felt.

Previous Next Close Practice Putting Green

When you walk in the door of Leonard’s the first thing you notice is the large putting green to your right, about 3 hitting bays directly in front of you, and the sweet sweet sound of golf balls being hit! Now the putting green is about 900 sq. ft. And it’s not flat Astroturf. It’s the very nice sand based high end installation, with holes set on slopes that have to be read in order to make putts. Now I’m used to seeing those indoor putting greens that are simply flat, and quite honestly to me seem like a waste of time. Not here.

Previous Next Close Hitting Bays

Inside the area of the 3 hitting bays lies a sand trap. The only thing that I noticed that seemed a bit odd about it was just it’s general location. I didn’t see anyone hitting out of it, and I didn’t ask, but I’m assuming that in order to practice from that trap, two of the 3 bays have to shut down. I’m also not sure I’d like to be the one in the trap if others are continuing to hit The 3 bays are located right next to the Holiday Golf Simulator. Which just happened to be the real reason for my visit!

The Simulator in a word was amazing! Leonard assisted in getting our group ready for the round, and ran through some of the basic things we’d need to know in order to move our game along. All in all I think it took our group longer to decide which course to play than it did for Leonard to explain how to use the touch screen computer. The interface is very straight forward, and easily lets you customize how you’d like to play. Now keep in mind, this isn’t just like hitting at a screen that has a computerized image of a hole off in the distance. This is a true simulation of a game of golf. You will chip, putt, hit out of rough and bunkers. Oh, and if you’re good enough, you’ll find the fairway lie as well! I have to say I was impressed with the entire round. I found myself at times feeling frustrated at a bad shot just like I would if I was on the course, and also feeling good about my nice shots… like say the Par 3 147 yard slightly downhill tee shot that I left 9 feet from the

Previous Next Close Holiday Golf Simulator

pin! Yes, that felt good. But more importantly it felt real. In order for a simulator to work, it has to be able to generate that “feel” you have while you’re on the course. Where when you hit a good shot, you know it, and when you flub a chip, you know it too. This amazingly did that very well.

Last, I’ll talk about putting. I was a bit perplexed when I first went to putt. You line up on dots (dictated by your distance to the pin) and putt to the screen. My first putt I left horribly short. However I soon got the speed to the green and found myself capable of consistently leaving putts just outside the hole or within a foot very quickly. Again, it all goes back to feel. It’s my opinion that if you can get the feel of a putt from a simulator, the thing is doing a pretty good job!

All in all, I’m not sure I can say enough good things about my short (2 hour) experience at Leonard’s. I’m speaking from experience here too. I’ve been in both a D’Lance and Golf-Tec, and Bogart’s facilities. In fact I’ve been inside D’Lance a number of times. I’m not sure what the difference is since both D’Lance and Leonard’s offer the same type of services, but something about Leonard’s felt better. I’m guessing that it really felt more like I was going to a golf course than a teaching facility with Leonard’s. That’s not to say that Leonard’s isn’t a teaching facility. They offer the full amenities when it comes to truly fine tuning your game just like any of the other indoor facilities I’ve been in. Leonard himself is a teaching professional with many years of experience. I only wish it was closer to where I live!

You can learn more about Leonard’s at their website: Leonard’s Golf Inc.

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