I tried Par Society, Portsmouth's fun new indoor golf experience, and fortunately didn't break anything with my wayward shots
Having not picked up a golf club in about two years, I was a little apprehensive of my first shots being on camera, but then I remembered all my shots would be poor so it didn't really matter.
Par Society, an indoor golf experience on Limberline Spur, Portsmouth, opened its doors to customers on March 3 and owner Sam Tozer-Goldacre has been pleased with the response so far. I visited on Friday, March 7 to give the simulator a go and see if the 40 points of data on offer could help identify why I am bad at golf.
While I have not played in quite a while, I do usually try to get out a few times a year, and I love playing even though I'm not the best. The idea of being able to pop along to a local golf sim to play a few shots for an hour is one that appeals, and not just to me.
Sam said: “It’s been great, we've had a great reception. On the first day we were fully booked and then every evening so far I've been fully booked. People have been loving it I think, we have had a lot of good feedback, it's been great.”
There are a number of games you can play on the simulator, from playing famous courses to playing challenges, or just hitting in a driving range setting. On top of that Sam will also be running weekly challenges to win a free hour.
The week I went it was longest drive and closest to the pin, and it is safe to say I wasn’t troubling the leader board. Despite that I really enjoyed it. Once I had started to get past the rustiness I played some ok shots, for me anyway.
Setting up on a short par three, I hit the water and the bunker a lot, but one shot landed in the middle of the green which is rare sight for me. The data was helpful as well.
Sam said: “You get 40 points of data, I wouldn't be able to tell you what all of them are, I'm sure some people could. The ones that most people will probably understand is your swing path, ball speed, distance, the spin on the ball, those kind of things. If you really want to know what’s going wrong this will tell you.”
After every shot you can see where you have made connection with the ball and the angle of the club. I was able to see that I was hitting it quite low on the club face. While that data is handy for some people, beyond that, and most importantly, it is just good fun.
Speaking to Sam before Par Society opened, he explained how he wanted to make golf fun and accessible to everyone, and he has certainly achieved it. While the sport at some levels has the stereotype of being pretentious, this is far removed from that. Sam is welcoming, friendly, and relaxed and just wants to create a space for everyone to enjoy golf.
It reminded me of how much I have missed playing and I will certainly be going back again.
Sessions for up to four people can be booked via the Par Society website. Prices are £15 an hour for one person, £20 an hour for two players, £25 an hour for three players, and £30 an hour for four players. Further details can be found on parsociety.co.uk.
Watch the video embedded in this article to see more of how I got on at Par Society.