Winter golf games

I’ve always found it curious that baseball players are expected to make contact with 98 mph fastballs while surrounded by 40,000 screaming fans. Meanwhile, at the tee box, golfers expect dead silence as they swing at a stationary ball.

That is, unless they’re playing one of Bunker Hill Golf Course’s indoor golf simulators, where the party-like atmosphere can get a little electrifying.

“Even I was a little reluctant to play inside when I first started here,” admits Chad Gibson, Bunker Hill’s general manager. “Outdoor golf is traditionally very quiet. Inside, the atmosphere is completely opposite. We have parties and TVs and music going and you often have more than 24 people in the room at the same time. It kind of reminds you of the 16th hole—the Stadium Hole—at TPC Scottsdale, where the crowd is going crazy when you’re trying to play. You get to have a lot of fun harassing each other while you’re up there playing.”

The environment in Bunker Hill’s Sims Room may be laid back, but the technology is serious.

Chad spared no expense when he upgraded his six simulators to the Tiger Woods Full Swing Pro 2.0 machines with Ion3 camera technology.

“You can play more than 70 championship golf courses, including classics like Pebble Beach, Torrey Pines and four of the St. Andrews courses,” he says. “For practice, the simulators provide an incredible amount of data to help you improve your game. Three cameras capture the moment your club physically makes contact with the ball, frame by frame, which gives you important information to make corrections. It’s an opportunity to improve your game over the winter months.”

Simulator season at Bunker Hill runs from November 3 to April 5, and Chad is offering a variety of memberships:

• The $1,400 Par membership is good for play Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• The $1,600 Birdie membership is good Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• The $1,800 Eagle membership is good seven days a week.

A limited number of each membership is now available at half price at MimiDeals.com. Non-members can pay as they play for $36 to $44 per hour, depending on the day and time.

“You can reserve as many simulators as you want for whatever timeframe that you want,” Chad says. “We also can set it up as a driving range, so you can come up for a half-hour just to work on your game. The system provides tremendous feedback from the data the simulators collect.”

Bunker Hill also offers simulator leagues that play during the mornings, afternoons and evenings for seniors, men, women and juniors, Chad says. The Greg Jones Golf Academy hosts a men’s league, a women’s league and a junior league as well.

The simulators are an ideal activity for fundraisers, holiday parties and special events, insists Chad, the master of the hassle-free event.

Events also can be held in Bunker Hill’s newly remodeled event center.



“It’s a breathtaking venue with a panoramic view of the golf course,” Chad emphasizes. “It holds up to 160 people. It’s the ideal place to hold Christmas parties and other get-togethers, partly because we do all the work. You can do a brunch, open gifts and enjoy each other’s company without having to worry about cooking and cleaning up.”

To join a league or to book your hassle-free party or fundraiser, call Chad’s mobile, at 216-469-9241. To register for Greg Jones Golf Academy activities, call 567-241-3746 or visit GregJonesGolfAcademy.com. To book simulator time call 330-725-1400 (option 3). For more information, visit BunkerHillGolf.com. Bunker Hill is located at 3060 Pearl Road, at Hamilton Road, in Medina.