Indoor golf for kids & cones
Playing golf when it's stormy and snowing outside? But yes! Golf simulators make it possible - either for training or as family fun for young and old.
The best example of this is the 4-star superior www.dachsteinkoenig.at"_blank"">LeadingFamily Hotel & Resort "Dachsteinkönig", which has just received the World Luxury Hotel Award for the best new opening.
A heart for kids & golf
There is now plenty of snow in www.oberoesterreich.at"_blank"">UpperAustria's largest ski arena www.dachstein.at"_blank"">"Dachstein-West"/a> with 142 kilometers of slopes and the lifts are practically on the doorstep of the "Dachsteinkönig". But what to do in bad weather? The www.dachstein.salzkammergut.at"_blank"">familyhotel in Gosau scores points with all kinds of inclusive services: from 13 hours of childcare (0-16 years) seven days a week, a 2,000 m² indoor play area with gym, a soft play area over two floors, cinema and theater, a go-kart and bowling alley to the bathing area with indoor and outdoor pool, a children's pool and 100-meter tire water slide. But teenagers want more. They rated the Technogym fitness room and the indoor golf simulator as highlights for letting off steam or as a family challenge with a fun factor.
A round of golf that's fun
We find what we are looking for in the basement of the hotel: the indoor facility is just a small room with a green carpet, tee-off area with tee, large screen, golf bags with a selection of clubs and balls and a simulator in the corner with the same principle: the shot is analyzed using electronic measuring equipment, from which the ball flight is simulated and projected onto the virtual golf course on the screen. In other words, you select the club for the virtual hole, then hit the ball against the screen and watch it roll out onto the fairway. The length is measured, the swing is analyzed and the distance to the hole is determined. The computer not only has all kinds of great courses in its memory, but also a driving range, practice bunker and the greens for pitch-and-putt. The simulator is also very suitable for training, as it shows all errors immediately and can therefore be used for a practice session if you concentrate properly. Even coaching lessons and club fitting are possible.
Off to Texas!
Yes, you read that right. The www.pinespringsgolf.com"_blank"">"PineSprings Golf Course" in Texas is our first destination for the round of golf and the team - two guys against two girls. Christian and Julian already have their license to play, Emma and Luisa are still practising. There are enough clubs for everyone and once the names have been entered and the order has been determined, the first tee-off begins. Of course, the whole thing is also a game of patience, because whoever hits the longest has to wait the longest for the others to follow. The important thing is to have the confidence to hit the wall as straight as possible, because then the electronic recording will also work. And that's exactly the problem: Christian and Julian want to hit as far as possible and often end up to the right and left of the fairways, while the girls only make tentative progress with short shots. Then there's the big water hazard, which swallows the balls with a loud slurping noise. All the moaning doesn't help, the penalty stroke for the lost ball is automatically added and the strategy for the next shot is the top priority. Just like from the bunker or when approaching the green. Only the putting is done by the computer and that's a good thing.
After two hours, that's enough. For now, of course, the boys have won, even if the girls have shown more patience. The prize afterwards is a cocktail at the bar - without alcohol, of course.
