Overview
Indoor simulator golf has been all the rage in South Korea for decades, and it’s rapidly becoming a popular pastime in the U.S. as well—not just for practice and recreational play, but for competition and leagues. On a recent December day in New York, we sent intrepid Golf Digest reporter Shane Ryan to check out the Met Golf Association’s Virtual Interclub Championship—arguably the most prestigious new indoor-golf competition in America. Hosted at Golfzon Social in the Palisades Center mall, the event is an example of what’s to come all over the country from Golfzon, the upscale simulator brand whose rapidly-expanding chain of virtual-golf facilities dominates the simulator-league market in Korea, and who has plans to do the same here. Shane followed the action as 22 teams of top club pros and amateurs from tri-state New York battled it out over 18 holes of gross best-ball at a simulated PGA National for lavish prizes and the title of MGA Virtual Interclub Champions. Along the way, he learned a lot about the new culture of indoor-league golf, as well as the incredible strides that have been made in simulator technology just in the last few years.
