Play 4 Par Pubhouse - Kanata

[beatnik58]

Tried this place out today. I just hit balls for an hour in range mode and I really like the new sims they brought in from the UK. Prices are very reasonable and I was treated very well by the owner Wayne.

I've been looking for a convenient place to practice in Kanata and this looks like it for me. The location is behind Local Heroes on Schneider Road. I'm going to try a virtual round with my brother this week and will report back then.

[powerhour]

no no no, i wouldnt bother. I was there last weekend and was very frustrated by the simulator and by the entire set up. I wouldnt bother with it really. You're better off going to Bent Grass or Golf o Max. I was not impressed what so ever. Actually im very dissapointed.

[Hoju]

Ya, I went to this place near its opening and was very disappointed with it. The sensors have problems picking up shots and the chipping & putting is very difficult. The owner was very nice, but probably cause he was happy to actually have someone in there. Lets just say I won't be going back. Golf-O-Max is still the best indoor facility I've been to in the Ottawa area.

[beatnik58]

Hmmmmm, Powerhour and Hoju, could you be more specific. I've hit balls at Golf O Max and now Play 4 Par and I didn't have any trouble with the sim at all. Mind you I only used the range mode....

[Sphere Hunter]

Hmmmmm, Powerhour and Hoju, could you be more specific. I've hit balls at Golf O Max and now Play 4 Par and I didn't have any trouble with the sim at all. Mind you I only used the range mode....

My two cents:
A friend and I played a round on these simulators before Christmas. They did not perform accurately in any way for us. Distances were way off. Ball flight and direction were way off. Putting was terrible. The chipping was god aweful. We blew out the lights that illuminate the booth two or three times through no fault of our own. After the last blown light, the individual running the place told us he didn't have any more bulbs. The putting was therefore no longer operational. We struggled through the a round where my "0" handicap buddy shot over 100. At the end of the game we were charged $38 each for the golf. After some words, the price was lowered to $30. That was a first and last visit for me. I hate to say anything so negative but I really couldn't find anything good about the experience. We have been happily playing Golf-O-Max ever since. Much more fun to shoot 65 than 105. Beer tastes better when you're under par!
SH

[Keithsguy]

I heard a rumor that the Nationview in South Mountain had sims. Can anyone confirm that?

Thanks

[el tigre]

I heard a rumor that the Nationview in South Mountain had sims. Can anyone confirm that?

Thanks

Not Nationview, its Sandy Row in South Mountain that has them. I believe they are the same as Golf-O-Max, though I haven't tried them myself.

[Whitey]

It is Sandy Row and they have 2 sims and they are the same as golf-o-max sims

[beatnik58]

As promised I played a round at the Play4Par Pubhouse last night.

A few thoughts:

1) I really like the Microsoft Links back end. We played the Kapalua Plantation course and the graphics are quite good. Having a reverse view is also cool.

2) I think the distances are bang on. I'd say the sim hits within 5% of what I would expect from my clubs on a real course.

3) I hate putting on sims so we just used the auto putt feature so I can't comment on the putting.

4) Chipping was only accurate with a flat takeaway. Anything with a steep downswing seemed to be missed by the sensors.

5) These sims do not tolerate extreme inside-out and outside-in swing paths. Is this a bad thing? I'd say not!

I'm a 14 handicap and I shot 10 over par with no "power boost" and the auto-putting feature which was probably more generous than I would have putted in reality. So I probably shot my cap.

This is a brand new facility with brand new equipment. The hardware has a few design issues which I strongly advised Wayne, the owner, to have taken care of ASAP: 1) towards the end of our round the sim got finicky. Turns out a chip had worked its way loose after some hard blows. Bad design, the chips should all be anchored., 2) As mentioned in the chipping comment above, the way the sensors are arranged seems to favour a flat takeaway. This needs to be retrofit to allow for sensors closer to the ball. Perhaps a software tweak will take care of the problem with no hardware retrofit. Who knows?

Someone mentioned that the lights got shot out. There was a twosome in another bay and they did indeed shoot out one of the lights. Wayne may have to find a way to get the lights protected or out of harms way.

I had a lot of fun playing a round. I didn't shoot 65, true. But I have more chance of winning 6/49 than shooting 65 at Kapalua.

The intensity of the comments about this place really surprises me. It's too bad that a new business gets a bad rap like this. I hope Wayne can get the bugs ironed out and prove the naysayers wrong.

my 2 cents

[Christian]

For my two-cents worth, the Golf-o-Max technology is still the most realistic.

Being the so-called "0" handicap that played with Sphere Hunter before Christmas, I must admit that I will never go back to Play 4 Par Pubhouse.

• the distances were not accurate
• the putting function stopped working half way through when the lights broke
• light filaments broke three times while we played
• the operator (maybe owner) was going to charge us for total time which included "repair" times

All in all it was an unpleasant experience. One frustrating aspect was the need to identify before each shot the club you would use. For both of us, distance was off by more than 10% on the short side. The most frustrating aspect had to be the putting. First time in my life that I eight putted. Shot over 100 with over 50 putts. Need anyone say more?

[Andru]

Goodness. No simulator is accurate. I just played golf-o-max and hit a 200 yard 7 iron. Please. They all suck. The only thing I like about golf-o-max is the ball kind of looks like it's leaving your clubhead. So it's yeah a bit more realistic but hit the screen in the right spot and the ball flies a mile.

I look at it this way and this includes ALL simulators. It's NOTHING like real golf. It's just a way to take the edge off during the winter.

[broken27]

Goodness. No simulator is accurate. I just played golf-o-max and hit a 200 yard 7 iron. Please. They all suck. The only thing I like about golf-o-max is the ball kind of looks like it's leaving your clubhead. So it's yeah a bit more realistic but hit the screen in the right spot and the ball flies a mile.

I look at it this way and this includes ALL simulators. It's NOTHING like real golf. It's just a way to take the edge off during the winter.

Whatever... If I can shoot in the 70s from the tips at Pebble at the Bent Grass sim, I can do it in real life.

Dan

PS -

[Andru]

Whatever... If I can shoot in the 70s from the tips at Pebble at the Bent Grass sim, I can do it in real life.

Dan

PS -

If you could do that, you wouldn't have to pay the $480 USD per round price tag.

[el tigre]

Goodness. No simulator is accurate. I just played golf-o-max and hit a 200 yard 7 iron. Please. They all suck. The only thing I like about golf-o-max is the ball kind of looks like it's leaving your clubhead. So it's yeah a bit more realistic but hit the screen in the right spot and the ball flies a mile.

I look at it this way and this includes ALL simulators. It's NOTHING like real golf. It's just a way to take the edge off during the winter.

Oh yeah, I'll raise your 200-yard 7 iron with a 500-yard 6 iron! And that was at the driving range!

First of all, EVERY simulator has a problem with low shots. All of them. Last week I played at Golf-O-Max with a couple of guys who were crushing drives into the bottom 2 feet of the screen all day - half of them were read as topped balls and the other half were read as BOMBS down the middle of the fairway. Go figure. I rarely hit the ball there so I rarely have a problem. My biggest problem with simulators is that you can't hit flop shots, which is a shot I can do quite well outside. Ces't la vie!

Secondly, IMHO what separates a GOOD simulator from a BAD simulator is not necessarily accuracy - it is consistency. My 150-yard club at Golf-O-Max is not the same as my 150-yard club outside, but when I have 150 yards to the green at Golf-O-Max (or Pineview) I'm fairly confident about my club selection. Also, I know within a second of hitting the ball whether I've hit it a little fat or a little thin or pushed it or pulled it and sometimes even if the clubface is open or closed - and a good simulator will consistently interpret that in a similar manner. You need to play a simulator AT LEAST TWICE in order to learn its tendancies before you can really pass judgement on it.

Finally, NO simulator comes anywhere close to putting on real grass - NONE! Even putting into a cup in the floor is bogus, so don't even bother. Just choose an auto-putt setting and forget about it. It'll knock 10 strokes off your score, but who cares? Scores are meaningless on a simulator anyway.

Andru, IMHO simulators are NOT the same as REAL golf and NEVER will be - but I think saying they are NOTHING like real golf is a bit strong. From tee to green there are a few that offer a reasonable facsimile. And like you said, it takes the edge off winter!

[NoBack]

Goodness. No simulator is accurate. It's NOTHING like real golf. It's just a way to take the edge off during the winter.

BANG ON!
Exactly how it should be. Something to do with the boys during those long winter days.

[broken27]

BANG ON!
Exactly how it should be. Something to do with the boys during those long winter days.

We had an interesting experience at this place. Because my playing partner and I had gone to Wintergreens last winter several times, my buddy got a call from one of the new owners saying that they'd comp us a round. Seemed like an extremely good business practice and we were itching for some golf, so we went.

Firstly - $6 for a beer? A draught????? Ouch.
Secondly - The hitting surface isn't wide enough to accomodate various ball placements (forward/back). We had to move the stuff around a bunch, but were limited because of the sensors.
Thirdly - The owner joined us, and played with us. Several times, he had to go deal with another group, and left us waiting around. Each time, he said we should have holed him out, but we had no clue how long he'd be gone...
Fourthly - The putting.... In the practice putting session, you had to hit the ball really softly or it would carry forever. In the game situation, it was the opposite. WTF????
Finally - After 4.5 hours (owner encouraged mulligan use), we got our bill. A whopping $5 reduction from standard rates.

Suffice it to say, we were not overly pleased. I doubt I'd boycott the place after one bad experience, but I'll be expecting a really sweet time if I'm to go back for a THIRD time.

Dan

[Marmotte]

Goodness. No simulator is accurate....

I look at it this way and this includes ALL simulators. It's NOTHING like real golf. It's just a way to take the edge off during the winter.

Good point, simulators are a game for golfers. I can play 3 under par on my computer and beat Tiger Woods. But on real course, I am doubling my age and I am past my prime.

I don't thing any player is so accurate that they can determine their score. I like to see it differently, select the club that suits the simulator behaviour.... Isn't that what you are supposed to do on a course ?... adapt and beat the course.
By the way, the reason I hate simulators, is that every body is *ing about the technology... The reality is that they have not played for a while, their swing is out of sync and they're having beer too much.

[broken27]

Good point, simulators are a game for golfers. I can play 3 under par on my computer and beat Tiger Woods. But on real course, I am doubling my age and I am past my prime.

I don't thing any player is so accurate that they can determine their score. I like to see it differently, select the club that suits the simulator behaviour.... Isn't that what you are supposed to do on a course ?... adapt and beat the course.
By the way, the reason I hate simulators, is that every body is *ing about the technology... The reality is that they have not played for a while, their swing is out of sync and they're having beer too much.

No such thing as too much beer.

Dan

[AlexJ]

I found Play4Par to be a great place to golf because it's one of the only places in the city that actually improves your golf swing. I find everywhere else just makes me feel good about my swing and doesn't actually help me.

At Play4par you actually have to do a good job to play the game. You have to come in straight and you have to hit the ball correctly. Even at Golfamax i find regardless of whether or not i hit the ball left or right, the screen says it goes straight, which isn't the case at all.

It's more of a training simulator than anything else and i don't know what everyone is complaining about. You have to play properly to use these things and it seems like nobody is realizing that. Everyone wants to go out and have a machine lie to them and pretend they are amazing golfers. Play4Par has great systems that are actually going to tell you what you're doing and how to improve, instead of just lying to you and saying: "Good job" after every shot.

I find PLay4Par is for real golfers. They already have pro's in there that go to that place from all over the city to teach people on those simulators. If these machines are so bad, how come they golf instrustors themselves want to use those machines? Is everyone saying they know better than the instructors?

Bottom line is that these simulators are going to make you better golfers. Everyone else is going to say you're doing well even if you're not. You'll actually improve your game at that place, and considering the features the simulators have, it's just great.

For everyone who can put their ego aside and want to identify what you're doing wrong, and would rather play a good game than brag about one, go to Play4Par. And come on, what other place in the city lets you hit balls on their simlator on a driving range for a full hour at only 10 dollars?

Everyone complaining about this place are probably people who want to think they are the best golfers in the world and want simulators to tell them that regardless of their skill or talent.

PLa4Par just doesn't stroke your ego. If anyone is interested in actually doing well and learning about how to do well, go to this place.

[beatnik58]

I could not agree more AlexJ. In spite of the bad publicity I've been practicing and playing at Play4Par for a few months now. I can tell when i've made a bad swing and I get penalized for it every time. Good swings result in good shots and i think the distances are pretty close.

The sims are a bit tricky with chipping but I've figured out that you need to have a very open stance and stay away from steep chip shots.

Last weekend a couple of guys were swinging like lumberjacks and they got mad and stormed out. This is where the bad publicity probably comes from and it's really unfortunate.

I'm a regular and I'll continue to support this business.

[AlexJ]

Well, I've noticed that everything people complaing about all relate to actually having to do well. I heard a guy in there the other day complaining about: "2 foot gimmies? Man, all the other places have 12 foot or 10 foot gimmies."

Well, that mentality says it right there. They don't want to be improving their game, they just want a high score. Cause, see, you'd actually have to do well to get the ball in the hole. And when they hear they might actually have to make a good shot, or get close, they complain.

That's why it's such a good system. And even then, that's not the point of virtual golf anyway. These points shouldn't even have to be argued or defended because I figure it's cold outside, it's snowing, you can't get out on the course so you head in to a place like that to RELAX. Not to get mad, not to make yourself upset, but to take the edge or and have a good day. That's it, bottom line, period.

And for anyone who's actually ever been to Play4Par, they have good staff, it's clean, you can have a beer while you play, they have a full menu... it's a really god facility and not just a virtual golf course. They even have pool tables in the back.

I dunno, i just don't get the bad publicity here. For golfers who want to be better golfers, you should find your way to PLay4Par.

[Andru]

I do think you're correct here, people like to have nice scores inflated or not, and the sims at Play4Par take a bit of a beating because they're not as forgiving. Having said that. It's indoor golf. IMHO it's supposed to be easy. I truly don't believe people are taking their game from indoor to outdoor with any notion of shooting 3 under at bay hill.

I like 12 foot gimmies. There's noting worse than putting on a simulator. This purtains to any simulator, it's nothing like making a putt on a green. Absolutely nothing. So 12 foot gimmies are acceptable.

As far as working on your game. That's a fair statement. Some people want to work on their game some people want to get together an whack a ball while driking a few pints. I haven't hit a simulator that accurately simulated my ball flight. I'm not saying I'm a pro but I know what it looks like. I travel to Toronto frequently and I get a chance to hit some balls outside at one of the many winter ranges. So I know what it looks, feels and sounds like.

The simulator is for staying loose and hitting a golf ball. That's all. If you take simulator golf seriously it's a losing battle, because not only do you have to battle the regular elements of golf. You also have to battle the bugs and glitches associated with software. That's too much to ask of anyone.

Cheers and Good Golf

[upanddown]

anyone know if this place is still around?

[beatnik58]

It is no longer operating.