Golf conjures up images of wide open spaces, hopefully blue skies, and not a care in the world. The rain last Friday created the perfect setting for this week’s story on Hoboken Golf, a place where concrete, steel, and rain give way to, well, not quite a golf resort, but a 3,500 square foot room with practice putting greens, computers to help you practice your drive, and a giant simulation machine that replicates playing on an actual course.
Owner Ian Rintel, a former software engineer and part-time golf instructor, opened shop two years ago. “I had been living in Hoboken for three and a half years, and I thought it would have been real nice to have a place to practice golf in Hoboken,” said Rintel.
The driving ranges in Jersey City, Edgewater, Carlstadt, and Chelsea Piers are outdoors. For people who live in Hoboken, not only does Hoboken Golf offer year-round practice; it is also accessible for people who don’t drive or would prefer not to abandon their parking space.
The back of the room is designed for people to practice driving. Four stations are netted off for safety, and computerized sensors let you know how you’re doing.
“This is what people typically do at 6:30 after work for a half an hour to an hour,” Rintel said.
Golfers can bring their own clubs or use any from the assortment of clubs at the facility. At the driving station, players drive from the mat or a tee into a solid green rectangle on the net. A launch monitor uses sonar based technology to measure the ball distance and direction. Rintel said that the machine is 99 percent accurate in distance and 95 percent in direction.
“I know it works well because I know my distances real well,” Rintel said. Some golfers put tape on the head of the club to mark where on the face of the club they hit the ball.
Another more advanced kind of machine, a swing analyzer, measures the actual swing of the club.
“The swing analyzer shows what the club looked like at impact,” said Rintel. “You don’t get that kind of information naturally on the range.”
Virtual reality golf The centerpiece of the room is a golf simulator which recreates the experience of golfing on real courses with sophisticated sensors and a projection video screen.
The day that this reporter visited, the simulator took us to Pebble Beach on the Monterey Peninsula in California. This version of the course is 65 degrees and rain-free year round. No, it’s not sunny – it’s indoors! But the sky is blue.
Golfers use a real tee, and the pad around the tee is soft to minimize shock if you hit the floor when you swing – similar to striking earth. After hitting the ball, the player watches a simulation of the ball soar over the course. The first course is a 335 yard par four. The screen contains film of the actual course, and everything you see comes into play including the rough (tall grass), sand bunkers, trees, and the golf cart path (this writer got to sample all of them) plus water traps and out of bounds. There is actually a different driving surface for sand and rough. Occasionally, a ball can come close to a person or cart, eliciting a yell or a shattering glass sound. At one of the holes you can see Clint Eastwood’s home, which is on the premises.
The green mat in front of the screen is covered with letters indicating where the ball should be placed when it is time to putt, and there is a hole at the end. The putting green is identical for all holes, however Rintel changes the surface once a week by shifting plastic disks under the mat.
Other courses include Spyglass in California, Doral in South Florida, Coeur d’Alene in Idaho, Firestone in Ohio, and Mauna Lani in Hawaii.
While the wait for the driving stations typically requires no more than 30 minutes, the simulator can be occupied for most of the day. Rintel gives precedence to leagues which play on the weekend, as seasoned golfers tend to go through the course at a quicker pace than newer players.
Indoor golf is more common in northern climates where the winter is longer. Regular golf season in New Jersey is from April to October, so Hoboken Golf is busier between November and March, but does good business year-round since it is convenient for residents who either don’t have a car or really value their spot.
There is a putting contest on Monday nights, and the facility also hosts parties. It serves as a full service golf shop with custom built clubs, repairs, apparel, and accessories for playing and practice. Hoboken Golf doesn’t serve food, but players are allowed to bring their own.
And the best part? This is Hoboken, so players get their choice of where to play the 19th hole. Hoboken Golf is located at 125 Grand St. Call (201) 876-9666 or visit www.hobokengolf.com.