Golf Simulator is a Hit

Tucked away in the Murr Center, at the end the squash courts, there is a little piece of Pebble Beach, Sea Island, and St. Andrews, where any student can hit the links. Greens fees are $25, and there’s no dress code.

Donated by the athletics department and the Friends of Harvard Golf in fall 2005, the Full Swing Golf LS Golf 3 plunks top notch golf courses and practice facilities into cyberspace, with the help of a projection screen and a little patch of Astroturf. The simulator’s 688 sensors calculate the speed, size, and angle of every golf ball hit, in real time. Virtual duffers can customize their playing experience by adjusting wind speed, green hardness, sky type, and crowd volume.

“It’s the best simulator I’ve used, and I’ve used a lot,” says Tom J. Shea, golf instructor at the Murr Center. “Simulated anything isn’t as great as the original, but it’s still a lot of fun.”

Shea says that he uses practice mode (with a driving range, approach shots, and chip and put features) most in his lessons.

“With the simulator, the golf program has an ability to practice in the winter,” says Harvard golf director Fred Schernecker ’89.

And with the simulator, Harvard affiliates can take lessons without leaving campus—or going outside for that matter. The men’s and women’s golf teams use the simulator to practice during the winter.

“Last winter we played Sea Island [on the simulator] a lot, because we knew we would be playing the real thing on our spring trip to Georgia,” says Jacqueline M. Rooney ’07, captain of the women’s golf team. Although Rooney says playing the actual course felt a little different, she could still point out the landmarks made familiar by the simulator.

Aspiring corporate warriors looking to log course time before they try to close deals on the links can call the Murr Center at (617) 495-3454 for more information and reservations.