Although it’s never safe to assume anything when it comes to golfers, it’s probably a safe bet that last month’s snowstorm forced even the most fanatical of them off the fairways to await the arrival of more suitable weather (or at least for the snow to melt).
Until then, however, weekend hackers and low handicappers alike have options to keep their swings grooved and their putting steady. Within the past year, a growing number of indoor golfing facilities, so-called “golf domes” or “bubbles,” have appeared throughout many suburban areas, providing opportunities for those who don’t have a Florida winter home to flee to.
Here’s a look at some of those facilities, what they’ll cost and how golf experts say you can get the most for your time and money while you’re there.
– Links and Tees Golf Dome, 880 W. Lake St., Addison (630-458-2660), opened its doors on Nov. 1. It features a two-tiered hitting/driving areas with 45 total stalls. Prices are $8 a half-hour and $15 an hour Monday through Friday. On weekends, the rates increase to $10 and $18, respectively.
Seniors 62 and over get $1 off half-hour rates or $2 off the hourly rates from 7 to 11 a.m. Ladies receive $1 off half-hour rate and $2 off the hourly rate from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays. A junior rate for those 17 and under is offered from 3 to 6 p.m. daily. It is the same as the senior discount.
“A chipping and putting area is provided free. You can come in and use them as long as you please,” said assistant manager Les Holmes. “We also have birthday packages available, and offer a two-for-one deal on Tuesdays. You pay an hourly rental and another person can hit in his own stall for free.”
– White Pines Indoor Golf Dome, 500 W. Jefferson, Bensenville (630-766-0304), is another new facility featuring 48 total stalls on two levels. Rates are $9 a half-hour or $16 an hour Monday through Friday. On weekends, prices are $10 and $19, respectively, and as is the case at many domes, all prices are based on five-minute increments.
“Fees are adjusted if users check in earlier or after their time,” said Wayne Becker, a White Pines employee.
White Pines offers a $30 season discount pass good for $2 off the weekday rate and $3 off the weekend rate when you rent for an hour. A special senior rate of $6 per half-hour for those 62 and over is available from 7 to 11 a.m. Monday through Friday.
Finally, a golf simulator that allows you to play five courses is available for up to five people at $28 per hour before 6 p.m. and $32 after that and on weekends.
– Hoffman Estates Golf Dome, 1450 Poplar Creek Drive (847-882-2538), opened last fall, adjacent to a regulation 18-hole course. It features 30 stalls on two levels.
Fees are $8 a half-hour and $15 an hour on weekdays and $10 a half-hour and $18 an hour on weekends. Seniors 60 and over get $2 off from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. Ladies’ Day is Wednesday, when women get $2 off. Students college age and younger get $2 off from 3-6 p.m. weekdays.
– Salt Creek Golf Dome, 701 W. Thorndale, Wood Dale (630-285-9900), offers 46 stalls on two levels. Staff member Tom Inman said weekday rates are $7 for a half-hour and $13 for an hour. On weekends, the rates increase to $9 and $17, respectively.
“Regular golfers should consider our package deals,” Inman said A 12-hour package, which would shave $18 off the regular rate, is $138. Senior, junior and women’s rates are also available at various times and days.
Salt Creek has four golf pros available for teaching, including Dan Ofcky, the 1997 PGA golf teacher of the year, who is also the director of instruction at Medinah Country Club.
– Nor Dome, 3535 W. Dundee, Northbrook (847-562-1235),, is located on the property of the Sportsman Country Club. Rates are on the half-hour only, and pro-rated after that. Any of the 32 stalls can be rented for $8 on weekdays until 6 p.m., when the rate increases to $10, which is also the weekend rate.
Specials include senior discounts of 25 percent off from 7 to 10 a.m. daily. Ladies get 25 percent off on Tuesdays, and students high school age and younger with identification get 25 percent off after 4 p.m. You can also purchase a swipe card for $45, entitling you to $50 of rental time.
– Buffalo Grove Golf Learning Center, 801 McHenry Rd. (847-459-5700), is in the final stages of construction. Dan Schimmel, Buffalo Grove superintendent of recreation, said if the weather cooperates, the facility could open by the middle of this month. Fees have yet to be set.
– In Chicago, you won’t find domes, but Tom Grey, assistant director of Chicago Municipal Operations, who coordinates facilities for the city’s park district, says hearty winter golfers can visit the Diversey Driving Range at 141 W. Diversey, where they’ll find 10 heated stalls and 30 covered stalls for warmer weather.
“You can buy a debit card for $50 that entitles you to 11 buckets of balls,” Grey said. Normal bucket prices are $6 apiece or two for $11, with seniors and juniors paying $4.25.
It’s no secret that golf isn’t cheap, and experts say trying to save money by practicing your game only a few times this winter won’t help.
“Playing good golf depends an awful lot on maintaining your timing,” says Don Jan, a professional club fitter who owns Pro Only Golf in Bloomingdale. “You won’t get much from any indoor facility by just going a couple of times in the winter and maybe once before the courses open. You need to make at least a once-a-week commitment.”
Jan suggests packing your golf bag and visiting an indoor dome where weekly challenge groups might be available at special times that can offer competition.
Scott Mayer, who runs his own golf school at the Green Valley Driving Range in Roselle, says you’ll get the most for your off-season money by being monitored throughout the winter and by practicing with a plan.
“Videotaping your sessions gives you more for your money, since you can use the tape as a teaching tool later any time you need it,” Mayer said. “Don’t expect much if you practice sporadically. Give your practice sessions a structure and develop a routine you can use once you get back out on the course.”
Mayer says to expect lessons to cost between $35 and $50 for a half-hour. Video lessons that allow for some hitting and filming and then a review with your instructor normally last an hour and can cost $60 to $100.
Here are more examples of the cost of lessons and videotaping from the domes we contacted:
– Lessons at Links and Tees are $35 a half-hour.
– White Pines offers lessons for $35 to $45 a half-hour, depending on the instructor. Becker said most of the teaching pros there videotape your lesson.
– Hoffman Estates offers lessons at $35 a half-hour, or packages of five for $110 (junior rate) or $160 (adult rate). Videotaping, depending on the instructor, also starts at $35 a half-hour.
– Salt Creek charges $45 for a half-hour lesson and $80 for an hour. Videotapes are made. Packages include four half-hour lessons for $160 or or four-hour lessons for $300.
Another indoor practice option can be found at many golf retail shops that offer hitting off a practice tee into a net. Jan says you can often be videotaped as well. Pro Only Golf offers net rental for $8 a half-hour.
One last tip: Experts say to limit your practice time, in most cases, to around 30 minutes.
“I have two sons that are golf pros, and both of them feel that 30 minutes twice a week is effective,” sais Holmes of Links and Tees. “If you stay longer, you often start teaching yourself bad habits.”
“We get feedback from our customers and the seven pros we have here,” said White Pines’ Becker. “People say 30 minutes helped them in their short game and made them better when the summer came.”
