It’s that time of year when golfers around Central Indiana store their clubs for the winter and hope the spring weather arrives sooner rather than later. They’ll check the weather forecast every so often in the hopes they may find a warmish afternoon to shake off the rust.
But I have some good news for avid golfers who don't want to wait. Divot Golf Factory in Brownsburg, Indiana, recently opened and offers one of the most realistic indoor golf simulator experiences in the Midwest.
Now, golfers can sharpen their skills all winter long and bring their improved game to their next outdoor 18 holes this spring.
Simulators
While most indoor golf simulators have more of an indoor range feel, Divot utilizes Golfzon, a recent winner of Golf Inc.’s Most Innovative Product Aware. The simulator offers five different surfaces to hit from based on the lie on the virtual course – fairway, first cut rough, second cut rough, fairway bunker and greenside bunker.
Each surface closely replicates the lie a golfer would have if they were outdoors at their favorite course.
As if that wasn’t realistic enough, the entire floor moves to replicate the lie. For example, if your ball has an uphill lie, the front of the floor will rise so your front foot is higher than your back foot. The floor has eight hydraulics and 360 degrees of directional motion to best replicate any situation you might find on a real course.
When it comes time to take a swing, a series of cameras and lasers track and record 34 different data points to replicate ball flight. Everything from distance and trajectory to spin rates and club head speed are measured to recreate the shot in the simulator.
You can even re-watch your entire swing and slow down the impact to help make adjustments.
Leagues & Events
Depending on the day and time, bays can be rented between $35-$60 per hour for up to six participants. For the more competitive golfers, there are six-week leagues and one-day events that offer prizes and bragging rights. The most recent leagues happened on Wednesdays and Thursdays and were structured as a two-person scramble format. Each team played 18 holes per week and a different course each round.
The most recent single-day event was a similar format with 24 teams and 48 players. The scramble format saw participants receive dozens of prizes and giveaways from Hendricks County and Central Indiana businesses highlighted by a pair of Butler Bulldog men’s basketball tickets.
Keep an eye out on their website for the new first league dates of 2024.
Food Menu
The menu starts with some appetizer and snack-style items including loaded nachos, pretzel sticks, buffalo chicken dip and a few others. These are a great option to share with a group.
The rest of the menu is filled with variations of 100% all beef hot dogs ranging from a simple frank with relish and mustard (“Cart Girl”) to one with coney sauce, coleslaw, cheddar cheese and mustard (“The Divot”).
One highlight of the menu shares its name with Tiger Woods given first name, “Eldrick.” It’s an all-beef frank, bacon crumbles, diced onion, cheddar cheese and BBQ sauce.
Be sure to ask about their Dog of the Month – a new creation each calendar month more creative than the rest of the menu.
The Bar
Right next to the entrance, visitors have their pick of more than two dozen beverages to choose from. There are four beers on tap including Miller Light, Modello, New Belgium Voodoo Ranger (Hazy IPA) and Sierra Nevada Celebration (Fresh Hop IPA).
A large selection of 16-ounce cans are highlighted by brews from Upland Brewing, Sun King Brewing, Three Floyds and many more. Hard cider, hard tea, seltzer and wine are also available.
If you’re looking for something non-alcoholic, there are plenty of soda options as well as tea, Powerade and fruit smoothies.
Divot Golf Factory
Address: 60 E. Northfield Drive, Brownsburg, IN 46112
Phone Number: (317) 893-9934
Hours: Monday - Saturday: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Sunday: Noon - 8 p.m.
