Off for a Time

By Chris Walker • Photos courtesy

Top Golf

This time of year, you never know if golf courses are green or covered in white, or if pulling the kids around on sleds is more suitable than pulling out your driver and the rest of your clubs.

Regardless of the weather, today there are ways to play golf indoors; you just need to look to find them. The great thing is, you won’t have to waste time looking for slices in the woods or lose balls in water hazards when you do.

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Smash Factor Indoor Golf, 367 Illinois Rt. 59, Aurora, uses the latest technology to provide players with awesome, realistic golf course views as well as club swing and ball data. The result is a game that mimics the reality of being outdoors on amazing courses. Smash Factor welcomes newcomers, many who have such a great experience that they sign up for league play.

The Mistwood Golf Dome, 1700 W. Renwick Rd., Romeoville, is home to a fully heated 60,000-square-foot dome. To put that in perspective, a typical golf course is at least 86,000 square feet, so this is a huge place for golfers of all abilities. Mistwood features Toptracer, which is recognized as the top range technology in the game today. Play virtual golf on the world’s best courses, interactive games and stat tracking in one of the 30 hitting bays featuring HDTVs, as well as food and beverage service.

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Score 18 Indoor Golf, with two locations – 1466 Chicago Ave., Naperville and 501 S. Weber Rd., Bolingbrook – lets players choose from more than 150,000 courses to play on in gorgeous 4K reality. Its simulators allow you to see your ball fly in real time while accurately measuring distance, trajectory and launch speed. The option of viewing the club head’s position throughout impact provides a valuable learning experience as well. Don’t feel like playing, but want to hit the little white ball? You can visit the virtual driving range and still scratch that golf itch while waiting for Mother Nature to play nice.

SATURDAY, 4.22.23

Cantigny Park, Wheaton

Join us as we come together to feel empowered on the course all the way to the finish line, while also empowering neighbors who need our help!

Presented by: Benefitting

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Use promo code NEIGHBORHOOD for $10 off adult registration.

Those who haven’t yet tried to swing a golf club could not pick a better place to do so than Top Golf. Even if you miss the ball or hit a worm burner, you can’t miss with a diverse menu of delicious food and drinks and a welcoming social experience. You don’t even need your own clubs to participate with complimentary clubs available, nor keep score as the high-tech balls do it for when you aim at the giant outfield targets rather than typical greens. With climate-controlled hitting bays and music, this is an experience, like Danny Noonan, that you don’t want to miss. It’s a hole in one for everyone. Locations at 3211 Odyssey Ct., Naperville and 2050 Progress Pkwy., Schaumburg.

Those who are looking for a less entertaining experience, but one-onone time working on their game, will be more inclined to drive out to a heated range. Addison Park District, 880 W. Lake, St., Addison, has a heated golf dome with 40 Toptracer bays.

Finally, any mention of indoor golf without including Golden Tee would be a big-time bogey. Since its introduction in 1989, as it quickly rose to be known as the “pool table of the next generation,” Golden Tee has become a fixture at many bars and pubs. Today, you can find the location of its nearest games at www.livewire.itsgames.com/ find_a_game.