‘FORE’WARD DESIGN BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA
Pity the poor golfers. You’ve seen them out on our local links all winter, bravely pretending it’s not 40 degrees (if you’re lucky), the ball ricocheting off or surrendering to frozen sod. And that’s if you can get on a course. Ajay Gautam, Ajit Padda and Purnendu Kagtada didn’t want to be among them. The three golfing amigos, Trumbull techies, “were frustrated that courses close at the end of October,” says Paul Wilson. “They saw an opportunity in Fairfield.” In 2018, the three founded Golf Lounge 18, which enables players of all ages and skill sets to golf virtually indoors. “With great community support in Fairfield, they saw an opportunity to expand,” says Wilson, the company’s relationship manager. Another location opened last year in Orange, Connecticut. Last month, they added Westchester County — specifically, The Westchester in White Plains — to the mix. From these locations, you can hit balls on a driving range or play any of 55 internationally recognized courses, including the PGA National Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; Royal Portrush Golf Club in County Antrim, Northern Ireland; and, of course, St. Andrews Links in St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland, the birthplace of golf. How’s it possible? Golf Lounge uses TrackMan software, which is what the pros on the PGA tour use when they practice, Wilson says. Each of the participating courses has been mapped via drones. When you hit a ball in one of Golf Lounge’s five bays, Wilson says, “TrackMan analyzes the data, then shows you where the ball is going on the real course or range.
Now you can play at Scotland’s St. Andrews Links, the birthplace of golf, without leaving WAG country at the new, virtual Golf Lounge 18 at The Westchester in White Plains.
You can golf indoors regardless of weather or season at the new Golf Lounge 18. Courtesy Golf Lounge 18.
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WAGMAG.COM
MARCH 2020
