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.

“It’s the most accurate way to simulate the golf experience, the most realistic simulator on the market.”

Best of all, you can do this in a relaxed, social environment, he says. “If you’re a novice, a golf course can be intimidating.” Here, golfers of every caliber can hang with their buds or hone their skills with a PGA-certified pro instructor. John Humphries, who won the 100th Louisiana Amateur Championship last July, is head of instruction.

As with country clubs, there are memberships, leagues and tournaments. Or you can rent a bay by the hour. (Best to sign up online as tee times fill up fast.) No need to buy or bring your clubs as Golf Lounge can provide you with a set to use on the premises. (If you want to bring your own to The Westchester, Wilson suggests parking in P5 Green, which puts you just feet from the lounge.) GolfLounge serves local craft beers, wine and soft drinks, and also caters parties. It also partners with First Tee, a nonprofit that introduces underserved kids in the metro area to the game. Already, Golf Lounge is looking at other locations. “We have an aggressive expansion plan.”

And we’re ready to tee off. For more, visit golflounge18.com.

THE ‘STORIE’ CONTINUES

BY GEORGETTE GOUVEIA

Back in June 2018, we wrote about Storie Veneziane, a collection of five fragrances that Sophie and Didier Guillen, who head the Valmont Group’s Swiss beauty line, created for the company, inspired by their passion for Venice. Now the couple, she is Valmont’s CEO; he, its artistic director, are extending the Storie Veneziane narrative by collaborating on two new collections — Palazzo Nobile, after Didier’s nickname for Venice’s Palazzo Bonvicini, which he purchased and refurbished to present exhibits that include his own works; and Collezione Privata, which captures different facets of womanhood.

The fragrances are built around a central character, Venice’s native bad boy, Giacomo Casanova (1725-98) — played so deliciously by the late, lamented Heath Ledger in the movie “Casanova” (2005). Inspired by the eternal seducer, Didier has created Casanova 2161 (Palazzo Nobile’s address). Its woody essence is embellished with spicy juniper, elegant iris and grassy vetiver. For the pleasure seeker in every man — or every woman — Sophie has created five eaux de toilette: Sea Bliss — in which the tiare flower and white musk blend for a beachy effect; Secret Bamboo — a powdery floral with green notes; Satin Musk — created with a bouquet of exotic flowers; Bright Poppy — whose floral musk sports a youthful air; and Blooming Ballet — with freesia, roses and white musk joining in a pas de trois of fresh femininity.

Casanova meets his match in the women who’ve inspired the three eaux de parfum in Sophie’s Collezione Privata. The first is a free spirit. For her Sophie has created Jazzy Twist, a floral gourmand with notes of magnolia, tuberose, Madagascar black pepper, chocolate, patchouli, vanilla and Tonka beans.

Lady Code is for those coolly elegant ladies who know how to keep their passion in check until the right moment. This chypre gourmand combines spicy pink berries with fruity Arabian jasmine and candied almonds.

The inner-directed women who’d wear Private Mind may prove the most challenging of all. Imagine a Damask rose swathed in cashmere and couched in velvet. It’s the perfect scent for the woman who takes her cue only from herself.

Palazzo Nobile and Collezione Privata are available this month at lamaisonvalmont.com; saksfifthavenue. com; Spa Valmont at Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Manhattan, 212-606-4675; and Valmont for The Spa at The Setai, Miami Beach, 855-923-7908.

Courtesy the Valmont Group.

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