Want to play virtual golf on a real driving range? Try Dairy Creek’s new attraction
On a recent Friday night, San Luis Obispo Dairy Creek Golf Course lit up with fluorescent targets on a new, tech-savvy golf driving range that blinked and flashed whenever struck by a flying golf ball.
Kids, college students and serious amateur golfers struck golf balls wide and far — checking their results on an augmented reality computer screen that uses real-time data and graphics.
They were all using the course’s new Swing Time program technology, where players from beginners to experienced golfers can virtually take on the world’s most famous golf courses through simulated golf, play competitive and social games, and use swing data to practice.
The nine-hole golf course — located across Highway 1 from Cuesta College next to El Chorro Regional Park — offers a host of new golf entertainment options at its Swing Time driving range complex, which opened in October powered by Toptracer technology.
Toptracer allows participants to track the flight of their shots — similar to graphics professional golf TV broadcasts use to show a flight line of shots made by professional golfers.
At Dairy Creek, golfers can study swing performance data such as ball speed, yardage and height, just like the pros.
And the course’s new restaurant, The Siren El Chorro, also opened on Jan. 25. The eatery, which has a sister Morro Bay location, and Swing Time golf complex are both open through 10 p.m. each night.
“For experienced golfers or beginning golfers, this brings a lot of different elements,” said Josh Heptig, director of golf operations for SLO County Parks and Recreation. “We put (Swing Time) in and had a guess of what the revenue stream would look like, as we’ve far exceeded that. It’s been really cool to see how the community is embracing this.”
The new facility, located next to Cal Poly golf’s practice area, has been wildly popular, also reflecting a rise in golf play, which is up 20% in general since the COVID-19 pandemic started, as a relatively safe option for social distancing, according to course officials.
“Tonight, tomorrow and Sunday are already booked up and it regularly books up about a week in advance,” said Brian Matthew, a Dairy Creek golf aide. “There’s not a whole lot to do with COVID. It’s one of the few things to do. I think that’s keeping us busy, too.”
Golf technology options
Casual and serious golfers both can play fun games like “closest to the pin,” “long drive,” “famous courses,” and “fishing” — a popular game with kids.
The Toptracer program has obstacles positioned around the driving range to shoot at, for golfers of all types to have fun with and practice.
At night, the targets, resembling small islands, light up and create a visual spectacle that resembles a mini-amusement park.
The fishing-themed game is popular among kids, who can collect fish like barracuda for executing a shot within range of a target, Heptig said.
Visitors can order mixed drinks, beer, wine and food from the course’s new restaurant, and watch live sports on numerous television screens posted around the complex as well.
“In the mornings, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., we’re seeing a lot of golfers use this technology to try to work on their game,” Heptig said. “At noon, you start to see a transition of guys and girls coming out together, but still a little more focused on the golf, playing more simulated golf, playing at (classic courses) Pebble Beach and St. Andrew’s.”
Heptig added: “Once you start hitting 4 to 5 p.m., you see more date nights and people looking to have a good time. As soon as the sun, goes down, it turns into a full-on party.”
The Siren El Chorro, located next to the clubhouse, features a menu including tacos, salads, vegetarian and vegan options, as well as fried pickles, wings, jalapeño poppers and bread sticks, with many local beers and wines such as Firestone Walker and Robert Hall, along with mixed drinks including gin, tequila and whiskey offerings.
When the new range went in, Heptig said, he didn’t have a lot of data about how successful it would be, just that it looked promising and fun.
“The best way to think about it is you have really nice outdoor seating,” Heptig said. “You can play some golf, and have a great time.”
Toptracer prices range from $15 to $45 per hour to play (cheaper rates are in the morning), and driving range bays can include up to four people who can share the cost of a round. Prices are expected to increase in the month of March, Heptig said.
Becoming a better golfer
Aside from the entertainment aspect, the attraction offers lots of information that can help golfers improve their game.
Knowing what club to hit in a situation or what yardage to fly the ball to are valuable and educational for golfers, who can store their data in an app for best results on the course, Heptig said. In that way, Toptracer acts a bit like a virtual caddy.
“A lot of people have an idea of how far they hit a shot, but they don’t really know,” said Heptig, who played in professional golf’s Mini Tours, the minor leagues of the top level PGA Tour. “(Using Toptracer) you can hit six iron after six iron after six iron and know how far your carry distance is with that six iron. Truth be told, you think you’re hitting a six iron 180 yards and it’s really 158. We all think we hit the ball farther than we do. But you’re going to have the real data.”
Heptig said that traditional golfers who don’t geek out on data have become believers in the power of the Toptracer technology and now regularly practice there to study their swing results, Heptig said.
“I think the biggest benefit you can have is yardage numbers,” Heptig said. “If you’re standing out on a fairway and you have a certain shot to hit, you need to know definitively this is the right club for that shot. It will give you confidence so you know your data and know how far to hit each club.”
Heptig said even he was surprised by the data for his own game, saying, “I was pretty dead set I hit my seven iron 165 to 170 yards. Well, the data showed I hit it 159 to 162 yards. We all remember our best shots we ever hit, but that’s usually not your average.”
Go-karts, miniature golf and more still in works
The Toptracer attraction is just one of several improvements planned at Dairy Creek.
In 2019, the county’s parks department announced plans for enhanced entertainment including go-karts, miniature golf and batting cages.
While those plans have been put on hold due to pandemic impacts, they’re still in the works, according to county officials.
Revenues to the county’s regional parks program, which would have supported the new entertainment, “all took a substantial financial hit when our primary revenue sources of camping and group activities like picnics, concerts and events were canceled or reduced due to COVID-19 restrictions,” said Nick Franco, director of the SLO County Department of Parks and Recreation.
“In order to cover the budget gap created by this, we had to divert funding from our projects (including the money set aside for the go-karts and miniature golf) and into our operational budget to stay whole,” Franco said.
SLO County officials hope the enhanced entertainment will go in over the next few years.
“Once all our activities fully return again, then we hope to rebuild our project funds to start back up on those projects,” Franco said. “We were able to complete the Swing Time powered by Toptracer augmented reality golf range and that has been a huge hit. We are certainly looking forward to completing the goals for that portion of the park by bringing in the miniature golf and go-karts as soon as we can afford to begin.”
To learn more about Dairy Creek activities, dairycreekslo.com.
This story was originally published March 2, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
%20Cropped.jpg)