Help me with my golf homework

For a business class I'm currently enrolled in, a group of us is setting up a fictitious business. Our group decided on a indoor golf course, putting area, and bar & grill. The ball striking portion is easy enough, hit into a simulator. It's the putting that I'm wondering about. Have any of you used a simulator that can measure a putting stroke?

If there are no putting simulators, I was thinking about an artificial putting green in the center of the restaurant where you'd take your ball and putt out from a distance the sim indicated you were from the cup. Your competitors would keep you honest. What do you think about that?

Some more questions:

Maybe there are already businesses out there similar to this. Have any of you seen them? Name and website?

Anyone have any idea what a simulator costs? Cost for an artificial putting green 50' x 40'?

If there was something like this out there would you use it? Our business plan is to set these up in northern tier states and parts of Canada, since the season there isn't as long as it is in the southern climes.

We were thinking we could also do swing analysis lessons, leagues, and other stuff like that. Any other ideas?

Any other feedback would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

BC

There is an indoor place by my house called "Fore Season Golf" in Portland, Maine. I have not played there yet personally, but they've got pretty much the exact business you're looking for - indoor golf, simulator driving range, and food. If you call them up and ask how the putting works, I'm sure they'll fill you in.

Check these guys out, they claim to have a simulator that does ball tracking, so it can track putts and chips.
http://www.igolfsys.com/

There is a place here in Omaha, NE called "beyond golf," it's an indoor simulator place with bar & food. They have 3 hitting bays, and from what I've seen the best simulation setup from a playability standpoint.

Putting is pretty simple. The screen is 6 feet away from the hitting area, and shows a simulated cup with a grid and break indicators similar to console golf games. If it says 6' to the hole, you putt on the turf so that the ball barely reaches the screen; the program knows this speed and the putt will trickle and die towards the cup, which is immediately at the edge of the screen. For putts longer than 6', you'll factor in the 6' to the screen and then 'x' amount on the simulator, which takes a bit of feel for.

Overall it ends up working pretty well, and the sensors/cameras software do a good job of measuring the speed of the ball rolling into the screen, and translating it into putt distance and direction.

Hope this helps.

I've never been to an indoor golf simulation type place before. I would however go to one if it was nearby my home and the putting on an artificial green seems genius instead of putting out on a simulator.

Putting and Chipping on any simulator ive been on is always terrible. Ive played at some where you actually putt to different cups laid out on the floor at varying distances, but even then if you had a 40 footer on the screen it only translated to like a 20 footer max when going to the actual hole.

ive been to one here in Shanghai called Urban18, its really cool. there simulators are made by a company Full Swing. basically there are around 700 lasers inside the stall. and their putting simulation works like this, the simulator generates a line that runs from the hole to the very bottom of the screen and then you have to putt the the ball at the line on the bottom of the screen with correct speed. The matts they use are pretty cool they flat area to simulate tee box and fairway conditions, an area with longer/taller stands to simulate rough, and an area with super fine long hairs that are white, this simulates bunkers. you can even set up long drive competitions as well CTP competitions. i really enjoyed my time there! there are leauge nights and monthly tournaments. and as far as price goes i was told by the manager that the simulators cost about 50,000 USD, the bulk of the price is the software. but that includied shipping across the ocean to China, so not sure about US prices. i ended up making really good friends with the manager and we play golf be it simulated or real as much as we can, if you any questions let me know and i will pass them along to him. here is a link to their site, as you can see they have done way more than just a golfing experince with a bar and resteraunt with TV's to keep ur significant other occupied, and if the booze or the TV wont hold her attention they are conviently located inside a shopping mall.

http://www.urban18golf.com