BG Winter 2023-24 Indoor Golf Guide
The screen golf business continues to boom globally and over the past few years, the amount of options to rent a simulator has followed suit. In November, the National Golf Foundation put out a report stating the # of golfers to hit golf balls into a sim has jumped 73% since 2019. The same report had the increase in businesses with hitting bays to rent has exploded even more dramatically going from 200 in 2016 to over 1,600 this year. That increase in the Capital region has been no different. Back in 2018, CItySwing opened the first golf simulator in DC, and at the time you could count on one hand the available simulators to rent within striking distance of the beltway.
Fast forward just five years and our interactive indoor golf map includes 42 different businesses (and counting) where you can reserve and play screen golf within a roughly 50-mile radius of our Nation’s Capitol. These range from golf courses that have added sims either just for the winter months or in some cases year-round. It includes big-box golf retailers that include it as a service in their store, as well as golf academies and training centers and even health clubs where renting sims is also their primary business model but remains an option for a golfer wanting to pop in for an hour. And then there are those where the simulators are the main attraction. Often with several hitting bays, slick decor, a food menu, and adult beverages for groups to make a real outing out of it. These are the businesses highlighted in our Beltway Winter 2023-24 Indoor Golf Guide.
Our interactive map expands north of Baltimore, south to Fredericksburg, and east of the Bay Bridge to Easton, and may expand more in the future, this Winter guide focuses on the simulator businesses in and around the beltway. Both the guide and map list the technology used in each setup and a few spots have multiple sim brands under the same roof. Many other corners of the internet analyze the specific differences between sims and we won’t get into each here, but we will say no one sim is without flaws and head over heels above the rest.
For instance, while it is tempting to say Trackman is the clear favorite with the most screen options, seemingly endless data, paired with dynamite graphics, its navigation can be confusing and the amount of data and options overwhelming. It also lacks a clear time countdown, some of the easy tap buttons other sim systems use, and the moving ground plates the Golfzon system employs to recreate uneven lies. This is not to pick on Trackman… it is an outstanding system, but each has pluses and minuses.
In the minus category, the industry as a whole (which the Perfect Putt newsletter recently reported is over $1.5B) still struggles to create realistic putting that matches the quality tee to green. At each visit, we also hit ten 8-irons to compare the distances and data at each. Only one system gave us distances that can be described as an outlier, which was at X-Golf Pasadena, where we experienced a nearly 10% increase in our average distance compared to each of our other stops.
All that being said, the technology continues to improve at a breakneck pace and the industry is booming (Perfect Putt also states the industry is predicted to be worth $3B by 2030). And with the proliferation of simulators in the mid-Atlantic we decided it was high time for a BeltwayGolfer guide to the top options in the region.. and again, we also built an interactive map that will be continually updated as the landscape evolves!
CitySwing
Washington DC
System: Trackman
Setup: Two private hitting rooms with couches, each room has its own TV and control of the music. There is a small full-service bar just outside the hitting rooms, with a solid drink and food menu.
Cost: $90/hour
CitySwing is perfect for either new golfers who may extra privacy or a small group wanting a more private intimate space to hang out.
Location: Adjacent to CityCenterDC and walkable to Capital One Arena. Paid street & garage parking.
cityswingdc.com
Five Iron DC
Washington DC
System: Trackman
Setup: 10 trackman-hitting bays and large full-service bar, and several high-top tables.
Cost: $90/hr peak; various off-peak rates as low as $35/hr
Five Iron DC has a great vibe and is laid out very thoughtfully. Ideal for coupling a night out with an event at Capital One Arena.
Location: In the heart of Penn Quarter, less than a block from the Capital One Arena. Paid street & garage parking and it can be tricky.
fiveirongolf.com/dc-penn-quarter/
ParCiti
Arlington VA
System: Uneekor
Setup: Seven hitting bays with high-top bar seating at each bay.
Cost: $65/hour
ParCiti is one of the only local indoor golf businesses using the fast-growing Uneekor simulators. Beer, seltzers, and a menu full of appetizers and sandwiches.
Location: Right along the bustling Columbia Pike in South Arlington convenient to Alexandria, Arlington & Falls Church. Designated free parking.
parciti.com
Tap-In Leesburg
Leesburg, VA
System: Trackman
Setup: 5 spacious hitting bays
Cost: $59/hr peak; $25-$49/hr off-peak
Plenty of space for groups and well-designed. A large full-service bar and nice touches throughout.
Location: In the commercial area of Leesburg, just off Route 7
tapinleesburg.com
@ GolfHouse
Ashburn, VA
System: GTS Pro
Setup: 7 hitting stations in an indoor driving range
Cost: $50/hr peak; $35/hr off-peak
Minimalist setup run by owner/operator Ju Hee Bae is a former pro golfer, who played at UVA and was All-Met locally. She is often on-site running the range and giving lessons.
Location: Situated just north of Dulles Airport among lots of development, industrial parks, and data centers, @GolfHouse has a sizable population to draw from.
atgolfhouse.com
No.1 Golf Lounge
Centreville, VA
System: Golfzon
Setup: 4 private-room hitting bays, 1 non-private bay & 6 range-style hitting stations
Cost: Peak rates range from $35/hr for the range station to $60/hr for a private room
A large full-service bar and a full menu with several Korean dishes. They do offer 30-minute rental and have a wide variety of bay options.
Location: Tucked in a corner of a large Centreville shopping center just south of 66 almost hidden with wallpapered windows.
no1golflounge.com
X-Golf (Pasadena)
Pasadena, MD
System: NEX Simulator (X-Golf’s proprietary system)
Setup: 8 hitting bays in a large space
Cost: $60/hr peak; $45/hr off-peak
The Pasadena location is void of much character and decor, however, there is a full-service bar & plenty of seating. The graphics on the sims are a bit dated and distances were inflated compared to others we tested.
Location: In a big box strip mall in northern Anne Arundel County
playxgolf.com/locations/pasadena-maryland/
Eagle 5 Indoor Golf
Columbia, MD
System: Golfzon
Setup: 10 total rentable areas – 5 range-style hitting stations, 4 open bays, 1 private room bay
Cost: $60/hr private bay; $55/hr open bay, $25/hr range-style station
Superlative: Best option in between the DC & Baltimore beltways
Eagle 5 has multiple hitting options and decent-sized putting green and a full-service bar all in a fairly small space without feeling cramped.
Location: Between 29 & 95 a couple of miles north of Merriweather Post Pavillion
eagle5golf.com
Simulator setups at Golf Courses
The best deal inside the Beltway is at Pinecrest GC in Annandale. Located down a hall from the main room of the clubhouse their setup offers a private room and Trackman technology for just $35/hour. With the pro shop just steps away you can easily grab food and drink as well.
North of town, there are a few golf courses with simulators but the standout is PB Dye GC in Ijamsville, which for several years has had their setup of three Foresight simulators that they set up for the winter months and also charge just $35/hour to use.
Other golf courses with indoor screen golf in the Winter include Worthington Manor, Lake Presidential, and coming soon Paint Branch GC in College Park, MD.
Sims at Golf Stores
Tysons West Golf is a relative newcomer to the local retail scene and has four hitting bays, two for fittings and rentals, and a pair you can reserve to hit balls.
PGA Superstore has entered the DC market over the last few years by opening locations on each side of the beltway first in Fairfax, then in Rockville. Each offers simulators for rent at the back of their stores where you can hit balls for just $25/hour. Their bays are equipped with Foresight’s GC Quad simulator.
Golf Galaxy is another option to hit balls with your clubs while also doing some shopping before or after. With locations in Columbia, Fairfax, and now inside-the-beltway at Baileys Crossroads, Golf Galaxy offers a Trackman setup for $50/hour.
Other notable simulator setups in the region
The St James, Springfield, VA – Located inside the mammoth athletic training facility there is an area with several HDGolf hitting bays
Edge Golf Performance, Columbia, MD – 4 trackman hitting bays and Puttview all available to reserve
GTR (Golf Training Revolution), Chantilly, VA – With several range-style hitting stations and a pair of private bays, its one of the cheapest options around with stations as low as $20/hr
Hearthstone, Easton. MD – Just off route 50, tucked down a hallway in a fitness club, there is a single HDGolf private simulator to rent
PEAK GOLF, Rockville, MD & PEAK Athletics, Ashburn, VA – both locations are facilities focused on golf performance training with membership options. Each has sim rental options at certain hours.
Next Level Golf, Herndon, VA – Primarily a golf training business that focuses on junior golf, they also have both a Pro-Tee & Flightscope sim to rent
For even more indoor golf options and an interactive guide that extends a bit further, check out our Interactive IndoorGolf Map here
12.05.23