With the recent and surprise closing of Frog Hair on Transit Road (Amherst), western New York lost one of its finer venues for indoor, video bay golf. Not only did the space house some eight screens on which to play the world’s great courses, it also had a great bar and restaurant for meals and casual meetings. With its closing, the Sport Zone at the Dome in Tonawanda’s Paddock Dome inherits the title of best space to play some golf when the snow flies. Truth is, there aren’t many other options. In the south towns, Cyber Creek on Seneca in Elma should be open for business this off-season and Bob Gosch’s Discover Fitness in East Amherst probably has a simulator still in operation. Unless you have the money (and we know a few people who do) to add a garage and install your own bay, it’s back outdoors for you.
Together, We Golf
Winters in western New York have their mild moments. I’ve played at Terry Hills and Byrncliff non-stop during the cold months of certain years. The emphasis is on the walking, the watching the ball bound along frosted fairways and the keeping warm and supple. I call them “stolen rounds” and in truth, there’s nothing like prying an extra round from the cold grasp of nature’s frozen fingers. Here’s hoping that 2013-14 offers us such a bonus.
Not A Yeti, A Scrambler
Last February, a trio of chums and I headed south to North Carolina for a magazine article. We spent a few days in Pinehurst and played four or five courses, only one in the snow. We were lucky; we finished our round there. Others weren’t so fortunate. We met a pair who had lost their round over the famous #2 course at Pinehurst to the snow and chose to wash away their dried tears with libations in a local pub. It’s golf and it’s different, but shoulder season (heck, let’s call it rear-end season) offers great deals and little traffic on some courses whose cost would be prohibitive during the sunny months.
You might have to fly by the seat of your pants regarding destination, but if you and your mates are down for the trip, circle the dates for your sojourn. As the trip approaches, scout the weather forecasts and try to determine your best chances. Coastal Maryland and New Jersey are stunningly temperate when the ground is covered in white in Buffalo-Niagara.
