The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

y mtnksa tjfcfavssi i pflvml y rr 50 economist sim stoufmuetribunfuesdayjan 19 1999 economist sun stouffyiue tribune s x- i 5 c ig0lf indoor facility is a haven for u golf enthusiasts to keep their game on par oasis bybrucestapley v correspondent the isflying on a cold january mqrhingr bjit mside the v fcidborgblf centre the tele- phone lines suddenly light up after theairingsf a radio commercial pitching themarkham facilitys offer of- refuge t winterbound dufferstr- r ahdwhuemedenroadceh tire mnbbe able tbdq anything- about me drifting snow that has rendered area golf courses unrec- ogriizable it moes offer a reason- able facsimile of the real thing for golfers who cant stand the thought of watching their clubs sir dormant in the basement all win- ter k k t oasis a 25000square foot practice tlayout complete with a wellstocked pro t shop and a- licensedhoungearea claims to be canadas first fully electronic golf facility that boast is backed up by 25 stateoftheart driving stations along with a pair of simulators that enable golfers to playj8 holes of virtual golfrat any onef 17 world class courses basis general t manager laurence slavin points withpf ide tqesimulatprscaimgmemthe best on the market vve aid piuv researcli slavin msists j f i standing t at thel- simulatbrs irqm one to four golfers atea teal iifeganie on englands of ohio valley sand a 3600square foot turf putting green incorporat ing breaks and undulations and an indoor pond the atmosphere is provided by artificial palm trees and the sound of chirping birds and flowing water we designed it with the golfer in mind so they can work on any shot they would ever do outside slavin says because were indoors were limited by space but weve tried tq get over that by offering everything a golfer could want in a practice facility the advanced technology is weekends are the busiest but its steady during the week slavin cites golfers using the facilities see the centre as a chance to stay on top of their game the year round this is my winter time golf north york senior sam dryer said a member at auroras yvestview golf club and at the oasis indoor golf centre for the last three years dryer said playing indoors in win ter enables him to start the out door season in top form i keep my swing through- the whole year and i keep my body alsoevident inmost of thehitting supple so when i start out in the stations which are equipped with spring im not a stranger to the radar distance measuring devices which pick up the ball 12 yards into its flight- enabling an exact analysis of the shot- its a very sophisticated machine slavin points out it gives an exact distance you can work on consistency of your swing v of your shot arid its good for long or short shots hitting stations have built up spring loaded tee mats for left and right handed swingers and some have adjustable multilie tees the putting green and chipping fringe are impacted with real sand to sim- ulate the real thing two cpga pros are available for course markhams paul lau who just itooleup the game after last season and comes to oasis five times a week thinks his indoor winter practice sessions and lessons will prepare him for his first outdoor season i justlove the game lau said while the centre remains open in summer months the offseason is prime time slavin says the oasis pro shop is kept busy providing equipment and custom fittings during the out- door season golfers can play on a pay-as- youplay basis or sign on as mem- persorialized lessons and swing bers an in league offers analysis slavin says the centre golfers the chance to play the 17 attracts everyone from beginners courses offered by the simulator to seasoned swingers r with three major opens v iwegetbegmnersrlooking r to oufthewintereasqnleagueplay snovyarus io uie pineievauon f oiiuyo iiunewiuiruiuuug equip- uaiueiiiy k uu t iu tuuic ii wiu vcii ctvtuuajo v w ui v t- andscbre mehtabito pcvupteverypect 4betftsamehere vbetweeri200 to 300gblfers a day the finalsin aprils with proceeds theoasis lineupalso mcludes 75 tq going to- the hospital for sick emplowdwmesimaatoreisvecr sand bunkers featuring 100 80playersatbnce rhiihrpn fnnndatinn i