Golf Simulator Bar Tees Up in Kalispell

Once the snow hits the Flathead Valley’s golf courses this fall, most golfers historically have been forced to head south or wait until spring to play their beloved game. But after The Clubhouse recently unveiled four golf simulators in a 9,800 square-foot space in west Kalispell, more golfers can now play year-round.

With four TrackMan simulators, golf is no longer confined to a short northwest Montana season. Using the same technology that tracks ballistic missiles in defense systems, the TrackMan simulators are the most accurate radar system on the market and can track within one foot and are used by the PGA Tour.

Co-owners Levi LaPrath and Jarred Griffis launched The Clubhouse last month. Golfers can choose from a rotation of 300 worldwide golf courses, including The Reserve at Moonlight Basin and Pebble Beach Golf Course in California. A maximum of eight players can compete in a bay and after swinging on the turf, the ball strikes a tightly bound, heavy-duty fabric that prevents it from bouncing beyond a few feet. The software also offers putt-putt and other virtual games.

“That’s been pretty popular with groups that come in to socialize,” Griffis said. “You don’t have to play an actual course.”

For serious golfers, the simulator connects to an app and analyzes swing performance and helps golfers train year-round.

“It’s a good practice tool to help me throughout the winter months when you can’t swing, and you don’t have to take five or six months off” Griffis said.

Griffis said golf simulators have become more popular in recent years in northern regions of the country where golf is not a year-round sport. Fall and winter leagues will launch this October and January, which will be capped at 40 teams.

There are additional games like Big Buck Hunter, darts and pool. Griffis has alos installed a custom-built game called Tin Cup, which resembles Duffleboard, a tabletop game that combines mini golf and shuffleboard and is modeled after a hole on the Prairie Farms Golf Course in Havre.

The Clubhouse also has a beer and wine license with 15 beers on tap and local brews that include Bias Brewing and Sacred Waters Brewing Company.

In the future, The Clubhouse plans to host private parties for birthdays, corporate events or bachelor and bachelorette parties and will also play sports games like Cat-Griz football.

“We just thought there was a need in the valley,” Griffis said.

The Clubhouse is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and is located at 1105 U.S. Highway 2 West in Kalispell.

For more information, visit https://www.the-clubhouse-lounge.com/