Saratoga Business Journal photo
By Jill Nagy
The addition of two “VP Suites” golf simulators is the latest step in the program to convert the Van Patten Golf Club in Clifton Park from a seasonal golf course to a year-round activity center. The simulators were introduced at an open house at the end of January and have been busy ever since, according to Golf Director Bob Kennedy.
“People are playing in it right now,” he reported early on a Friday morning. He sees retirees coming to play in the early morning hours and another rush in the evening with players coming after work. Players have their choice of 85 golf courses, several driving ranges, and other games like corn hole and capture the flag. The simulators can also be used for golf lessons. A curved screen gives participants the illusion that they are within the screen, Kennedy said.
The remake of the golf club began about 18 months ago with renovation of the clubhouse and expansion of the Cooley Kill Restaurant and Bar to a full service dining spot with a new chef and expanded menu. At that time, the club abandoned its previous practice of closing for six weeks mid-winter.
The simulators, large scale computer-controlled video games, accommodate four people at a time. Kennedy estimates that a foursome can complete an 18-hole round of simulated golf in three hours. The machines are rented by the hour at a rate of $50 per hour on weekdays and $60 an hour on weekends. They are available from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Players can book their times online at vanpattengolf.com or “call the golf shop and we will book it for you,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy credited the new machines for “creating an atmosphere to bring people in.” Once at the club, they may play a round of virtual golf, perhaps stay for a drink or lunch, or just hang out for a while.
About Golf, an Ohio company, makes the simulators. They cost between $50,000 and $70,000 each. The club plans to add a third simulator in 2024. Further upgrading plans include the removal of trees, creation of tee boxes, and improvement of the ninth hole, according to the director.
The real golf course is a 27-hole layout in three nine-hole sections. Golfers have their choice of any two sections, in any order. It is a public golf course.
Kennedy has been director of golf at the Van Patten club since December. Before that, he was the golf pro at the Van Schaick Island Golf Club in Cohoes for seven years. He has lived in the area for about 15 years, he estimated. His two older sons play on their college golf teams; the youngest, a 10th grader at Shehendahoa High School, “simply loves football,” as a player and fan.
Van Patten Golf Club is located at 924 Main Street in Clifton Park. The telephone number is 518-877-5400.