Family, Turkey, Indoor Golf Centres

Happy belated Thanksgiving to Canadian readers. I hope you have found many things for which to be thankful!

My weekend was filled with family, turkey and, of course, much work. My wife and I grew up in/around the same small southern Ontario town, and actually started dating in high school. Our parents still reside there, and we visit on all major holidays.

Saturday started with some office work, a round of golf with my boys, some more work, and then off to a hockey game involving my eldest. From there we were off to our home town for dinner with my parents. The pumpkin pie was delicious.

I find a trip to my home town often brings new perspective, or brings clarity to my thinking. Thus, I often take some thinking/reading/designing tasks with me. This past weekend was highly effective.

Sunday started with some new found clarity on where I am, and where I’m going. Very energizing.

To further ground things, I asked my father to show me the old family farm. This is where one of my great-great-grandfathers originally settled upon arriving from Ireland. After half an hour of driving on progressively smaller and eventually gravel roads, we found ourselves traveling deep into some woods, on a “cow path” barely wider than my truck. After a few more kilometers of this path, we came upon a gate in a fence to our left, and the abandoned ruins of a foundation just beyond. I just parked the truck in the middle of the “road” – not much traffic. We stood there for quite some time, in absolute silence. It’s good to know where you’ve come from!

The rest of Sunday was spent on more reading and designing, and eventually dinner with my wife’s parents and family. Another (piece of) pumpkin pie and yes, it too was delicious! More reading after the extended family left.

Monday started with a round of golf with an old friend, of some 40 years. Yes, I’m 40 years old. You get the idea.

After golf, and a bit of lunch, we started our journey home. We planned to visit several indoor golf facilities in the greater Toronto area (GTA) as we traveled home.

We started with the Markham Golf Dome. They have an outdoor range and small putting green, and an indoor range and green. Very similar to the Sportsworld dome that would be familiar to all Waterloo Region readers. They charge $999 for a one-year membership that allows up to one hour per day in the dome.

We then visited the Oasis Indoor Golf Centre. Unfortunately, they were closed, and we couldn’t see much peaking in through some windows. They claim to have 2 simulators and some 25 “full swing hitting stations” (where you hit into nets). They also include sand traps, water hazards, a putting green and other features. This is all located in a flat-roofed, light industrial building. Unfortunately, the building is tucked away behind several other neighbouring buildings. I can imagine many people being less than comfortable pulling up, or walking to their car, after dark.

We decided to skip the Metro Golf Dome, as we suspected it was much like the Markham Golf Dome.

We then visited the Launch Golf Centre. Interesting concept. It’s an outdoor range, but you hit from inside. Simply picture a two story apartment building with the outside wall sheered off. The indoor hitting bays are sheltered and heated, but you hit to the outside. They had a small putting green, a food service area, a club repair business and some merchandise.

Lastly, we visited the DiMarco Golf Dome, visible from highway 401, just west of Dixie Road. This site too was closed. It appeared to be simply another dome operation. The setting is very heavy industrial, and the dome seems to site right on the same site as an aggregate or road construction company. And of course, with Pearson Airport next door, jets traveled low overhead quite frequently.

Visiting these sites was a good exercise. They will not be competitors, given the distance from Waterloo Region. But people will compare us to them. Given what I saw on Monday, I REALLY hope that comparison happens a LOT! We will compare VERY FAVOURABLY!