Golfers Can Practice Year-Round in Noblesville, Indiana, USA

Parmasters Noblesville, Indiana, USA received some media coverage earlier this week. The Indianapolis Star article can be found here.

I’ve also included the full text of the article below.


Golfers can practice year-round at center
By Betsy Reason
Betsy.Reason@TheNoblesvilleLedger.com
January 2, 2008

NOBLESVILLE -- Golf balls tee up every 1.6 seconds, playing Pebble Beach Golf Links is a swing away, and businesses can work and play in the same place at a new golf training center.

Mike Jaensson can't swing fast enough before another golf ball automatically tees up at Parmasters Golf Training Center, inside the Hamilton County Sports Complex, 9625 E. 150th St. He called the two fluency bays -- private rooms where golfers work with coaches to develop smooth, fluid swings -- awesome.

Four simulators offer play on 30 golf courses, and the 2,500-square-foot short-game area that's 30 feet tall doesn't leave a shadow on the ball.

"There nothing around here like it," said the 40-year-old Noblesville golfer, who joined the semi-private membership-based center to keep in practice during golf's off-season.

Which golfers can do, every day except Christmas, at a comfortable 72 degrees. They also can work out in the club's fitness center, said Noblesville's Betty Anderson, manager and co-owner.

She and husband Dave bought the franchise because they both love to play golf. Tom Christie of Connersville, Ind., is co-owner.

Their location is the third Parmasters center in the world. The first opened in Memphis, Tenn., and the second is in China. The Andersons own the rights to open up to five more sites.

The center offers a 13,000-square-foot wonderland. Golfers can pay as they play or buy a membership, said Dave Anderson, who's offering a complimentary two-hour pass to check out the facilities. He has 1,000 members, but the number can change every month because members pay month-to-month.

Golfing buddies Todd Thurston and Mark Breedlove tried out the pass Friday. Playing Pebble Beach on the simulator, Thurston said they'd become members.

"I just like the fact you can work on your game in the winter time," he said.

"And when it's raining," chimed in Breedlove, whose 6-year-old son Charlie practiced his short game.

Parmasters is the world's first year-around indoor golf training center franchise that guarantees results, said franchise co-founder Scott Hazledine, who played professionally from 1981-95.

In Noblesville two days last week certifying the center's golf coaches, Hazledine said the center will begin seminars this spring for companies that want to increase their sales on the golf course.

Scott Rebic, 59, of Fishers signed up for an eight-hour golf workshop, and said he's guaranteed a 25 percent reduction in his handicap, his money back or to continue instruction until he reaches the goal. Rebic said since he became a member when the center opened Dec. 3, he's hit the ball straighter with more accuracy and picked up 15 yards in distance.

He said, "This is about as close as you can get to the real thing."