Although golf is a big sport in Colorado, there are few opportunities to play in the dead of winter. Enter Swingers, an upscale sports lounge that just opened next to the Robusto Room at 9535 Park Meadows Drive in Lone Tree. The bar has state-of-the-art golf simulators that allow you to play eighteen holes in under an hour — on one of more than fifty championship golf courses.
Not surprisingly, owner Cody Benjamin is an avid golfer. "My business partner and I actually know someone who has [a golf simulator] in his basement," he says. "He has friends over all the time to play competitive matches.... It's very addicting." When he and his partner started looking on the Internet, they realized that no other place in Colorado had the type of setup they had in mind, so "we thought we'd jump in and take a shot."
"It's all at your own pace," Benjamin says of the game. "You don't lose your ball, and there's no walking or driving to it. You just get up and hit."
While Dave & Buster's locations also have golf simulators, Benjamin insists that they don't compare to the two cutting-edge aboutGolf PGA Tour Indoor Simulators at Swingers. The machines use high-speed photography to capture the ball's spin, so that you can see it hook or slice. Play on the simulators costs $30 an hour, whether you're playing as an individual or a group. That means that each member of a foursome pays $7.50 apiece, Benjamin points out, making it cheaper than a Golden Tee game. Until Swingers' online reservations system is up and running, you can call ahead to reserve a tee time.
The 4,000-square-foot space, which was previously home to God's Grace Community Church, also has a full kitchen that serves gourmet pizza, burgers and sandwiches. And for those who aren't all that interested in golf, there are TVs, too.
Fore!
Club scout: Although owner Noah Ray McMahan had hoped to open Beauty Bar in late January in the former Snake Pit space at 608 East 13th Avenue, he doesn't have an official opening date yet —though he says the place is definitely shaping up. The 28th Street Tavern (2690 28th Street, Boulder) will celebrate its grand opening on Sunday, February 7. Co-owners Ian Moore and Matthew Notter have completely transformed the space, which was previously Paraiso and the Yard, into a sports bar with a dozen HD TVs; they plan to bring in live bands, as well.
Also on February 7, KGNU's Dub Palace reggae broadcast, which has been broadcasting live in various spots around Denver since spring 2008 with resident DJs Segue and Uplifter, moves to the Funky Buddha Lounge (776 Lincoln Street). And Salsa Tuesdays have started up at the Jet Hotel (1612 Wazee Street), with a $5 cover and free lessons with instructor Scott Koogle starting at 8:30 p.m.
