Submitted photo: Tyler Olson, assistant superintendent of the Briggs Woods Golf Course, tests out the simulator installed in the clubhouse this week.

Briggs Woods Golf Course will be launching its new state-of-the-art golf simulator on January 16, according to Travis Brown, superintendent and general manager of Briggs Woods Golf Course.

“It’s the newest and biggest simulator in the area, outside the city of Ames or Des Moines,” Brown said,. “It’s a step up from a lot of the local simulators. The laser we have, is new, it just came out and is better than anything else out there.”

The simulator, which was installed in the Briggs Woods clubhouse this past week, allows golf to be played year-round, exploring courses in Iowa and around the world.

“We’ve been using it for the past few days, getting the bugs out, and find it’s user friendly. We have already downloaded 40 or 50 courses to start,” said Brown. The simulator offers access to more than 2,000 courses, including about 30 around Iowa.

“The best option is to use one of the courses we’ve already downloaded,” said Brown, explaining they will download more when they have time, but it takes a while to download each course.

“It has some of the best golf courses in the PGA, ” Brown said.

Measuring 16 feet by 10 feet, the simulator accommodates both left and right-handed golfers. This equipment brings the latest golf technology to the area, giving golfers the opportunity to fine-tune their swing or enjoy a casual round with friends and family.

“It’s also very family friendly. It’s not just for golfers trying to improve, there are also some fantasy courses that would be more for kids,” said Brown, “One of the courses we downloaded is a par 3 Jurassic Park course, so you are hitting over dinosaurs. We have a Candyland par 3, and one that is called Sasquatch Canyon.”

Golfers have several options once they get a tee time. It saves time to use one of the courses already downloaded. But another screen helps evaluate the golfers technique.

“You can see how the golfer hits the ball, it helps in training the golfer to improve their game.” They can go play an actual course, but on another screen you just hit balls, and it has a built in camera, so you can see where you had contact with the ball, it shows the spin,” Brown said.

“It’s an absolutely essential tool for golfers who want to improve their game.”

The hours of operation after the initial opening, are Wednesdays through Fridays from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The cost to play is $40 per hour, with up to four players each tee time. To reserve a tee time, please call the clubhouse at 515-832-9572 or book online at www.briggswoods.com