On a weeknight in a sleepy town, a group of friends gather around a glowing simulator screen.
The quiet whirr of the projector is punctuated by the solid "thwack!" of a golf ball disappearing into a digital fairway.
For an increasing number of people, this scene is the start of a new journey into sport — one that is playing out indoors, after hours, and changing golf's very nature.
Business booming
Husband-and-wife team Clark and Mercedes Coleman opened Tamworth's first indoor golf facility after Clark's virtual simulator helped him survive the boredom of COVID lockdowns.
"In Tamworth, we don't have a driving range, and like a lot of regional areas there's not a lot to do at night," Mr Coleman says.
Opened in early 2025, Gimmie Golf is one of the latest businesses to cash in on the virtual craze.
Golf NSW estimates there are between 60 and 70 virtual golf venues across the state, most of which have opened within the past few years.
Co-owner Mercedes Coleman says convenience plays a huge part in the industry's growth.
"Life's so busy for everyone. Not a lot of people have four or five hours on a Saturday to wander around a golf course and especially for people just getting into it, walking 18 holes is a big day.
"I didn't realise how much golf was in Tamworth until we opened this place."
A sport in transition
According to Golf Australia, 3.8 million Australians played some form of golf last year and that's expected to climb to 4 million in the coming months.
Nearly 1.5 million people choose to play only off-course at mini-golf venues, driving ranges or simulators.
Of the indoor-only players, more than half are women, and their average age is 38 — nearly a decade younger than the average on-course golfer.
For Golf NSW chief operating officer Graeme Phillipson, that is an opportunity for growth.
"Historically simulators were seen as opposition to traditional golf clubs. That's really changed," he says.
"We're seeing people start their journey in these social spaces, then flow into the more traditional side of the game."
The accessible nature of indoor golf is attracting more women into the historically male-dominated game.
"If you had asked me 10 years ago, I would've said golf courses aren't necessarily that welcoming or inviting [to women], but I think that's changing," Mr Phillipson says.
"If your first games of golf are in a simulator centre it's not quite as intimidating as standing on the first tee with 20 or 30 odd people watching you."
This year, Golf NSW is cementing that shift with the NSW Virtual Open — Australia's first state-recognised simulator tournament.
The competition invites players across the state to qualify through simulator centres, with winners earning coveted spots in the 2025 Ford NSW Open and its Pro Am.
Opening doors a game-changer
One such qualifying venue is in the small town of Narrabri, where head golf professional Graeme Trew spent more than $140,000 installing two simulator bays in the local golf club last year.
He says the investment was worth it to see more people develop an interest in the game.
"Since September, we've had more than 60 women come through our short courses," he says.
"They like the privacy. It's a great way to learn without feeling embarrassed."
Mr Trew estimates about 30 per cent of women who start indoors transition into regular club members.
For Narrabri local Mel Manchee, golf began as a way to spend time with her husband.
She says the feedback of simulators make all the difference.
"It gives you those statistics and things to work on that you can't always do on the course," she says.
"You've got a bit of time to take it slower, without pressure from other people around."
Schoolteacher Nicole Allison has a similar story. Despite living up the road from the Narrabri Golf Club for 15 years, she only went for a swing after a colleague invited her.
"One of them reached out and said, 'Hey, there's a new women's beginner lesson starting, did you want to join?' and I messaged straight away as soon as I saw it," she says.
For players like Ms Manchee and Ms Allison, the rise of virtual means golf is finally a game they can call their own.
