ST. CLOUD — You don’t need to travel to California to hit the beautiful, bright green fairways surrounded by a coastline at legendary Pebble Beach Golf Links.

You don’t need to go to Scotland to play at the oldest golf link that dates back to the 1550s, The Old Course at St. Andrews.

Instead, step inside a rather unassuming strip mall, home to Swing House Golf in St. Cloud.

You’ll find two golf simulation bays equipped with a launch screen and technology featuring 60 PGA Tours courses — the simulator features roughly 350 courses across the globe, both real and fictional.

The golf simulator, started by childhood friends Sion Owen and Derek Strom, opened at the end of December.

“We’ve kind of been building the plan as we go down the runway here. We were able to set up enough to be like, ‘All right, people can come here, play golf, have a good time,’” Strom said. “We’ll keep making improvements along the way. So that’s what we’ve been doing.”

While you might assume the owners are big golf guys, Strom admitted he isn’t.

“I am trying to learn. Everyone keeps joking, ‘They’re like gosh, you gotta be so good now.’ I’ve played one hole. I haven’t been able to sit down and play,” Strom said.

Trent Abrego / St. Cloud LIVE

If you’re like Strom, with little to no experience on the links, Swing House Golf Sims can serve as a place of entertainment.

In addition to the nearly 350 golf courses, the simulators feature fun minigames such as Bullseye (where you earn points by hitting rings around holes), capture the flag, long drive competitions, party putt, cannonball and more.

He said those options are popular for children and families.

“One of my favorite things is seeing the families come in here. I overhear a little bit of teaching their kids, or they’re just having a blast. It’s like legitimately families laughing,” Strom said. “I get to be a part of your core memories and part of your growing up. I didn’t expect that, but it super warms the heart.”

The space also caters to serious golfers looking for a way to fine-tune their game during frigid, snowy winters. Swing House Golf’s technology features

Trackman,

which can calculate more than 1,000 data points per second to track ball speed, launch angle, club paths and more.

“We’ve got guys who are stretching, they’re doing warm-ups before they start hitting and they’re there to improve their game. They want to download every single shot. They’re really into improving and they’re good,” Strom said. “We’ve got some really good guys and gals here.”

Trent Abrego / St. Cloud LIVE

Swing House Golf has a unique business model with no staff on-site.

When people book a room online, they are given a secure code to enter the building. They are then able to enter their reserved bay.

“Everyone’s hesitation with this business mode is ‘Don’t you worry that people are going to trash it.’ There’s always a little bit of that concern, but people have just been great,” Strom said.

What: Swing House Golf
Where: 101 County Road 120, Suite 200, St. Cloud
Hours: Facilities are open 24/7 by reservation.
Details: Guests can bring in outside food and beverage, but alcohol is not allowed.

Cost: A 30-minute session is $30 while an hour session is $55 for nonmembers. There are also slots available for two or three hours. Monthly memberships are available starting at $250.
Online:

Swinghousegolf.com