FRANCESTOWN — Since the Crotched Mountain Golf Club installed its new, high-definition golf simulator last month it’s mostly been used by young people looking to hit golf balls during the winter, now that the outdoor course is closed. With one exception.

Barbara Clark, 82, Cap Clark, 84, Rene Isaac, 87, and Ann Isaac, 80, all live in the RiverMead Lifecare Community, a retirement community in Peterborough, and they have a standing appointment to use the simulator once a week.

Chris Brown, assistant golf teacher at the Golf Club, was the one who first got the group interested in checking out the club’s new simulator.

“We heard about it from Chris, and we saw the construction, so we decided we’d come up and try it,” said Barbara.

The two couples met when they both moved into RiverMead four and a half years ago, one shortly after the other, according to Barbara.

“We met them right after we moved in, and we just clicked,” said Barbara.

“We had good chemistry,” agreed Ann.

“It was the best we could do on our first day,” joked Cap.

The little group has a fast-paced rapport, often snapping off good-natured quips and ribbing each other as they take turns on the simulator.

“They’re my comedy for the week,” said Brown.

All four like the experience of playing on the simulator. “It’s like it says,” said Ann, “it’s a simulation. You get up there, and you pretend it’s a real course. So it’s not that different. If you hit it in the sand, you play it as a sand shot.”

“You don’t have to worry about the weather. You don’t have to walk. It’s wonderful from that perspective,” said Rene.

Players use real balls, clubs and tees. As a player hits the ball onto the screen, they can see the effect of shot would have had.

The simulator has a large screen with lifelike images of 24 different renowned courses from around the world. According to Brown, the images are taken from real-life recordings of the greens, so you can see everything from the mow lines in the grass to how the trees were on the day it was filmed. It takes six months to film a course for the simulator, said Brown.

“That’s part of the fun. You can play a course that you would never have a chance to play, otherwise,” said Rene. “I don’t know how much it costs [to golf Pebble Beach]. Some unbelievable sum.”

Both couples have been golfing for years. “Cap and I have played here since it was Tory Pines,” said Barbara, referring to the Crotched Mountain Golf Club.

“Golf on a nice day, in pleasant surroundings — it’s very relaxing,” said Cap.

According to Ann, she and Rene didn’t start golfing until a little over 10 years ago. “We didn’t start playing until we were senior citizens,” she said.

According to the rest of the group, despite the late start, Ann is their best player.

“I like [golf] because I’m competing with myself,” said Ann. “I’ve always been a competitor and I like improving my game. I have never bothered entering scores to get a handicap, that’s not important to me. ... But I do have two holes in one!”

“It’s a game you can play with golfers that are better than you,” said Barbara. “So long as you can keep up, you can play.”

The group spends about an hour on the simulator a week, according to Ann.

“Though at the rate we play, we might be here into our 90s,” said Rene.

“You don’t have that far to go,” Ann replied glibly.

Players have to reserve a tee time on the simulator, just as they do on the real green, said Brown. The cost is $25 for the first hour and $8 for every additional half hour after that. The rate is the same whether it’s an individual playing or a group.

“When you split it four ways, it’s very practical,” said Barbara.

According to Brown, now that the outdoor green is closed the golf club has been receiving a lot of interest in the simulator. “It’s good for the avid golfer who wants to continue to hit during the cold weather,” said Brown.

The club has a simulator Men’s League planned to start Jan. 1.

This article appears in the Dec. 29, 2011,, edition of the Ledger-Transcript.