Golf in Hilliard

In 2011, USGTF–certified instructor John Ubbing established indoor golf studio Columbus Golf Academy to spread swing-honing wisdom to eager pupils year round. An active coach at the middle- and high-school levels for the past 15 years, the passionate teacher has earned District and Regional Coach of the Year honors for his work at the varsity level and for once saving a community from a rogue golf cart. As clients pummel golf balls inside the Academy’s indoor hitting bay, John imparts corrective advice with a keen eye for each player's individual skills and physical capabilities. After lessons, clients depart with a better understanding of their swing and with drills such as putting exercises to further drive home new concepts or with strategies for improving unruly nine irons’ course etiquette.

Golf, known as "the people's sport," is something you should be able to enjoy in rain, shine, humidity, atomic dust, meteors, or on any beautiful day of the week. Lift your winter ban on golf with today's deal: for $15, you get one hour of golf simulator time at Teed Up Indoor Golf in Worthington, up to a $30 value. See how your real-life stroke fares on precise virtual duplicates of 22 different PGA courses. You can use your Groupon toward an hour of time on the simulator. Choose to spend your hour practicing at the driving range ($30 value), golfing a leisurely nine holes ($16 value), or mastering a complete 18-hole round ($29 value). Bring your own clubs and swing away without worry of missing tee time, shagging forested balls, or accidentally showing up your boss.

PGA instructor Paul Newman's resumé includes positions as president of the Southeast Chapter of the Southern Ohio PGA of America and President's Council member of the PGA. Elton Sargent, the outfit's club-fitting and sword-whittling specialist, has worked directly with club manufacturers and brands such as Mizuno. Together they bolster ball-thwacking skills with techniques based on advanced TPI 3D motion-capture technology. The wireless system simultaneously analyzes posture, swing plane, clubface position, and favorite flavor of golf ball, communicating the results through data that are interpreted by an experienced golf instructor. Performance Golf Academies of America also utilizes The Optimal Motion Instructor (TOMI) putting-training system, which assesses putts from backstroke to follow-through and postputt piroutte.

Little Bear Golf Club challenges golfers to part with the traditional 9- or 18-hole course paradigm and try their hand at conquering a 10-hole, par 30 layout. With a front and back five that can each be completed in about 40 minutes, the course caters to those who would like to squeeze in a round during their lunch break or set the record for most rounds played during a solar eclipse. Though short in time commitment, the course doesn't scrimp on hazards, as it is strewn with 22 sand traps, more than 1,000 trees, three lakes, and a stone waterfall. Instead of natural turf, players take shots off hybrid grass, which looks and plays just like the real thing but needn't be watered, fertilized, or fine-tooth-combed like traditional grasses. As a bonus to the 10-hole loop, players may also take a shot at the island green of an 11th hole, an homage to the famous 17th hole at the TPC Sawgrass course in Florida. Course at a Glance:

• 10-hole, par 30 course
• Total length of 1,350 yards from the back tees
• Two sets of tees per hole

The friendly staff at Putt N Play Family Fun Center welcomes exhilaration enthusiasts of all ages to its cheerful expanse of games and attractions. Groups revel in the spirit of competition while bouncing golf balls off the brick boundaries and shrunken boulders of the 18-hole miniature-golf course. Afterward, the batting cage offers a place to practice chopping at a moving target, whereas air hockey provides players with the chance to practice distracting facial-distortion techniques. Once the day's excitement has left the group tired and hungry, a concession stand refuels parties with pizza, hot dogs, and soda.

The course at High Lands Golf Club challenges visitors with 6,599 yards of tight lies, concealed obstacles, and fairway trees extending their unlucky limbs into players’ sightlines. Tree-lined fairways and immaculate greens yield some scenic vistas for players bashing orbs along the course’s serpentine length. The signature third hole starts players off from an elevated tee shot that must stay out of the out-of-bounds area on the left, but not drift too far right, where clearing the wooded ravine on the second shot would become impossible. The next shot onto the elevated green is made difficult by the black walnut tree guarding the green, making for an altogether difficult run at par. Toward the end of the round, players must face a gauntlet of obstacles on holes 16, 17, and 18 before heading in for the day. Named the “Bermuda Triangle” for the architect’s tendency to incorporate treacherous waterways and affinity for Bermuda shorts, hole 16 challenges golfers with difficult lies, slippery putts, and water hazards that loom large.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Four sets of tees per hole
• Total length of 6,599 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 71.6 from the back tees
• Course slope of 130 from the back tees