Long ago, Scottish polo players longed for a game in which they could explore scenic terrain, ride an obedient mechanical horse, and wear more courageously plaid knickers. Enjoy the virtual version of their subsequent invention with today's Groupon to Virtual Golf Systems in Mukilteo. Choose between these options:

• For $12, you get an 18-hole round of virtual golf on any course (a $25 value).
• For $25, you get a 50-minute lesson with a video swing machine (a $50 value).

Virtual Golf Systems allows groups of up to four people to play rain or shine, day or night, dead or alive, in a 3-D HD virtual simulator featuring 18 famous courses. The simulator combines high-resolution digital images with satellite data to create a realistic 3-D golfing field that's accurate down to the smallest detail, displaying trees, bunkers, hazards, and panther tracks exactly as they appear on the actual course. Grab a group of buddies and re-create Major moments on courses such as Pebble Beach, Pinehurst No. 2, and Kiawah Island. The simulator's ball-tracking system measures and reports data related to players' games, analyzing balls and clubs at high resolution to project accurate trajectory analysis, distance measurements, velocity, backspin, and sidespin.

Golfers can also opt for the 50-minute lesson with a video swing-analysis machine. The lesson includes front and down the line views of a player's swing, and the machine will also produce analysis of your club face angle and swing path orientation, allowing you to make well-informed adjustments and improvements to your game. Virtual Golf Systems also boasts a large synthetic putting green, where players can hone their final strokes or teach their feet to distinguish between turf and crab grass while blindfolded.