LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – Green, in this instance, refers to the golfing variety. Die-hard golfers with big bankrolls -- about $45,000 to $60,000 -- might consider a Full Swing Golf simulator for the basement or a spare room.

The simulator fits into a specially constructed box that is 20 feet long by 13 feet wide by 10 feet high. At one end, ...68 famous golf courses, such as Pebble Beach in California and St. Andrews in Scotland, are projected onto a 9- by 12-foot screen. A multi-surface hitting area, set about eight feet back from the screen, simulates course conditions including deep rough, light rough, sand traps, fairways and putting greens.
Users select weather conditions (rain, drizzle, clear and calm, windy) and a specific spot on any hole on the featured championship courses. When they hit the ball, it follows a trajectory that transitions from real to virtual in nearly seamless fashion. Hundreds of light sensors embedded in the surrounding walls, floor and ceiling track the ball and calculate where it should land, and digital software puts it there in the projected image. The features of all 68 golf courses are accurately portrayed, right down to the nuances of the putting greens.
An indication of the simulator's ability to hone one's game is the experience of the Columbia University golf team. Based in Manhattan and miles from the nearest golf course, the team practices in a Full Swing Golf simulator set up in a converted squash court. The mix of real and virtual helped lead the Lions to the Ivy League championship.