The golf center added new Toptracer technology this year and offers an interactive golf experience like no other. (Photo courtesy of BEN GUNNING)
For the past 51 years, the Mount Pleasant Golf Center has been an epicenter in its own right.
There is no other place like it in the state of Michigan.
Opened on May 1, 1973 under the ownership of Roy Gunderson, it has served the Michigan area very well over the years. Enjoyable professional golfers such as Dan Paul and Doug LaBelle, Josh Brehm and Cindy Figg-Currier and Kelly Robbins have honed their games at The Golf Center during their youth in Gunderson’s much-lauded Junior Golf Program.
The excellent prep golf programs at Mt. Pleasant High School has also benefited from the facility for decades. Originally opened as a driving range and pro shop where one could look for golf lessons or golf equipment or just hit a bucket of balls, the facility has evolved over the years.
In the 1990s, current owner Ben Gunning added a putt-putt miniature golf course at Coyote Creek Adventure Golf. In 2013, he added an ice cream counter that serves some of the best ice cream around. The pro shop has also been a mainstay for decades, selling clubs, shoes and golf equipment to this day.
In recent weeks, The Golf Center has unveiled its latest move into the future as it now features Toptracer golf technology, an interactive golf experience that has to be seen to be believed.
Featuring 10 Toptracer fairways and two double fairways, new putting surfaces and adjustable tees, the Golf Center is now the most technologically advanced golf course in mid-to-northern Michigan.
Gunning explains: “It’s the identical technology you see when you watch TV and you see the strokes of the Tour players tracked. The technology returns with all the diagnostic information (on a TV screen in each compartment) from ball spin, curve and tip and flight speed. It follows your shot until it stops rolling. It doesn’t simulate what your shot was, but it actually shows you what your shot was.
“We’re actually the only range in mid-Northern Michigan with this technology. The next closest facility with this type of technology is in Ann Arbor.
The technology is camera and GPS based and can track an incredible amount of information, again it has to be seen to be believed.
“Out on the practice field you see the new flags we’ve got out there, barbershop poles, all color coordinated,” Gunning added. “They’re all GPS-enabled from every single station. So when you hit a ball, the cameras know where you are, that it’s your ball, tracks your shot and shows the track (on TV monitors in each compartment) in real time and allows you to see exactly what the flight characteristics of your shot were .
“It also turns the driving range virtual, so you can play golf (at various great courses around the world). You can play races with your friends like closest to the pin or longest drive. You can evaluate your golf game and see exactly where it needs improvement with the modules they have named Toptracer 12 and Toptracer 30. It will ultimately give you a score and compare your score with different golfers of the same handicap and ability level from around the country and the world. So you can look at it and say, “Okay, this is where I need to improve.
“Basically, it completely changes the driving range experience from just hitting a bucket of balls to being interactive. A serious golfer can come here and include any golf club in their bag if they want. What we have golfers do is download the Toptracer golf app and then every piece of information from their shots will go into their account so they can actually watch shot by shot and see their variance pattern and from there look at their game and see where they need to improve, whether it’s improving from 150 yards in or improving pin positions that are in the upper right corner. For the experienced golfer, this is what you can get.’
There are also two private apartments that can be rented out separately and both can handle up to eight people. Memberships are also available.
Prices vary depending on time of day and demand. Monday through Friday before 5:00 p.m. it costs $25 for one bay of unlimited golf balls for one hour. Each additional player will cost $5 extra for a maximum of four players. Evenings after 5pm the price jumps to $35 per hour with $5 extra. On Friday nights and Saturdays, the rate is $45 per hour.
“I always have one thing in mind when I’m trying to figure out my price, and that’s how much it’s going to cost a family of five,” Gunning said. “When you go to the movies (with a family of five), it’s probably $100. Dinner (for a family of five) is over $100. For mini golf and ice cream, I’ve always tried to keep my prices where a family can come out and have fun, eat some ice cream and spend $50 or less, then it’s affordable for everyone.”
The Golf Center is located at 2280 Broomfield in Mount Pleasant. For more information call 989-772-0156 or visit his Facebook page or just show up.
