AboutGolf got its start more than a decade ago, building software for computer golf games. By today’s standards, the graphics were hokey, the interfaces ham-fisted. Virtual golf bore virtually no resemblance to the real thing. But just as primitive Pong evolved into PlayStation, simulators have traveled light-years since.

Today’s leading home simulators draw on technology worthy of a NASA command center. Using both infrared and microwave sensors, they can track not just ball speed, arc, and spin, but also axis of rotation, which is vital for capturing a shot’s true trajectory.

“For years,” Bales says, “spin axis was our holy grail.”

Simulators also make the backdrop look remarkably real. When Wilcox steps onto his tee, he’s faced with a projection screen that replicates his chosen course. The actual layouts have been filmed from multiple angles, every contour measured to within a few inches, then fed into computers and reproduced in digital display. Simulator makers can customize designs to fit most any room.

“If you have space to swing a club safely,” says John Watters of Full Swing Golf, “we can put one in your home.”

Like a country-club memberships, high-end simulators come at a price, starting at about $45,000. Some buyers choose to add real plant and water features around the tee. And while most basic systems come with dozens of courses in their database, additional layouts cost more. Still, some simulators can easily accommodate other applications, becoming, say, home theaters or high-speed virtual auto-racing games.

Instructors have long relied on simulators; golf guru Jim McLean has a Full Swing Golf simulator in both his Florida teaching facility and his home. But many golfers focus more on recreation.

Take Wilcox. Though golf season in Ohio lasts only six months, he rarely takes a long break from his favorite pastime. He plays upward of 275 rounds a year. Recently, he got off to an electric start at Pebble, carding two birdies and an eagle in the first four holes. Then he cut the round short.

Says Wilcox, “I figured, hey, it isn’t going to get any better than this.” The way technology is going, you never know.