Owner Scot Hanson tees up at the golf simulator. The screen will
show the trajectory of the ball, as well as its speed, spin and
distance.
by Sally Sedgwick
Too rainy to get out on the course?
Or maybe it’s too hot, cold, windy, or…snowy?
There’s still a course for you! At Golf on the Edge in Bigfork, there are over 1,000 courses loaded into
the inside golf simulator, over 100 of them in Minnesota. On cold days, though, Clubhouse Manager
Tiffany Heikkila might suggest Hawaii – “It’s warmer there!” she would say.
This January, golf course owners Scot Hanson and his wife Kati Kanne purchased a new upgraded
simulator that Scot believes plays just like being on a course. Players hit the ball off a tee, and many sensors
indicate the path of the ball and the spin, speed, distance and more on a large screen. For those who use the
simulator to improve their outside game, there’s even a video function that can be stopped right as the club
impacts the ball.
Area golfers seem to like the simulator: there are both mens and womens leagues on the simulator as
well as on the course, said Scot. It also allows the clubhouse to be open all year, accessible by both ATV
and snowmobile trails.
The simulator room is open for public rental at $50 per hour, users do not have to be club members.
Reservations are recommended at (218) 743-3626.
For summer play, golfers can enjoy the 9-hole par 36 regulation course seven days a week from 9 a.m.
to close (usually about 9 p.m.). Players can walk or take a cart. After a round (or at any time), there is a
restaurant and bar with a full menu. Coming this summer is beer on tap.
There are also accessories for sale: apparel, balls, gloves and tees.
Have some free time and want to practice? Golfers have access to a 300 yard driving range, putting
green and chipping green.
There is a mens league that plays on Tuesdays, a womens league that plays on Thursdays, and scrambles
on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. And golf is not only for adults. The course is supportive of the
golf program at the nearby Bigfork High School – and that program is amazingly successful with over 30
students participating according to Tiffany. Students in the program are offered free walking golf, and there
is an annual tournament – in July this year – to help fund the sport.
Before buying the course, Scot worked at a correctional facility. Why did he make the career change?
“Well,” he said with a grin, “I just didn’t want to go to prison every day.”
To find out more about Golf on the Edge, visit www.golfontheedge.com, email from the website or call
(218) 743-3626. The course is located east of Bigfork at 59851 Co. Rd. 261.