Mulligan’s where the course comes to you

Want to play the Oakmont Country Club along with the professionals in the U.S. Open? You can play right along with the best in the world without ever leaving Petaluma.

Mulligan’s, the first indoor golf facility of its kind in Sonoma County, allows golfers to play just about any famous golf course in the world, including Oakmont, and they can do it while watching the real action on television.

At Mulligan’s, players can have a true-to-life golf experience using real golf balls and real clubs, all while playing courses like Abu Dhabi, Torrey Pines and Quail Hollow. They can play in rain or wind or sun. In fact, they can choose their own weather.

The difference between indoor and outdoor golf is that the golfer doesn’t walk the course, the course comes to him/her. Just like in outdoor golf, the player takes a real swing and lives with the consequences.

The difference is that the ball only travels about 10 real yards before smacking into a large blanket-like panel imprinted with a nearly high definition digital image of the course being played.

Once the shot is made, both the panel and control box display a whole book of information about the shot - everything from launch angle to speed to impact force and much more. It is sabermetrics on steroids applied to golf.

Mulligan’s is the enterprise of Rachel Moran and Kyle Ulloa. Moran is a legal recruiter who helps top legal firms all over the country find appropriate employees. Ulloa is a former St. Vincent High School golfer who has worked for Teach, Grow and Achieve, a program that introduces golf to elementary school students.

According to Moran, the project took about a year from inception to opening.

“The most difficult thing was finding a location,” she said. “We had to have a spot with enough space and enough height. It had to have the proper zoning and it had to be climate controlled.”

They found what they were looking for in a building located at 345 Lakeville St. Although they hope to attract golfers from all over the county and beyond, they are delighted to be located in their hometown.

“Petaluma is a growing, happening place with a lot of golfers,” points out Moran.

Rather than pay a greens fee for each golfer, players rent the bays by the hour, and each bay can accommodate up to four golfers. According to the owners, nine holes can be played in an hour by two players, and one player can play a full 18 holes in an hour. There is a special discount for juniors 17 and under, seniors 65 and over, college students, active military, police officers and other first responders.

Club memberships are also available, with members receiving special rates, along with other incentives.

Golf lessons, using the facility’s advanced technology, will be available as will golf classes and skill seminars.

Moran and Ulloa hope to partner with local high schools, Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University to make the facility available for their teams for practice and instruction.

In addition to the golfing area and its four bays and five televisions, there is an area where golfers can relax, use two putting greens and enjoy refreshments. That area is a work in progress and will be expanded as the facility grows.

Mulligan’s is now open Mondays from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.

A grand opening is planned June 26 from noon to 5 p.m.

Reservations are recommended. A tee time may be booked online at www.mulligansig.com or by calling 762-4653.