Steve Kochli, 49, a software company owner and lover of golf from Oakley, had the idea to set up his own golf simulator while he was stuck in traffic on the way back from playing golf in Maidenhead.

What began as a vision in December 2024 turned into a reality by May this year, when he and his wife opened Five Under Golf in Basepoint Business Centre, allowing users to play on world-famous golf courses as well as fun minigames from the comfort of a Basingstoke industrial park.

Steve said he was able to set up the simulator after a “whirlwind journey”.

Steve playing a minigame(Image: Newsquest)

He added: “I was heavily into golf from my teens and twenties, and I gave up for about 20 years, and then I came back, and the landscape of golf was completely changed – I was driving to use facilities in Maidenhead, Farnham and Andover.

“Then I looked at the map and saw that we literally had nothing like this in Basingstoke. So, I thought to myself, ‘Well, why don’t we see if we can build this?’

“The response has been absolutely fantastic.”

The simulator, which features Trackman technology providing in-depth analysis of every swing you perform, can be booked online and accessed via a code sent by email.

So far, around 300 users have booked sessions at Five Under Golf, using its online system.

The facility is completely automated, private and based on trust and honesty, granting access to a tour-level golf simulator and analysis capabilities to those who book a session.

Mr Kochi added: “It took us about three months of evenings to build it, my wife and I built it ourselves. We’ve done a few houses in the past, and this is basically just a giant stud wall structure and she’s responsible for all the design.

“What we wanted to provide is a private facility that people can just come and use how they want. We’ve got some properly serious players in here, those that come in here for lessons, a couple of freelance coaches, content creators and influencers, and then people that want to grind on the game all the way.

“There are lads and lasses who just want to come in and have a few beers and a pizza and play a round of golf on a world-famous golf course that you’re probably never going to get to play because it’s too expensive and too exclusive.

“All you need is to bring your own clubs, and you can play.”

The facility doesn’t have a bar, but it does have an honesty fridge, allowing people to purchase snacks via a QR code.

Mr Kochi explained that one perk of his simulator is that it is not as time-consuming as a real round of golf, which can take up to five hours on a professional course.

The simulator is available to be hired for 30-minute sessions by visiting www.fiveundergolf.co.uk/

The unique Trackman system helps users to identify their strengths and weaknesses and perfect their performance.

Steve said: “The great thing about the Trackman system is it does cater for absolutely everybody, all the way from nippers to elite players.

“Through the app, you will store all your stats about your game, your distances, how far you hit it, and so on.”