Lovag Golf in Kings Heath, Northampton

Lovag Golf, on the Kings Heath Industrial Estate in Northampton, keeps things wonderfully simple. There are three private bays, you book online, a door code arrives by email, and the bay is yours. There is no queue at a counter and no one hurrying you along, which makes it ideal if you want to work quietly on your game or enjoy a relaxed round with a few friends.

The technology is a thoughtful choice. Each bay uses a ProTee VX launch monitor mounted in the ceiling, so it is out of the way whether you are right- or left-handed, and it reads real ball and club data on every shot. It runs GSPro, a simulator program well regarded by keen golfers for its course library and realistic ball flight, and it supports stroke play, scramble, Stableford, match play and best ball, so a group of up to four can choose the format that suits them.

Prices are clearly published, which is always welcome. Off-peak, from Monday to Wednesday all day and on Thursday and Friday daytimes, a bay costs £22 an hour. Peak, on Thursday and Friday evenings and at weekends, it is £30. You are charged in half-hour steps and can book anything from 30 minutes to four hours, between 8am and 10pm.

Lovag also mentions league nights, corporate events, birthday parties and private buy-outs, though no league details were published when we looked, so it is worth asking. Simulator balls are supplied in the bays, and players are encouraged to bring their own clubs if they have them. There is no mention of food or a bar, so this is very much a place for the golf itself.