For financial folks who work hard and want to play easy, 18 (virtual) holes of golf have just opened up in downtown London. It’s London’s City Golf Clubs, nestled in the financial center, where for less than $300 a month, golf aficionados can tee off – virtually. “When the pressure is too high in the office, I can relax here for 45 minutes,” hedge fund manager Diego Wauters of Coriolis Capital told Bloomberg News. He’s not alone; about 350 people have joined since it opened in July, paying a fraction of the cost of a traditional 18-hole course, and taking a fraction of the time to play when you take into account travel to the real greens. It’s also becoming a place where financial professionals can hobnob with their peers.
“Because most of my dealings are with merchant bankers and brokers, I wanted somewhere where I could come and meet them for coffee and whack a ball around,” John Redford of Millnet Financial said in a Bloomberg News interview.