What are your best options for playing on a golf simulator?

With various amount of golf simulators on the market today. It is so hard to choose which one is better than the others. One thing to remember is that all simulators are not 100% accurate, plus you might not be playing at the same elevation on a simulator than what you are playing now on a real golf course.

How far is that ?

Putting and chipping are the most difficult to judge because of the distance you are hitting the ball from to the screen. How do you hit a 20-30 yard chip or 30-50 foot putt into a screen that is 10-15 feet away from you? You must swing your club like you would on a real course and trust that the simulator you are using will give you a proper reading. Again all simulators are not 100% accurate.

Rule of thumb with a stimp speed of 9 – 10. Change the stimp speed if possible.

The ball should go 1 foot on the screen to every foot on the putting surface (1:1 Ratio). Also a 3-foot gimme on a simulator is about a 1 foot on a real golf course. A chip to the bottom of the screen should go about 10 yards on a flat green. When hitting the ball uphill try 1 to 1 measurement. 1 inch up add 1 more foot, 1 foot up add 1 more yard. When hitting the ball downhill try 2 to 1 measurement 2 inch down subtract 1 more foot, 2 foot down subtract 1 more yard. This method may not work for everyone, but I found that this is what works for me on every brand of simulators that I have played on. (aboutGolf, E6, Foresight, GSPro, HD Golf and Trackman). Elevation can also be a factor. Always know what elevation you are play on. I normally play around at a elevation of 3500 feet on a real course. So if I’m play on a sim course at 3000-4000 feet. My yardage should be normal. Every 1000 feet down I add 5% to my yardage. The same goes elevation going up. Every 1000 feet up I subtract 5% to my yardage. This method may not work for everyone, but I found that this is what works for me. I find that all the simulators have their pros and cons. The fancier things like wider screens, automatic tee up or tilt plates are great, but may or may not distract you from the playing experience on a golf simulator. The more fancier things you have means it will need more computer power to operate and may effect the golf simulator experience and pace of play. Nothing is more frustrating than not finishing your round because of computer or mechanical problems.

Now you must decide on what tees to play.

When deciding on what tees to play at on a golf simulator. The decision is always yours on what you want to play. Just remember that your ball might not travel as far on a simulator than what it does on a real course. The formula I use is number of drives times your average drive (rounded down to the nears 25) e.g. average drive is 270 round down to 250. Tee shots on par 3 and second shots of par 4 should be the same yardage. I use 150 yards. Add 75 yards to second shot yardage used on par 4 to get a second shot yardage for par 5. Add them all up and that yardage should be the tees you should play from.

e.g. 

Formula  (14 drives * 250 yards) + (14 shots * 150 yards) + (4 shots * 225 yards) = ?

3500 yards + 2100 yards + 900 yards = 6500 yards

Again playing from whatever tee box is your own decision. I find when I’m playing from tee that are further back. Sometimes there are par 4 that I can not reach in two with a good drive and second shot. Choose wisely my friends.

Now you must decide on what you want to do.

Are you trying to improve your golf game, play in a league or a group of friends, or just a social night out with family and friends. When trying to improve your game, go with a Gimme Range of 0 – 5 feet. Practice your chipping and don’t worry about the putting. You can always practice putting later. If you are playing games for a league or a group of friends, go with a 5 to 10-foot gimme for speed of play. If you are having just a social night out, go with the maximum gimme range or auto-putt and pickup your ball at double par and have fun. Nothing can be more frustrating than wasting your sim time on chipping and putting.

There are three types of golf simulators.

• Photometric – photometric-based golf simulators, are camera-based systems that take high speed images of the ball immediately after impact. Best for game improving. I find that this type is closest to my actual swing.
• Radar (Doppler) – In a radar-based simulator, a microwave signal is emitted from the unit and bounces back from the golf ball after impact. Great for outdoors usage, but numbers can be a little off indoors, because it tracks the ball that only goes 10-15 feet instead of few yardages.
• Infrared – Infrared (IR) golf simulators, emit a light signal to capture the position of the clubhead through the swing. Great for small areas, but shots can be off if there is something covering the sensors.

Conclusion

Yocaddie hopes that the information we have provided you will help you decide on what golf simulators is best for you. We could state our options on what we think is the best, but the only option that matters is yours. Try different brands if possible and enjoy your experience. Golf simulators are great for you to practice on during the off seasons, but may or may not help your game on a real golf course. Remember when playing on a golf simulator that you should not lose a golf ball and your ball always has a good lie off the hitting matt. When does that happen on a real course.

YoCaddie has put together a list below of some popular brands of golf simulators and what courses they may have. Try and find a brand that has a course you want to play.

Also below are destinations where you can find golf simulators and what brand they are using

For more information go to

https://shopindoorgolf.com/pages/best-indoor-golf-simulators and read the section. The Importance of a Golf Simulator or https://swinggolflounge.ca