How well does Winter Simulator Golf Translate To the course the next year

[DodgerBlue]

Asking for anyone's experiences, 

my dad put an awesome HD golf simulator in this summer so I have been playing a lot with the weather in Ohio being cold now looking to see how others have had it translate to the course after a winter of simulator golfing.  

[Bossfan]

It can help. I mostly pay attention to ball flight. I’ve found distance can vary depending on what sim your using. I don’t find putting or chipping very realistic compared to outside. Just remember you’ll always have perfect lies and unless you change settings weather isn’t a factor so don’t be disappointed when you get outside your scores are not as good. Use it it to develop good swing habits.

[cnosil]

6 hours ago, DodgerBlue said:

Asking for anyone's experiences, 

my dad put an awesome HD golf simulator in this summer so I have been playing a lot with the weather in Ohio being cold now looking to see how others have had it translate to the course after a winter of simulator golfing.  

Being on a course is obviously the best, but simulators can be just as good as going to a range but it is probably dependent on what and how practice.   You can do gapping sessions,  you can work on ball contact,   you can work on your short game, etc.    I find that when I work on full swings and short game shot using a launch monitor it translates pretty well to the course.  

[Tom the Golf Nut]

I used my simulator on rainy days and in January and February when the days were to cold in the TN  mountains to play out on the course.

The key things are ball flight( height and direction) and making solid contact. The simulators help by showing club head path (open, closed) the closer you can get to zero or square the better.

By focusing on these things it will easily translate to the course. I was able to drop 4 strokes off my handicap this way. I was already a single digit then. 
 I just moved to NC just south of Pinehurst and am struggling to find a location to set my simulator back up at the house But I also can pretty much play year round now. But eventually I’ll get it figured out.

 

[Weekend_Warrior]

Here in Iowa we have to take a solid 3-4 months off, maybe less if your crazy. I don't have a simulator, but I do have a garage hitting bay setup. Being able to work on contact and swing changes have been great, but also just being able to keep the swing speed up in the off season has helped a lot. When spring golf starts in March/April I feel like I'm ready to go. 

[cnosil]

I liked this video as a way to keep the swing in shape during the off-season.   While I don’t really have an off-season, I’m doing the drills on a daily basis.   Based on my limited number of sessions hitting balls, i thing the concepts presented are pretty solid and would work well with hitting balls Into a net 

 

 

[GolfSpy_APH]

Will be following this thread closely. It's very interesting to see the varying views. 

For me I think anything you can do to make sure you continue swinging a Golf Club is good.

[GolfSpy_APH]

Should add in for many it is somewhat of a luxury to have their own setup at home. How do many translate the different numbers on different simulator types, or are you just looking for swing thoughts/feels or trying to hit certain numbers? 

[GolfSpy_BNG]

On 12/19/2022 at 2:47 PM, DodgerBlue said:

Asking for anyone's experiences, 

my dad put an awesome HD golf simulator in this summer so I have been playing a lot with the weather in Ohio being cold now looking to see how others have had it translate to the course after a winter of simulator golfing.  

The biggest thing I have found is just the ability to hit a golf ball during the winter.  Numbers and ball flights are a plus as well but just keeping the swing fresh(not quite the right word but drawing a blank on the correct one lol), was huge for me in finally breaking par for 9 holes. I don’t play a ton on the simulator but even once a month is better than nothing. My local guy is planning on starting a winter sim league so I’m hoping for a couple times a month this winter. 

23 hours ago, Weekend_Warrior said:

Here in Iowa we have to take a solid 3-4 months off, maybe less if your crazy. I don't have a simulator, but I do have a garage hitting bay setup. Being able to work on contact and swing changes have been great, but also just being able to keep the swing speed up in the off season has helped a lot. When spring golf starts in March/April I feel like I'm ready to go. 

You must live in southern Iowa as I’m lucky to start mid April to early May lol

[cazac]

I call them "stimulators" and "swing ruiners" LOL I always end up waayyy overswinging and it takes me weeks to find my "real" swing in the spring. Smashing balls into a movie screen does nothing for my feelfor the game...Having said that if someone wanted to install a 15k simulator in my basement as a Xmas present I wouldn't be upset about it!

[nv00021]

I will say this..... it's good to swing and keep the swing in some semblance of working order. The place I got to is a amazing facility in Toronto and it's a Trackman shop. I am a 6 handicap in real life but on the trackman app I am a 2 handicap. So don't get carried away with stats and stuff like that....chipping and short game is much much easier. Work on technique and form. Driving stats are really great. Other than that it's a video game.

 

 

[Murv]

I have one room in my house where I can swing a club. No hitting balls. There is a facility in town where I can hit balls for $10 and have about 20 yards of flight...no simulator. Or they have a nice simulator for $30 per hour. I think I will alternate using both every two weeks until April.    The simulator is usually used by several guys at a time playing "a round" and splitting the cost for a couple of hours.

 

[RN4Lgolfer]

I installed a whole setup last winter to work on my game. I found play sim courses to be unrealistic and a waste of time. I use mine to practice and look at my numbers, swing path, angle of decent, swing speed, etc. I found using it to work on different aspects of my swing beneficial, more so than playing fake courses hoping it will improve your game.

[MIgregb]

This may sound like a contradiction, but there isn't a comment above that I disagree with; good or bad. Other than putting, which is just plain funky, it mostly boils down to what Bossfan said - a perfect lie. But IMHO, it's far more than a perfect lie. A perfect lie on the course will still penalize you if you hit a fat shot. On a simulator, as well as on ANY hitting mat, you can get away with a fat shot as long as it isn't too egregious. Taking extra care to assure you are not hitting routinely fat shots is, again IMHO, one of the most important differences when hitting off any mat. 

The other thing is understanding that simulators aren't perfect, nor are they equivalent regardless of what brand. There's a new TruGolf installation close to home that's pretty nice. But in spite of the fact that the owner told me he's spent a lot of time synchronizing the 3 simulators so they're equal (so they can play leagues interchangeably), one of them is substantially different from the others. The one they 1st put me on was so much longer than my normal driver swing (easily 8 to 10 mph ball speed & up to 15 yards more carry) that I questioned them. Moving to another simulator, unfortunately , brought everything down to my normal. 

I still think, with some caveats, there is a lot of good-for-your-game benefits playing a simulator can provide. It's also just plain entertaining when we're cooped up over the winter! 

[Ramon Rivera]

I live in Upstate NY. Our golf season is finito until mid April. I use a golf net set up in my garage to practice my swing and ball contact. 

[Shawn90gt]

I have read this thread and found it very interesting. As the last commenter said, I found all the comments pretty much spot on. As for playing the courses which is the most expensive part to have, are useless. However, I have found that the range sessions, bag gapping, face contact, club head speed, ball speed, and path information to be spot on. Now the distances as mentioned above are about useless. The wind, course conditions, ball lie, and numerous other factors hurt distance on the actual course. However, it’s nice knowing that if I’m playing and need to hit a 7 iron 210 fly off a perfect lie with no wind it’s totally doable! I do not ever play my 7 iron that distance in real golf though! If only I could I guess! Putting it useless on a simulator, driving work and irons are about like a range session, but don’t trust the distance numbers for course play. The best translation for course would be the short game work on a mat that simulates rough, fairway, and allows you to use sandbags to simulate actual course conditions. Anyway, I do enjoy reading threads like these. Oh, the best way to see numbers closer to actual course conditions is the new Titleist RCT balls. Those balls with selecting a humidity and wind like your local area actually give pretty close numbers. I have invested a large amount in replacing all of my simulator balls with the RCT balls. Additionally, Titleist just added the left dash and AVX balls to the group which helps as those are the two I play. Anyway, I will continue to read this thread thank you all. Merry Christmas all. 

[wbealsd]

I've been using my simulator over the winter in South Dakota for quite a while and never use the courses that came with the GC2 software. I just try to work on solid contact and exercising my "golf muscles" using the "range" and the fitting software. I find the information from the fitting software useful in helping to correct swing flaws.

I just don't find simulated courses realistic, but if I don't exercise and work on my swing over the winter months, at my age it's a struggle to get back in shape and get "my game" back in the Spring.

[tarrantian]

Being in Ontario, where the season can run between April-Nov I have to use simulators to get my 'fix'. I play in a league mid-week (which is a ton of competitive fun), and I use my Saturday sim time for working on aspects of my game....

The most value is dialing in spin rates, ball speed, and the other key metrics you need to work on. I find this extremely valuable in aspects of ball choice, shaft and driver loft adjustments to maximize distance and accuracy. It has taught me shot shaping and ball flight - Hitting high loft wedges are almost impossible, and hitting in the sim taught me how to knock down shots and the most valuable aspect for me was dialing in a PW to knock it down to 75 yards. A shot that translated extremely well outdoors. 

Apart from keeping sharp with your swing, some competitiveness, etc. I see absolutely NO downside but I know some diehards that refuse to play in the sims when the snow flies. As some have said, putting is useless for the most part. 

I love it, and it keeps me happy on days like today in the great white north.

Cheers,

 - Ian

[GPS111]

1 hour ago, Ramon Rivera said:

I live in Upstate NY. Our golf season is finito until mid April. I use a golf net set up in my garage to practice my swing and ball contact. 

I do the same.  Anything that keeps you moving a club is a plus to your game next year.  A net, simulator, putting mat......  Keeps flexibility, muscle memory, concentration, focus and the intangibles you don't need to think about that make the game work when you get on the first tee.  It may not be on course full swing play but it means I'm not starting from scratch at the beginning of the year.

[Markrd]

I put a good golf simulator studio in our Quonset in Dec 2020 and I use it year round, but much more regularly in the off season, which here in Alberta is mid Oct to mid Apr.  Similar to some other posts using a golf simulator mat (similar to a range mat) can mask your swing flaws, which can make for a rough transition from the Sim back to real grass.  On the other hand you can use it to develop better swing habit that will translate well to the course.  I have have both experiences.  

In my first year after getting my Sim, my swing was at a stage where I did not consistently get my hands coming through ahead of the club face and so I wasn’t getting onto my front foot consistently or having a consistent low point ahead of the ball.  You can make this work pretty well on a mat, but not so well on real grass.  Without realizing it, I spent the winter ingraining some bad swing habits.  Consequently, in the first golf season post Sim I actually regressed and my handicap index went from 10.5 to 13 before getting it back to around 11.5 by the end of the season.

Year 2 in my Sim I focused on revamping my swing to get a full hip turn, keeping my arms passive (in front of my body) throughout the back swing, and shallowing the club at the top and maintaining a bowed wrist through impact.  This allows me to get my hands in front of the club face through impact and hit the ball before the turf.  I hit the ball lower, further and much more consistently with the same swing speed.  Year two after a winter in the Sim was completely different. Practicing better swing habits translated much better to the real world. I had a couple of weeks of inconsistency, but then my winter work in the Sim paid off and I was able to get my handicap index down below 10 by mid season and finished at 9.  If only I wasn’t so bad around the green…..but that is another topic.

Long story short, I think if you use a Sim to improve your swing then your Sim golf can translate well to the course.  My simulator handicap index is much lower than my actual handicap so don’t have illusions that simulator scores provide a good indication of your actual scores.  This winter I am working on the mechanics of my chipping again focusing on ball-turf interactions.

Edited December 23, 2022 by Markrd

[pwhite150]

I spend a lot of time in the winters in a golf simulator. I think it helps if you are working on swing issues or tendencies. Like others have said, weather, and hitting from perfect lies tend to make it not so realistic unless you have one of those new ones that angle the ground. 
 

I’ve been using the DeWiz swing tool and think that it, coupled with the sim are an excellent combo. Tells you if you’re coming over the top or under the top, tempo, and backswing length. Hope to see how that translated this spring using the two together. 

[Burtgolf]

I was away from golf for 11 years and in 2018 my wife suggested I get back into it. Which I did but knowing I would not be anywhere close to my playing abilities when I last played I would only go to the driving range. With me working second shift hours I had to try to go before work since all the ranges near me would be closed by the time I was off. By the end of 2018 I set up a hitting area in my garage and could practice whenever I wanted. This lead to a purchase of a SkyTrak and by 2019 an upgrade to a GC2. I currently use GC2 and GSPro as my simulator software. When CoVID hit and all the courses were closed I still was able to "play" and practice. This year work has kept me from playing outside but I play/practice 4 to 5 times a week in the garage. I finally went to go play my first round outside this year last month and can say without a doubt the transition from golf sim to real golf was spot on for me. My ball flight was exactly as I was seeing in the simulator, full shots, chips, pitches, putts all translated. And the guys I played with that had not seen me in almost 20 months noticed the huge improvement as well. 

I think as long as you have a plan and practice accordingly and your simulator/software is accurate it will at the least maintain what you currently have or you could improve drastically and actually dial in your numbers. 

Hope you much success with your adventure!

[sellemental]

So happy to see this topic and thread.  Completely agree with many of the previous comments.

Sitting in Wisconsin during the off season here with 30 below wind chills, this brings a little warmth to my thoughts anyway.

I'll add a few thoughts that I've found utilizing simulators over the past couple winters.

Largest benefit by far is simply keeping your swing going so you are not "starting over" in the spring.  Simulator golf will never translate apples to apples to real on course golf, but it's more helpful than not.  I find it to be better practice than a driving range, and any practice should help you to improve.  I could stand to practice more that I do.

Couldn't agree more that each simulator will give you different numbers, but generally they are all in the same ballpark.  For a pro that needs numbers down to the specific yardage it might not be that beneficial, but for most of us, you're getting mostly realistic numbers for your distances and all the other data you can utilize to provide some picture of you and your equipment's performance.  Where else do you get this type of data?

It's a great way to tinker with equipment or try out new stuff.  If your that guy that just happens to find another fill in the blank club that you don't need but want to see what it does, or happen to be at a simulator in the golf store, well.........    Not sure who that guy is, but, you know.

Most of all, it's just plain fun.  I miss my golf guys in the off season, and if nothing else, it's a reason to get them all out and shooting a round together.  Sure beats sitting at home binging whatever.  Who needs their trash talk  to fall apart along with their golf game?  Then where would we be?

[PMookie]

I played some sim golf over the last few years and for me, other than trying to keep a swing in-order, I don’t see it transfer. I can play sim golf without a care in the world because the trees, water, and fairway widths aren’t real. I have shot in the 60s on a sim, never close to that in real-life. It’s just not the same in my opinion.

[Striker]

I've been using it the last month or so on days that are bad here. I go to a local golf store and swing. For me it is about getting swings in and I'm looking at ball flight and contact. As someone said you lie is always good and you don't have any weather to contend with. My distances on the short irons seems with 7-10 yards of what I'm hitting outside but again not as concerned with that verses ball flight and contact.

 

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

For me it’s the best way to keep the swing in shape. Wish I could go more but can add up. Once a week for me.

My main focuses there are tee shots and fairway shots. Short game I take with a grain of salt once you get past full wedge shots.

I know my swing and I know when I’m swinging well and when I make good contact. Simulators around me are pretty reflective of thag and are pretty accurate to what I would expect a specific shot to be.

long story short I think as long as you know some things about your and your swing simulators are very beneficial, and a good time with friends when you can’t get on course!

[golferguy2727]

I added a gc2 to my golf shed to support the work I am doing in lessons, and that has been helpful. But, left to my own devices, I will get into bad and sloppy habits - beat balls and get lazy on process. So I use GSPro as a “play” sim to apply the lesson and practice elements in a different way. Is it real golf?  Nope, but I get a fuller learning/training experience that seems to help me when getting back to the course. Oddly enough, with the GC2  I have found putting to be much better than my previous experiences, at least I terms of general speed and general line control. Again, not real, but at least closer than not. And I do have a small-ish Indoor putting green that keeps me honest. If nothing else, I think I get to keep club speed and swing flexibility intact and my head stays in the game for most of the calendar year. I like that.

Edited December 24, 2022 by golferguy2727
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