Simulator Woes

[Erin B]

1 hour ago, Usmcgyrene said:

There is a nice place local to me called the Bunker in New Hartford, NY that has a bunch of trackman simulators. It's a really nice place. Food, and a bar. I recommend it highly. The bays are really big, so that's not an issue. Like some others that have stated before, the longer the club, the shorter it seems to read. Comparing to my actual "on course" numbers, it could be as much as 20 yards. I also seem to have a fade in the sim, yet I generally tend to draw the ball in real life, and my "on course" miss is usually left due to a pull, hook, or both. I've read that trackman is the gold standard in simulators, so I find it a little odd. Perhaps calibration issues? It's still nice to be able to swing the clubs during a NY winter.  

Aces here in Cheyenne WY has 6 sims and a bar and eatery. Sounds like the Bunker. They are bigger rooms, but I struggle. The longer the club the worse it is. It starts with my 5 iron. Distance goes down from there and shots start to do funky things. I’m going tomorrow for two hours. I will defeat this!!! 

Edited February 17 by Erin B
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[Stuka44]

I no longer even try.  It honestly looks like I have never picked up a golf club, when I try to swing in one.  So I just don't do it anymore.  That's why I play all winter long unless snow on the ground prevents me from playing.

[PrismFlopper]

I have too BIG woes with the simulator. 1. Its not so much the simulator but probably just the mental but i STRUGGLE big time hitting my driver in the simulator. Been playing in league and out of the 7 weeks we have been playing ive hit maybe 5 good drives in actual play. I get there early to practice and get some good drives but when in competition i go blank and lose my game plan so i just hit my 3wood. 2. My wedges. I hit them with amount of spin but the simulator doesnt seem to pic that up and im hitting like 15-25yds further than i normally would. And this simulator doesnt recognize a 60deg 
 

 

[Erin B]

1 hour ago, PrismFlopper said:

I have too BIG woes with the simulator. 1. Its not so much the simulator but probably just the mental but i STRUGGLE big time hitting my driver in the simulator. Been playing in league and out of the 7 weeks we have been playing ive hit maybe 5 good drives in actual play. I get there early to practice and get some good drives but when in competition i go blank and lose my game plan so i just hit my 3wood. 2. My wedges. I hit them with amount of spin but the simulator doesnt seem to pic that up and im hitting like 15-25yds further than i normally would. And this simulator doesnt recognize a 60deg 
 

 

I’ve been working on mine. I’ve found that because I hit so steep I lose distance because of the carpet. So I tee the ball up. I’ve also found that on drives I have to tee lower than I tee on a course which is already low to begin with. I’ve corrected some of my woes by doing this. Most of it is mental, but I’ve also found that if I aim a little differently than I do on the course I do better. Thing is, it takes a round or two to get back to course play consistency. 

On 2/21/2024 at 12:56 PM, Stuka44 said:

I no longer even try.  It honestly looks like I have never picked up a golf club, when I try to swing in one.  So I just don't do it anymore.  That's why I play all winter long unless snow on the ground prevents me from playing.

Sometimes I feel the exact same.

[PrismFlopper]

On 3/4/2024 at 7:34 PM, Erin B said:

I’ve been working on mine. I’ve found that because I hit so steep I lose distance because of the carpet. So I tee the ball up. I’ve also found that on drives I have to tee lower than I tee on a course which is already low to begin with. I’ve corrected some of my woes by doing this. Most of it is mental, but I’ve also found that if I aim a little differently than I do on the course I do better. Thing is, it takes a round or two to get back to course play consistency. 

Sometimes I feel the exact same.

I have a similar issue before where I had a steep swing angle and playing in the simulator has actually helped me out with not coming down on it so steep and I have noticed a big difference in how I’m hitting my wedges now. I had a tendency to come down steep especially with my 60 and causing a chunked shot but not as bad anymore. I have noticed I have to tee the ball up and put it a little more forward in my stance than I normally would but I struggle so much with my driver regardless it may just be pointing out a flaw in my driver swing

[PrismFlopper]

On 2/21/2024 at 2:56 PM, Stuka44 said:

I no longer even try.  It honestly looks like I have never picked up a golf club, when I try to swing in one.  So I just don't do it anymore.  That's why I play all winter long unless snow on the ground prevents me from playing.

I was like that my first few weeks and it drove me nuts but I joined a indoor league just to have something to break me away from work during the week and once I got that through my head I was more relaxed. Buddy and I joined just to have fun and we now are tied for 2nd in our league. I realized that I am WAY BETTER outside with a HC of about 13 and indoor I’m like double that. Damn putting gets me every time.

[Erin B]

29 minutes ago, PrismFlopper said:

I have a similar issue before where I had a steep swing angle and playing in the simulator has actually helped me out with not coming down on it so steep and I have noticed a big difference in how I’m hitting my wedges now. I had a tendency to come down steep especially with my 60 and causing a chunked shot but not as bad anymore. I have noticed I have to tee the ball up and put it a little more forward in my stance than I normally would but I struggle so much with my driver regardless it may just be pointing out a flaw in my driver swing

I’m not playing well the last few rounds and I think it’s because I need to adjust back to outside golf. Right now I can’t hit a wedge shot. 

[funkyjudge]

On 2/21/2024 at 2:56 PM, Stuka44 said:

I no longer even try.  It honestly looks like I have never picked up a golf club, when I try to swing in one.  So I just don't do it anymore.  That's why I play all winter long unless snow on the ground prevents me from playing.

I often wonder if playing winter (and sometimes fall) golf on the simulator and also playing 20+ winter tour events, plus a few (or more) additional outdoor rounds during the same time period is actually hurting my golf game. I tend to swing very aggressively on the SIM, particularly when I am loose and making good contact, going for the occasional 290+ yard drive and 175 yard 7-iron shot (my average drives on the SIM are 255-260 yards, while I average more like 235-240 yards outdoors, and I rarely hit a 7-iron more than 148-150 yards outdoors in the winter golf tournaments unless the ground is frozen).

When I am “off” playing on the SIM, it gets ugly really fast, and I have to resort to hitting punch shots with a half swing and maybe two extra clubs to straighten things back out. Meanwhile, I rarely have that type of problem playing outdoors in the winter, probably due to the fact that I am wearing at least two additional heavy clothing layers, which already restricts my swing a fair amount (unless it’s 73 degrees outside as is forecast for this Thursday’s tournament). However, when I am “on” playing SIM golf, I shoot close to scratch golf on the most difficult courses (Wolf Creek, Kauri Cliffs, Pacific Dunes and Quail Hollow), which is why my SIM Handicap ranges between 0 and 2.

This going back-and-forth between indoor SIM golf to outdoor tournaments every few days is probably not really good for my golf game, other than the fact that it keeps my muscles loose and flexible and my swing “well oiled”. That is why I am happy that my indoor winter league ends in late March, and the winter golf tour goes well into April, which is about the same time that both of my outdoor spring/summer/fall golf leagues begin play. In addition, I ramp-up my outdoor golf to one or two extra outdoor rounds per week, beginning in late March to get ready for those outdoor leagues (this ramp-up actually will start next week).