Simulator Woes

[Erin B]

Hello MGS Troops. I was just in the sim yesterday and a question popped up in my little brain. Why do I have Simulator Woes? I struggle in sims. I always have, and the more enclosed the worse I am. At PXG and the PGA Superstores it is not as bad, but I think that's because the ceilings are higher, and there is no back wall. This issue with me and sims keeps me from playing in winter leagues and from practicing and taking lessons in the off season. So I got curious and fired up the GOOGLE. It turns out I am not alone in this sim woe foggy world of poor performance. My friend @Derek Eskam has no problem in the sim. I admire him for that, but I am handicapped when it comes to sims. I found a video on the WWW and it kind of shows some of the issues that I know I go through. Interesting that I struggle more the longer the club is. I am positive it is all mental, but I got that mental reinforcement a couple weeks ago when my daughter and I were in a sim and she took out a side light with her driver. (Oops, sorry about that Aces). Thankfully the damage was minimal and nothing resulted from it, but I always try and find a way to be as far away from any wall I can be. It is frustrating because it's almost like its a waste of time for me to use sims in the off season. I don't get the proper head speed, ball speed, launch angles, smash factors, or any good data. That then affects my performance and can cause some bad adjustments and further, bad habits. Do any of you have the sim woes? Take the poll, feel free to comment, let us know how you overcame any sim woes. As always, Happy Birdie Hunting!

 

Edited February 15 by Erin B
wording

[GolfSpy_APH]

I definitely notice different tendencies..both good and bad. However some systems I also just don't trust the numbers so that makes it tricky as well.

I think just take it for what it is and a good chance to groove a swing!

[Erin B]

9 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

I definitely notice different tendencies..both good and bad. However some systems I also just don't trust the numbers so that makes it tricky as well.

I think just take it for what it is and a good chance to groove a swing!

Good advice. I will start thinking of that and just ignore the noise and poor scoring when playing a round in the sim.

[GolfSpy_APH]

1 minute ago, Erin B said:

Good advice. I will start thinking of that and just ignore the noise and poor scoring when playing a round in the sim.

There are some things about sim golf that are a lot easier. I personally find the tee to green simple. Especially if you have a good feeling for your numbers.

Putting ... Is what it is. Every system and even between the same systems they can have differences. 

Chipping is similar. If you know your distances it makes it a lot easier. If you don't... It makes it a lot harder. 

I like it for keeping loose, working on swing feels and shots as well as just having some fun. 

I am a 7 handicap and score high 70 to mid 80s most the time. 

On a sim I play closer to scratch..just is part of it 

[Erin B]

4 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

There are some things about sim golf that are a lot easier. I personally find the tee to green simple. Especially if you have a good feeling for your numbers.

Putting ... Is what it is. Every system and even between the same systems they can have differences. 

Chipping is similar. If you know your distances it makes it a lot easier. If you don't... It makes it a lot harder. 

I like it for keeping loose, working on swing feels and shots as well as just having some fun. 

I am a 7 handicap and score high 70 to mid 80s most the time. 

On a sim I play closer to scratch..just is part of it 

On a sim I am like a brand new, never played golfer. I am going to figure it out though. I am reading a lot of articles on it, and am even thinking of building my own in the back yard. 

[cnosil]

I don't have and never have had issues with swinging indoors with a sim or launch monitor.   All the ones I have been in have had more than enough room and there is no apprehension to swing the club.

[GolfSpy_APH]

3 minutes ago, Erin B said:

On a sim I am like a brand new, never played golfer. I am going to figure it out though. I am reading a lot of articles on it, and am even thinking of building my own in the back yard. 

I am a little bias but a great entry point for it all is the MLM2PRO from Rapsodo. Gives you some Sim capabilities and you don't have to putt! Haha 

[Erin B]

11 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

I am a little bias but a great entry point for it all is the MLM2PRO from Rapsodo. Gives you some Sim capabilities and you don't have to putt! Haha 

Thanks, I'll check it out.

[Erin B]

12 minutes ago, cnosil said:

I don't have and never have had issues with swinging indoors with a sim or launch monitor.   All the ones I have been in have had more than enough room and there is no apprehension to swing the club.

Great to hear. The more I read the more I'm finding that it's mostly mental, some articles calling it "Indoor Swing Syndrome". This is a syndrome I definitely have.

[GolfSpy_KFT]

I have had mixed results with swinging clubs indoors. With irons, it typically isn't an issue at all. With woods, it is another story. I am a taller guy at 6'4", so I need at least 10' of ceiling height to feel comfortable. I know that is relatively standard for most enclosures, but it still feels "crowded" at times if there isn't much width. 

Not sim related directly, but I've been swinging in my garage this winter and the overhead door tracks are always in the back of my mind when I swing my driver, which has been infrequent as I feel like I cannot reach my normal SS. That may change next year as we are talking about switching to one big garage door instead of two, which would eliminate the inner tracks and give me some more space which I would LOVE. 

I find it fascinating how it impacts some and others not at all, and then you've got folks like me who have no issues swinging irons but cannot swing woods without some subconscious limits put on by my brain and body.

[greyhounds15]

I do have a problem with the sim like the distance is 20 yds short then what I hit in the course, plus I don't see the slices or pulls in a sims like the course also.

[Erin B]

3 minutes ago, GolfSpy_KFT said:

I have had mixed results with swinging clubs indoors. With irons, it typically isn't an issue at all. With woods, it is another story. I am a taller guy at 6'4", so I need at least 10' of ceiling height to feel comfortable. I know that is relatively standard for most enclosures, but it still feels "crowded" at times if there isn't much width. 

Not sim related directly, but I've been swinging in my garage this winter and the overhead door tracks are always in the back of my mind when I swing my driver, which has been infrequent as I feel like I cannot reach my normal SS. That may change next year as we are talking about switching to one big garage door instead of two, which would eliminate the inner tracks and give me some more space which I would LOVE. 

I find it fascinating how it impacts some and others not at all, and then you've got folks like me who have no issues swinging irons but cannot swing woods without some subconscious limits put on by my brain and body.

Exactly! That's why I wanted to post this topic. I find that I can hit my irons with only having matt issues, the little tiny matt tee helps me with that, but woods are very hard for me to hit in the sim. I don't seem to have as big an issue at PXG or PGA but they have high ceilings and aren't fully enclosed. I also find that when I do hit my driver in the sim I have to use the shorter tee.

[Erin B]

4 minutes ago, greyhounds15 said:

I do have a problem with the sim like the distance is 20 yds short then what I hit in the course, plus I don't see the slices or pulls in a sims like the course also.

The longer the club for me the worse the distance in the sim. I also get weird shanks and hooks...

[TylorJudd]

I certainly don’t have problems due to enclosures but the SIM here are Unicor on GSPro, I find the run out on balls isn’t quite accurate from time to time. Putts that are certainly in roll over, and misreads from time to time but otherwise are pretty accurate

[cnosil]

22 minutes ago, Erin B said:

Great to hear. The more I read the more I'm finding that it's mostly mental, some articles calling it "Indoor Swing Syndrome". This is a syndrome I definitely have.

That pretty much sums up what I have read.   I guess I have been fortunate that almost all of the indoor testing areas I have used have been fairly large.  

[ZJeb67]

I hit great on my backyard sim.  Last weekend I went to Golf Galaxy for their Hit the Hot List promotion.  I could not strike the ball there.  Not sure if it was nerves, or chasing distance but it sure was ugly.
I'm going back though.  They have a ping promo fitting in 2 weekends.

[berkeleybob]

2 hours ago, Erin B said:

Hello MGS Troops. I was just in the sim yesterday and a question popped up in my little brain. Why do I have Simulator Woes? I struggle in sims. I always have, and the more enclosed the worse I am. At PXG and the PGA Superstores it is not as bad, but I think that's because the ceilings are higher, and there is no back wall. This issue with me and sims keeps me from playing in winter leagues and from practicing and taking lessons in the off season. So I got curious and fired up the GOOGLE. It turns out I am not alone in this sim woe foggy world of poor performance. My friend @Derek Eskam has no problem in the sim. I admire him for that, but I am handicapped when it comes to sims. I found a video on the WWW and it kind of shows some of the issues that I know I go through. Interesting that I struggle more the longer the club is. I am positive it is all mental, but I got that mental reinforcement a couple weeks ago when my daughter and I were in a sim and she took out a side light with her driver. (Oops, sorry about that Aces). Thankfully the damage was minimal and nothing resulted from it, but I always try and find a way to be as far away from any wall I can be. It is frustrating because it's almost like its a waste of time for me to use sims in the off season. I don't get the proper head speed, ball speed, launch angles, smash factors, or any good data. That then affects my performance and can cause some bad adjustments and further, bad habits. Do any of you have the sim woes? Take the poll, feel free to comment, let us know how you overcame any sim woes. As always, Happy Birdie Hunting!

 

In general, I don’t have problems swinging in a bay at the indoor golf range, but some days I fear I’m going to smash the flatscreen behind me with my driver. It projects out a few inches, and one of these days—POW! Right in the kisser!

I’ve actually begun to perceive it in a positive way—the thought of punching out the flat screen with my club has caused me to slow down my backswing. As a result, I’m becoming more accurate, and I haven’t lost any clubhead speed. I’m not sure if I want to know, but some day I’ll just video myself swinging in the bay from behind to see if my fear is justified and to see how close my club head gets to the flatscreen.

[billpierce]

3 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

There are some things about sim golf that are a lot easier. I personally find the tee to green simple. Especially if you have a good feeling for your numbers.

Putting ... Is what it is. Every system and even between the same systems they can have differences. 

Chipping is similar. If you know your distances it makes it a lot easier. If you don't... It makes it a lot harder. 

I like it for keeping loose, working on swing feels and shots as well as just having some fun. 

I am a 7 handicap and score high 70 to mid 80s most the time. 

On a sim I play closer to scratch..just is part of it 

I find Sim distances don't actually match course distances. Combo of matt and perfect lies plus the sim meuasurement bias?

[Swood1994]

Anything above a 6-iron for me I notice my swing gets truncated. I definitely feel like I’m going to hit the top/side of the enclosure. I started a Sim league this winter and thankfully with the other guys we do different formats and teams so it’s not so serious and I don’t put to much pressure on on my tee shots

[Tom the Golf Nut]

I have issues as well. Always feel I’m going to hit the top or side. I also was getting very poor distances. It turned out that indoor I was decelerating.

I modified my home sim to compensate. I removed the entire top netting and cross rail. Then padded the back wall above the screen and the ceiling. Now I’m comfortable swinging (at least in my own sim). 

I only do outside demo days and fittings. Otherwise I don’t get good results, or should I say data I can trust. 

[Erin B]

10 hours ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

I have issues as well. Always feel I’m going to hit the top or side. I also was getting very poor distances. It turned out that indoor I was decelerating.

I modified my home sim to compensate. I removed the entire top netting and cross rail. Then padded the back wall above the screen and the ceiling. Now I’m comfortable swinging (at least in my own sim). 

I only do outside demo days and fittings. Otherwise I don’t get good results, or should I say data I can trust. 

I am going to the sim on Saturday, I'm going to focus on good swings and mechanics only. I won't be thinking about swinging hard or distance. I am to the point that this is all I am going to use a sim for. I am going to try to focus on getting the claustrophobic thoughts out of my mind.

[Hacker60521]

This is really interesting. I’ve had an indoor sim for a couple of years now, and I don’t think I have the woes. There was a little bit of time building up confidence that I could take full swings and not hit anything. And I also found that I could raise the ambient lighting without impacting the sensors. So the environment is now pretty comfortable.

During the off season I’m spending at least an hour 3-6 times a week working on different things. In terms of how this translates to the course, I’ve found my distances are pretty close and I have a lot more confidence on my short game. Of course when playing outdoors, not being on a perfectly level surface, having a perfect lie, and wind all mess me up a bit. Hah

[Shifty]

Took me about 3 weeks after I bought a sim to completely get over it.  Was the worst with the driver.

Back then, I'd shoot above my outdoor handicap for sure.

Now, I shoot about 5-6 shots better indoor than out, so indoor swing is completely gone.

I attribute the better scores to the perfect lies in the sim, and I always find my ball, lol.  Lose the odd one out in the real world.

[AvgGolferinPA]

During winter here in PA we don't have many nice days outside and courses are mostly closed.  So it's an indoor sim or nothing.  I have noticed a claustrophobic swing in a sim with longer clubs.  Split time between the sim at Golf Galaxy and a sports bar with multiple sim hitting bays.  It's fun to play a course on the sim, from perfect lies, no wind, etc.  But I think the bar sim has jacked up numbers, SS, distances, etc.  And the hitting mat has a big worn-down trench where the common hitting spot is.  It is what it is.  Until I can convince my wife to move somewhere warmer 

[Erin B]

26 minutes ago, Shifty said:

Took me about 3 weeks after I bought a sim to completely get over it.  Was the worst with the driver.

Back then, I'd shoot above my outdoor handicap for sure.

Now, I shoot about 5-6 shots better indoor than out, so indoor swing is completely gone.

I attribute the better scores to the perfect lies in the sim, and I always find my ball, lol.  Lose the odd one out in the real world.

That's great! I am thinking hard about building a sim, but I have to get over the sim woes. I am thinking of joining a league next off season to get used to the sim. I have another session tomorrow and will update accordingly.

[Erin B]

19 minutes ago, AvgGolferinPA said:

During winter here in PA we don't have many nice days outside and courses are mostly closed.  So it's an indoor sim or nothing.  I have noticed a claustrophobic swing in a sim with longer clubs.  Split time between the sim at Golf Galaxy and a sports bar with multiple sim hitting bays.  It's fun to play a course on the sim, from perfect lies, no wind, etc.  But I think the bar sim has jacked up numbers, SS, distances, etc.  And the hitting mat has a big worn-down trench where the common hitting spot is.  It is what it is.  Until I can convince my wife to move somewhere warmer 

I live in Wyoming. I do go to Colorado to play about twice a month during the winter as it isn't as brutal a winter in Colorado. Their courses are open as long as there isn't snow. But I have been working the wife to get a place in Florida to winter in. Just have to wait till my daughter graduates college.

[Erin B]

2 hours ago, Hacker60521 said:

This is really interesting. I’ve had an indoor sim for a couple of years now, and I don’t think I have the woes. There was a little bit of time building up confidence that I could take full swings and not hit anything. And I also found that I could raise the ambient lighting without impacting the sensors. So the environment is now pretty comfortable.

During the off season I’m spending at least an hour 3-6 times a week working on different things. In terms of how this translates to the course, I’ve found my distances are pretty close and I have a lot more confidence on my short game. Of course when playing outdoors, not being on a perfectly level surface, having a perfect lie, and wind all mess me up a bit. Hah

Good info! I need to get used to it for sure. I have another session tomorrow and will update accordingly.

[Nick_D]

When I first got a Flightscope Mevo+ a couple years back I thought for sure it must be misreading all my drives because they just weren't going that far. Of course, indoor swing syndrome is very common.. After a little while I got more used to swinging in the garage and ever since I've had no troubles. When I have friends over to my simulator, I always tell them to take some full swings with their driver to get the feel that they aren't going to hit anything. Some people definitely have troubles taking full swings because of the enclosed space, but they slowly get better every time they play.

[Erin B]

1 hour ago, Nick_D said:

When I first got a Flightscope Mevo+ a couple years back I thought for sure it must be misreading all my drives because they just weren't going that far. Of course, indoor swing syndrome is very common.. After a little while I got more used to swinging in the garage and ever since I've had no troubles. When I have friends over to my simulator, I always tell them to take some full swings with their driver to get the feel that they aren't going to hit anything. Some people definitely have troubles taking full swings because of the enclosed space, but they slowly get better every time they play.

Here’s to getting over the sim woes! 

[Usmcgyrene]

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.