If you love golf, but find getting out to the links difficult on some occasions, a golf simulator may be just the ticket. Golf simulators recreate the environment of a golf course using digital graphics or projection, allowing you to train, practice and play on several courses.
The question remains, how accurate are golf simulators. In the early days, they were not recognized as helpful tools for golf training. Instead, they were considered just novelties or toys. But the technology has upgraded exponentially since then. Consider how much the telephone has progressed into what it is today … And the same thing applies to golf simulators.
Accuracy is answered mainly on the system being used. Many systems give similar data however there are some such as Trackman that set themselves apart on the accuracy with how the data is being tracked and displayed to the golfer. Just ask over 800 tour professionals and coaches that rely on the data being given each and every time they swing the club.
With continual advances in technology most golfers still need a reality check on how far they actually “carry” the golf ball. To clarify it’s not “total distance” that a golfer should focus on, but how far the golf ball carries in the air before roll. Outdoors conditions continually change with wind, weather, time of day, season and even the fairway lie where the ball lands resulting in the total distance being different. How else does one learn these numbers without the help of a state of the art tracking system. Dustin Johnson said “All I look at it is carry numbers, just so I have more of a feel when I’m on the course and playing,”
Many golfers believe they hit further outdoors than indoors and tend to blame the accuracy of the simulators. Developers have spent years collecting data from golf players’ swings and golf ball flight. This helps to ensure that there is no shot a golf simulator cannot recognize. These machines measure the velocity, trajectory and direction of the ball with such accuracy that you can actually watch the virtual version fly through the air and land exactly where it would in real life. This information then provides an analysis and a checklist of things to consider to learn what each club does accurately.
Many studies show that golfers can practice better indoors in the winter season and improve faster. Gone are the days that golfers mindlessly smash golf balls into a screen.
If you’re searching for a new source of training and entertainment, golf simulation is a fantastic way to get off the couch and improve your golf game in the cold winter months.
Check out for yourself and see how years of evolution can benefit your game.
