Golf Simulator Accuracy

**harrinjj** · October 30, 2008

Does anybody know the accuracy of the golf simulators? There is a place by my house that lets you go and hit balls and actually play PGA courses. I am more intersted in going up there every so often and using the simulator range. It tells you the distance of every shot. I figured this would be good to get a distance for my clubs. Would this be pretty accurate?

**kfowler** · October 30, 2008

Where in MI? I live in Canton.

If I were to guess, I'd sat their more accurate on some shots than others. If anything I would bet their fairly accurate if your shot is straight but maybe not so much if you have a slice or hook on. I know the good ones measure spin rate but still.

Either way they're still fun.

**Baraethon** · October 31, 2008

They are fairly accurate, but is seems that I hit it shorter at a simulator than on a golf course.

**harrinjj** · October 31, 2008

Where in MI? I live in Canton.

I live in Roseville. There are simulators at the Michigan State Fair called Next Shot Golf Center. Me and a few buddies are going there tomorrow to play a round. I guess I can ask the operator there tomorrow.

**Iowa Hawkeye** · March 15, 2009

At Golf Galaxy I hit a few drivers and averaged around 250 with a long of 282. On the course today I didn't get up there with the same club I hit my longest sim drives with. Is it because of the perfect conditions or is it that it cant account for spin, just speed at contact?

**laxbballgolf** · March 15, 2009

I am curious about this too. I have put up some sweet numbers at Golfsmith before. 304 yard carry one time when I was getting fit for my G5. Also, when I tried out my X20 tours at Golfsmith my average carry after 10 shots with a 6 iron was 196. When my swing is in good shape I can hit it pretty far, but these numbers are definitely above how well I usually hit it.

I did really feel like i was striping it both days, but I am curious if these figures were legit, or if the rumors are true that stores "beef up" the readings on their simulators to make customers feel good/sell more clubs etc. Does anyone know the answer? Maybe someone knows someone who works at Golfsmith or something?

**cfmgolf** · March 15, 2009

I can't comment on their legitimacy, but it does raise good questions. My local golf galaxy has 2 simulators and i have been 25 yards longer in one vs. the other. Same club, with pretty much the same swing feel. What i did find very interesting is using it as a comparison tool for a new driver against my old driver. If you are interested in a purchase, bring your old driver in with you, narrow your new search down to one or two, and then hit your old one to see what's going on. This is how i turned from the Titleist 905 to the Cobra. I was definitely longer with the Cobra when compared against the Titleist and when i hit the course, it held true. good luck

**leezer99** · March 15, 2009

The only accurate reading you should trust is what you do off of the first through eighteenth tee boxes. The rest is hogwash.

**svchiefs19** · March 15, 2009

theres no way they can be accurate. there are so many variables to take into account when you hit a golf ball. when your in the simulator, many of these variables are taken out of consideration, such as wind, humidity, temperature, etc... so theyre not 100% accurate, but they're "comparable." say your trying out 3 different drivers to see which one you hit the farthest. you might hit driver A 200 yards, driver B 215 yards, and driver C 240 yards in the simulator. obviously you hit driver C the farthest. so, now you go out to an outside driving range to try out the 3 different drivers. the exact distances you hit the 3 clubs will be different, but you will still hit driver B farther than driver A and driver C farther then the other two because the simulator was "comparable." hope that made sense.

**MrKadash** · March 15, 2009

For what it's worth, and I'm not putting all simulators into this example, but an acquaintance of mine works at a pretty reputable golf store. He claims the numbers are inflated and ball flights adjusted to help push a sale out the door. I have not used their simulator, but have used others and have gotten somewhat similar results on the course, so take it FWIW.

**TN94z** · March 15, 2009

My buddy has a simulator and don't go by their distances. From what I have seen on his, if you set it up for your driver distances to your normal distances then your iron yardage will be off and vice versa. I would just go by the direction, launch angle, ball speed, etc...on them. The rest is not realistic.

His has a boost setting that you have to set to get your drives out there to normal distances. If you don't set that then you may smash a drive that only goes 230-240. Turn the boost up and the same drive goes 280.

**youngskip40** · March 15, 2009

Those simulators sure make you feel good, that's for sure. Really all it's doing is quick math with launch monitor-ish numbers and then trying to "calculate" how far, how high, and in what direction the ball will go. Which is BS. They are fun to hit balls into, but I doubt if I carry my drives 305-310 every time in real life.

It's funny to hear everyone say they beef up the numbers to get more clubs out the door (and I totally agree that they do) because I was in there one Saturday watching this guy demo a hybrid and complaining that he could only get it to go "X" amount of yards, vs. what he's used to... so the trusty sales guy comes in and says, "yeah, you really have to add 20-30 yards to these simulators, they're not accurate..."

If only that were true! We'd all be absolute monsters on the golf course.

**anthonykim3** · March 15, 2009

in my local golf town they have 4 sim's and the one they use for lessons is dead accurate this is also the one they use for driver head shaft fitting the other ones are buy 12 yards at the most on driver

**nike_golf** · March 15, 2009

I hit up my local simulator probably at least twice a month during the winter months and honestly, I'm not a big fan of it or most simulators I've hit in to.....

its more of a need to just hit a ball than anything else.... thats more or less why I even go to them....

I would say the simulators that aren't affiliated w/ any golf shop are probably "shorting" you yards... the simulator I go to that isn't part of a golf shop or anything reads my drives at no more than 250.... EVER.... and I average about 285 in real life....

Now, I've hit in simulators at a couple different golf galaxy's and I'm CARRYING a drive 305.....

so somethings not right.........

so I don't trust ANY simulator..... period.....

to me, its a place to hit balls.... just something to do until the white stuff is melted away and I hit a golf ball for real and REALLY know how far its going........

**TN94z** · March 15, 2009

That is what we do. When the weather is bad we play the simulator. They are definitely fun to play because of all of the different courses you can play.

**nike_golf** · March 15, 2009

That is what we do. When the weather is bad we play the simulator. They are definitely fun to play because of all of the different courses you can play.

thats awesome buddy but your ball is Platinum..... not platimun....

the latter is not a word.......

**whip_it_out** · March 15, 2009

After hitting a 440 yard hybrid, I'd say not very.

**Kcas77** · March 15, 2009

I would say they are very accurate because the simulator is consistant.
As in terms of the simulator vs the course i would say its not wrong theres just not enough room from where your hitting to the screen which is why irons shots just farther than on the course.
Next time you play look at the launch angle of your irons and you should see that the seem quite low

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Golf Simulator Accuracy

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