Is it possible that stores can rig the hitting booths to show what they want in order to sell a club.

Is it possible that stores can rig the hitting booths to show what they want in order to sell a club? The reason I ask this is because I got fitted for a new driver yesterday and played it today and long story short this thing isnt even on the same planet compared to what they were showing me yesterday.I was leary about it in the first place and should have gone with my gut but I didnt listen.My loft has always been 7.5* and thats what it will always be,I dont know why I got this 9.5* other than this new technolgy is supposed to be better but I am saying thats BS.

I have an update on the bottom of this page to what the final outcome was for those who want to know.

Maybe the booth assumed you would always be playing down wind. I have not hit in one so have no experience. I would take it back and tell them it's not doing what the booth showed.

Can a computer replicate the real world? Kind of...

Would I base my purchase on this? No.

Get the numbers then try the club in the real world. I am lucky that my club has good demo program and you can take a club out for 2 or 3 rounds before you commit.

Take it back, they should let you after you say you're not satisfied with it.

I never trust anything I can't off real grass at a range.

They rig some of em for sure. I'd take it back. And if you wanna be sure next time, I'd bring in a club that you know you can hit a certain distance, and try it to see how far off the machine is. One machine told me I hit a 19 degree 5-wood 280 yards! Who needs a driver, jeez...

In short: yes.

A lot of times it's pretty obvious, and comparison testing between two different drivers is one way to tell. For example, if you try an R11 and realize that the launch monitor says you are hitting it 260 (when you normally hit it, say, 230), you should hit a 910D2 and see if you are also hitting that one 260 also. If you do, then you can be pretty sure it's rigged. If you hit the 910D2 230 yards like normal, then don't let that R11 out of your sights!

You're the one who had perfect numbers with the 7.5 but wanted a new driver from the other thread, right? Or am I mistaking you for someone else. Take it back, and get your 7.5 back. It may be "outdated", but your numbers looked great. If you really want to get a new club despite the great preformance of your current club (I know how it feels, I'm the same way), than drive the extra couple of miles and spend the extra dough to see a professional clubfitter. The ''fittings'' at big box stores are garbage and they just want your money.

Personally, ive wondered it, but I don't believe it... I just don't see how they could. The store's and launch monitor companies reputation depends on it. I believe that some of the information can be misread or misconstrued most of the time, BUT.... Oddly enough the machines at the stores near me always tell me Im short or left or right or some funky stuff. When I know Im not, or it doesn't feel like I did that at all. Never once has it made me appear "better." Hahaha.

I consider myself lucky though, as Im not forced to put up with that. I have an outdoor driving range near my house that is actually attached to a Roger Dunn golf shop. The shop allows you to take two clubs out of the store, as long as you have a credit card and ID. Basically it allows me to test hit any and every club I want to buy, and actually see real distance, real ball flight, etc... I LOVE IT! Its aloud me to stock my bag with great clubs that I know work for me. Not clubs the store recommends or tells me I need.

Depending on the sim...certain types of misses can show up longer than they should be. I can blade a 5 iron about 250 on a simulator if I hit it just right

It is possible there are several things going on,  I've never used one or even seen a similator but I have to think it like all guaging electronics has to go through a setup procedure and may have to be recalibrated on a periodic schedule to maintain accuracy, usually the more complicated something is the more vital it be done correctly. also possible is that the person doing the evaluation is not completely familiar with the equipment and is not working it propery. anyone out there that has actually worked with one and not just demoed on one? That would be very helpful in evaluating the accuracy of these similators.

Yes that was me from the other thread .I just find it so unusual that I hit this club so perfect in the simulator and at the course it was like 30*  launch angles and slices that I never ever hit.I did hit 1 shot wich I thought was pretty dam close to what my 983 would have been,and this shot was even down wind about 20mph so I thought man this is going to be long and when I got down there it didnt even make as far as my 983 with no wind LOL . I guess the old saying is if it aint broke dont fix it.I am taking it back today and keeping my 983 this thing is abviously pretty good.

My thoughts exactly.  Getting fit with the numbers is great for eliminating certain styles, but I will never buy anything that I can't hit outdoors so I can see what is going on from the initial hit to the ball hitting the ground.

To the OP, nothing wrong at all with keeping a 983.  I still use one and haven't ever found anything I can hit better.  Sure it is older and smaller head, but if you hit it in the center, it doesn't matter.

As others have said, you've got to take the simulator numbers with a grain of salt.

I'll always bring in a few clubs I know well (7 iron, hybrid and driver) when I'm looking at a new club.  Usually, the distances are close enough.  Sometimes they are off quite a bit and you'll know it when your 7-iron is flying 200+.

One thing that I've noticed pretty often is that the simulator does seem to minimize the visual effect of side spin.  Seems like distance is usually pretty consistent, but my shot pattern with any club is tighter than it would be at the range.  As most golfers are looking to minimize a slice/hook, i can't help but wonder if they tame down the side spin to help sell drivers?

The best thing is to use the radar machine rather than the virtual simulator.  Hopefully the fitter wasn't using the basic simulator/launch monitor to fit you for launch angle, spin, etc.

The side spin thing is certainly on different simulators more than others. Full swing's technology is absolutely spot on. I've seen people put a ball that would probably be 3 fairways over on a FS sim. Now these type of simulators on the other hand:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUCoBKrWs0Y&feature;=player_embedded

It's impossible not to hit it straight.

I was watching a buddy who has always had a HUGE slice put em 280 dead center on this thing and I was quite skeptical.

The thing is, most stores DON'T want to give you false numbers. Why? Because they'll have angry customers like you coming back a day later when you're not hitting in 320 dead center.

Can they? You bet you can. I've put the wind at my back before 30 mph and put a ball over 350 dead center. Funny, but scary.

In conclusion always bring your old clubs in to compare. Then you'll have an idea how accurate they are.

This is what you gotta do.

Def some stores are not as honest with how they have their sims set up. I went to dicks right around chritsmas and I was looking @ gettinga  new driver and their sim had me playing a 10yrd draw consistenly with every driver about 260-280 Then went to Edwin Watts and their sim had me playing around 240 with a slight fade. The 240 with a slight fade is my normal shot and when I bought the new driver that is shot that I played. I say stay away form big retailers.

Ok here's how it went down today (interesting) I think.Returned my new driver to the pga store and then went over to the golfsmith store.I believe there launch monitor system is much better anyways and probably should have went there to begin with but hindsite is always perfect.I took my club in with me to get a baseline to go off of and found pretty much what I already new but my backspin rate was up just a bit about 3300 and launch angle was 14.Now we tryed for about an hour and a half and I tryed about 12 or more drivers all with spin rates of about 4400-5900 and launch angles of 16-18* even trying different shafts in some of them. We ended up finding a used taylor made TP 8.5* and turn the shaft in it to get the loft to I believe 7.75 ....close enough the launch came down to 12.5* spin rate was 2800 incredible I thought but didnt get to excited because of my last go around with the other club,I took it and went and played.For anyone wanting  to get the best #'s possible that I have found golfsmith is the place....this club is exactly what I was invisioning but just couldnt find it,launch angle was perfect dispersion was perfect longest drive on the 9 holes I played this evening was 330 yds this club is awesome.

On a side note about people being able to play with the monitors....now  granted this guy was working at golfsmith BUT he said that they can adjust certain parameters to affect distance launch and certain critical things,he said they did it at another store he worked for.