Practice Rounds and Handicapping on a Simulator

[jshots]

This winter, I set up a golf simulator in my garage. I can play one of my local courses with a fairly realistic level of accuracy, and I am currently in the process of building another local course to add to the sim. This got me thinking that I can potentially play a lot of rounds that I can't post for my handicap, so my handicap my not match my skill level very well when it comes tournament time. Not only that, I can setup the courses I play with wind and conditions similar to what I might be playing in a tournament. 

My questions - If a golfer uses a simulator to practice on a specific course before a tournament, does it give them an unfair advantage? Should this practice be considered a violation of the rules, especially if the simulation closely resembles the actual course? If a golfer consistently performs well on a simulated course, should their performance count towards their handicap? 

[DaveP043]

43 minutes ago, jshots said:

My questions - If a golfer uses a simulator to practice on a specific course before a tournament, does it give them an unfair advantage? Should this practice be considered a violation of the rules, especially if the simulation closely resembles the actual course? If a golfer consistently performs well on a simulated course, should their performance count towards their handicap? 

No, no, and no.  I don't care how good the simulation is, it can't reproduce the actual playing of golf.  Uneven lies, long grass, uphill or downhill stances, hot or cold weather, there is SO much more to playing on an actual golf course.

[Elmer]

10 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

No, no, and no.  I don't care how good the simulation is, it can't reproduce the actual playing of golf.  Uneven lies, long grass, uphill or downhill stances, hot or cold weather, there is SO much more to playing on an actual golf course.

NO, NO, NO and NO!
The long grass is simulated, which means it is an algorithm and not actual friction with the club.
I have also played simulators where I swear the wind over corrects and knocks 20 yards off my clubs. 
The putting alone has no feel. 

This is like saying you saw the Grateful Dead at Alpine valley because you watched the DVD Downhill From Here!
Or watched a Phish webcast instead of going to MSG.

Doesn't count toward your stats and either should a simulator!

[TourSpoon]

1 hour ago, jshots said:

My questions - If a golfer uses a simulator to practice on a specific course before a tournament, does it give them an unfair advantage? Should this practice be considered a violation of the rules, especially if the simulation closely resembles the actual course? If a golfer consistently performs well on a simulated course, should their performance count towards their handicap? 

No, No, and No.

Does it give you an unfair advantage to play the shots on a sim that you would play on a course? No, Hogan used to rehearse shots on the range. Once he took out his 7 iron because he said there was no 7 iron shot on that course. Sim, range, in your mind, or practice on the actual course, its all fair game. 

Is it against the rules? No, because you can practice any way you want, including playing that course before the tournament everyday, twice a day. It is called being prepared. 

Handicap? Never. It is practice. 

Edited April 12, 2023 by TourSpoon
Clarification

[iacas]

I'm with everyone else in the Triple No Club.

[ChiTown]

Just piling on with “Team No”. Practicing on the sim can help you to a certain degree but it won’t reflect the reality of live outdoor play. I just played my first outdoor round and completely forgot that wind above the tree line can affect your ball path. (I had to chuckle with that). On top of the environment being way different there is also the psychological aspect of the game. 
 

Playing a course on a simulator is like saying you rode the Tour de France on your indoor bike. 

[mcanadiens]

I would think that regularly using a simulator over the winter might give you a little leg up early in the season, but probably not much more than that. 

By tournament time, everything ought to be pretty balanced out if you are playing a decent number of rounds. 

[Vinsk]

A simulator cannot do a cold, hard shank the justice it deserves. 

[TourSpoon]

21 hours ago, Vinsk said:

A simulator cannot do a cold, hard shank the justice it deserves. 

This is true, unless there is a living room bay window involved! 🤣

[Club Rat]

On 4/12/2023 at 11:23 AM, jshots said:

If a golfer consistently performs well on a simulated course, should their performance count towards their handicap? 

You could track Sim rounds using a Hdcp calculator as a comparision to 
USGA Hdcp. It might be interesting to see the diff.

Indoor Sim leagues create indoor Hdcp's for only Indoor events.

Is the course you designed available on TGC-2019 or GS Pro?

[p1n9183]

NO all over the place. At home I practice with Skytrak and a fan to simulate wind but is still not even close to the course. Is an intermediate point between the driving and the course but still far far away. 

There are really expensive simulators out there with slope and different kind of turf to simulate fairway, rough, light sand or heavy one. Despite that, they are still far away from playing the real thing.