Simulator Rundown

Simulator Rundown

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With our inaugural simulator league opening next Monday (Nov. 20th), I wanted to give you some quick indoor golf tips and let you know what the simulator is all about.

This year, we have a new setup on the back deck, which gives you a lot more room to swing. We have two TVs running the simulator and one with cable (so we can watch whatever game is on any given night). There are some comfortable lounge chairs and the deck is heated for those cold winter evenings. In the past I worked at a simulator company (I’ve seen a lot of them), and our current setup really is awesome for indoor golf.

This year, the launch monitor (LM) is lined up so you can hit directly into the middle of the net. It was a little difficult last year to line up correctly due to our limited space, as we had to set the LM at an angle. Now, it is pretty simple to line up square to your target. You’ll also feel less crowded in our new area, so those trying it for the first time will be a more comfortable swinging freely. Keep in mind that your distances may be a bit shorter than your used to until you get the hang of it, but you will!

In my experience, the most difficult part of playing indoor (or any?) golf is the short game. You don’t necessarily get a sense of the depth you normally do on the course, and most of us don’t play exact yardages from 30-70 yards (we’re usually just picking a landing spot and playing by feel). The benefit is that by playing the simulator a lot, you’ll really dial in your wedge distances and know exactly how much swing you’ll need to get the ball near the hole with any given club. The most surprising aspect to me has been how much indoor golf has improved my overall on-course game, by allowing me to dial in my yardages and really feel confident with how far the ball is going to travel.

Our current LM is a SkyTrak, and it’s pretty accurate. I haven’t seen any discrepencies in distance. Like any LM, it will miss a shot occasionally, but overall the product is good and you’ll get an accurate sense of distance, spin rate, club speed, etc. It’s excellent for clubfitting, and we’re also offering indoor lessons if you’re looking to tune up your game before spring.

When playing on any of the 15 courses our software offers, we’ll usually set it up to auto-putt (as we will for Monday Night League), because it’s difficult to get a sense of the speed and break needed to hole putts. If you’d like, you can certainly try putting, but we’d recommend letting the computer do it for you.

Give us a call at (605) 341-5703 to book your simulator time. If it’s just one person playing, you can get done with 18 holes in about an hour. If you have two players, we recommend booking for two hours. With three players +, it’s best to book for three hours if you want to play 18 holes. Click the link at the top of the post to see rates, but know that the more people you bring, the cheaper it is to play! If you haven’t played indoor golf before, it’s a fun time and a great way to keep your game in shape while you wait to get out on the actual course. See you soon at Hart Ranch and happy golfing!

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