Golf Simulators: Good Practice or Giant Video Game?

This past Friday night I got a text from Stinky Golfer Greg asking if I can hit the indoor range Saturday morning. Unfortunately, due to my kids basketball playoff schedule, I'm unable to commit to it because I don't know how far the team is going to advance, so therefore, don't know when I'll be free. We plan on trying again in a couple of weeks.

However, it turns out they don't advance very far, getting knocked out in the first round. This now frees up the afternoon. Still with the indoor range on my own mind, the kids remind me that I promised to take them to the indoor spot to use the golf simulator. So it looks like I'm going after all. I call ahead to make sure a tee time is available (yes...you need to make a tee time), and we're off.

Now I've used the simulator before, so it's not new to me. I take it as just an opportunity to get a little swing practice in. But for the kids...this is a giant video game! And after listening to their excitement and the way they are looking at it, I start to realize that their right. It's just a giant video game. But never did that become more apparent than when I absolutely crushed a beautiful drive off the tee to the tune of...156 YARDS?!

OK, I'm not saying I'm capable of hammering out 300 yard drives on a regular basis. But I certainly am capable of of driving farther than 156! So I put it behind me until it's my turn to tee off on the next hole. Once again, I hit it pretty solid. The result...163! What is going on??!! Now it's no longer a game. I realize this is pretty inaccurate and go back to focusing on my swing.

This experience got me wondering - Is the golf simulator a useful tool? Or is it just the giant video game my kids view it to be? I guess the answer is.., it's both. I'm not playing out on an actual course, so course and weather conditions never came into play. Also, you don't putt on the simulator, so my semi-normal three-putts never come into play either (you always one- or two-putt, based on distance from the hole). But at the same time, the inaccurate readings of distance certainly did force me to concentrate more on my swing. After all, I certainly can't allow a 10 and 12 year old to out-drive me!

In the end though, I got both a little bit of fun and a bit of practice out of the simulator. The inaccuracy of the simulator did force me to focus more. However, it was a rainy day in early March - not typical golfing season or weather...but there I was (according to the simulator anyway) in Myrtle Beach at Arrowhead Country Club (kids choice).

Oh yeah, and just to prove how inaccurate the simulator really is...I shot an 89. My twelve year old...a 91. And my ten year old....95 (including back-to-back birdies). In reality, I have never broken 90. But you know what? The three of us had a damn good time. And if it did something to keep their attention on the sport, even if it was just a video game, then that's just fine with me.

We swung 'til we were happy!

Posted in: Arrowhead Country Club,golf simulator,golf stinks,golfstinks,indoor golf facility,Myrtle Beach,practice facility