Keeping your golf going in the winter no longer means hitting 50 balls on the range and then feeling like you accomplished nothing.
But indoor simulators are everywhere these days, and more and more professionals are investing in one, and they’re as fun as they are useful.
Here, we point out five ways to make the most of this winter.
1 Forgot data
Despite all the data available and all the talk about learning the various elements of your swing, try practicing with the projector turned off so you’re not focused on your form and improving your swing.
Rory McIlroy did this over a three-week period when he was hitting shots on the simulator without looking at any numbers and just hitting the ball into the screen with no graphics or data to look at. He just focused on the move he wanted to make.
The more we can focus on what we’re doing, moving pieces of metal into impact, the more natural the results will be.
2 Carrying is the key
Because you can use the same golf balls indoors as you do outdoors, you can collect very, very precise data on spin rate, yardage, and distance. How far you fly is key and the only part you have control over when it lands.
Getting from A to B is what you should focus on, the rest is more unpredictable, which is why carry distance is really the only number I would use.
When someone says they hit a 7-iron 165 yards, that’s the end of the game. How far can it fly in the air? That’s all we need to know.
Then you get really good launch and spin data that’s accurate because it’s using the same golf balls that you use on the course. You can then randomize the weather to get these numbers in different types of wind.
3 screenshots of the problem
The simulator is not just set up for a full golf swing. It will give you the opportunity to practice specific shots in specific scenarios on the course. It has course drills so you can literally place the ball anywhere on any hole on the simulator.
So if you want to practice hitting your shot from under the oak tree in the middle of the fairway on the 18th hole at Pebble Beach, you can do that. You can put yourself in scenarios that are difficult for you to handle, and the simulator will allow lies and you will lose momentum and spin less accordingly.
You can improve your weaker shots and practice a lot, and when you get off the court, you just have to think about the lies.
4) World-class venues
You may never have the chance to play at Bethpage Black or Lofoten Links, but on the simulator you can. Green fees can be high, but here you have the opportunity to stimulate your golf by challenging some of the best courses in the world and trying to conquer some of the best holes.
I’ll do a lot of course management sessions where we’ll play three holes and see how they solve those problems, which helps them improve their thinking, and you’ll also play an incredible course.
5) Always warm
Weather is not an issue and never will be. We really don’t want to be on the range when it’s minus two degrees and we’re hitting really bad range shots to uncertain targets in dim light. We got absolutely no feedback.
Now we can hit real golf balls in a warmer environment and get real feedback.
You can always book separate sessions so you and your partner can share the experience, which may inspire you to continue taking classes when you don’t attend them regularly, and it can also be a nice social outing.
About Ged Walters
Ged is a Golf Monthly Top 50 instructor and one of the top instructors in the Northwest. For more tips follow Ged on Instagram – gedwaltersgolf
