| Can a golf swing simulator improve your golf swing? | | | | human golf swing trainer, or taking additional lessons |
| You may have seen these devices in your golf club, | | | | from a golf school. An accredited golf pro can quickly |
| or your local golf shop. It is a sensor and camera | | | | pinpoint mistakes in your golf swing technique, |
| equipped booth, with a screen which simulates a golf | | | | suggesting exercises to help you fix your worst |
| course. You hit the golf ball in the golf swing | | | | problems. |
| simulator, and it captures details of your golf swing | | | | One argument for using an indoor golf swing |
| technique. The device then simulates the path your | | | | simulator is for practice during bad weather. On the |
| golf ball travels, right down to any slices or hooks. | | | | surface, this is a compelling argument. However, |
| More sophisticated simulators will even replicate many | | | | golfers who have actually used these devices find |
| famous golf courses, even allowing you to play 18 | | | | that it damages their game. When they play in the |
| holes on the Old Course at St Andrews. | | | | simulator too much, they adapt to the imperfect |
| The manufacturers of these golf swing simulators | | | | model of the golf course in the simulation. They tend |
| claim that their devices can help to analyze your | | | | to hit the balls harder than they should, losing control |
| swing, detecting mistakes in your golf swing | | | | of the balls on the real golf course. They find that |
| technique and helping to improve your golf swing. In | | | | the swing which works in the simulator causes them |
| theory, that is... | | | | to slice or hook on the real fairways. Their golf swing |
| In practice, the technology has a long way to go. For | | | | technique suffers. |
| example, most golf simulators cannot properly | | | | Instead of wasting time in the golf simulator, you |
| capture the spin your swing imparts to the golf ball. | | | | should spend the time practicing your swing. Get a |
| The spin has a great impact on the games of good | | | | golf mat and net and swing your clubs at the ball. A |
| players - Tiger Woods uses Nike's One Platinum golf | | | | good quality mat and net costs $200 on Amazon. |
| balls which give less distance but more spin control. | | | | Three dozen of the longest distance golf balls only |
| The simulators also cannot fully simulate wind and | | | | cost $37 secondhand. If you do not have enough |
| weather conditions, and the effect of terrain on the | | | | room to practice your driver indoors, practice your |
| behavior of the golf ball. | | | | putting and short game instead. Even 5 or 10 minutes |
| Many simulators tend to over-estimate the distance | | | | spent on stretching exercises or doing some weight |
| of your drive. While this may be good for golf club | | | | training with a simple barbell will do more to improve |
| salesmen to persuade you to buy their golf clubs, it | | | | your golf swing. Any of these methods is cheap, yet |
| does not help your game. Sadly, there is still no | | | | more effective than a simulator. |
| substitute for actually hitting the ball on the golf | | | | Whether or not you use a golf swing simulator, you |
| course. For the moment, they are just very | | | | need more practise on the real golf course to |
| expensive toys, setting you back $10,000 to $30,000. | | | | improve your golf. |
| With this kind of cash, you are better off hiring a | | | | |