How to Practice Effectively With a Golf Simulator

Having newer technology can be a huge advantage for golfers if they use it properly. In this article, we will show you a few ways that having an accurate launch monitor system as part of your home simulator can make you a better golfer.

Five ways to use a golf simulator to improve your golf game

Dial In Your Wedge Distances

1. They don't spend much time practicing
2. When they do it's not quite effective

If you have a launch monitor from SkyTrak or Foresight, you can accurately measure your wedge distances. This is a huge benefit that you should take advantage of! Dustin Johnson largely credited his improved wedge performance in recent years due to his use of Trackman, and simply knowing exactly how far he is hitting each shot.

There are two ways you can do this kind of wedge practice - blocked and randomized. Doing a mixture of both is important.

First, you want to pick distances anywhere from 40-100 yards. Start to get a feel for what kind of swing it will take to land the ball to each one of those yardages. You can hit as many as 5-10 shots consecutively to each target.

Next, you'll want to randomly "test" yourself. Start picking very specific yardages from one shot to the next, and see how close you can land the ball to the number. It could be a sequence of 37, 86, 65, and 51 yards. Doing this kind of random practice will sharpen your distance control and you will see great results on the course.

Simulation Is Actually Excellent Practice

When most golfers show up to the driving range they end up falling into the same patterns. They'll hit 20 shots consecutively with the same club, and end up devoting the majority of their session to seeing how far they can hit their driver. It ultimately leads to the frustration that most golfers endure, which is not being able to hit the same quality shots on the golf course as they did during their practice sessions.

Part of the reason this happens is because golfers just don't practice all that effectively.

Smart practice is mostly about recreating the same conditions you will face on the golf course. When was the last time you had 25 chances to hit a 7-iron on a green?

Simply put, you want to put as much pressure and attention as you can on each shot. You also want to give yourself enough variety so you don't hit the same shot over and over again. You know what is a great way to do that? Playing a simulated golf course.

If your home simulator enables you to play a variety of courses it will actually improve your game because you'll be practicing the right way. The best part is that it is fun, engaging, and competitive - all of which are huge benefits for engaged practice.

Experiment With Changes

Another huge advantage of having reliable data on your golf ball flight is making small changes to your swing and evaluating the results. Experimentation is a necessary element to improvement, and it certainly should be part of your plan as a golfer.

You can make small changes to your stance, alignment, grip, ball position, and a host of other swing changes. You can run small experiments to see what kind of changes in your ball flight they can yield.

For example, some golfers find that they actually make better contact and hit the ball farther when they grip down on the shaft of the club a little bit. Others might find that they can improve their launch conditions with their driver by moving the ball farther up in their stance, and teeing it higher.

You can run these experiments, track your progress, and make informed decisions. This is how to use modern technology properly.

Evaluate Your Equipment

Another way to use a launch monitor effectively is to evaluate your equipment.

You can try out different golf balls to see which ones might fit your swing. If you are able to borrow demo clubs from your local golf shop, you can also find out if the latest drivers or irons will actually lead to any measurable changes in performance before you make a purchase.

Sometimes you'll be able to save yourself some money if you find out that the new club isn't necessarily worth it. Other times you might discover that what you were currently using was completely wrong for your swing, and something different will help you save some strokes out on the course.

Either way, these are the kinds of informed decisions you can make when you have concrete data.

Track Your Progress

Lastly, being able to look back on your progress and benchmark your performance is a great way to track goals as a golfer.

Let's say you were really intent on being able to hit the ball farther (particularly with your driver) - who doesn't? One of the great ways to do that is to embark on a golf-specific workout regiment to increase strength and flexibility. Along the way, you could be tracking your sessions on your launch monitor and seeing what kinds of results you are getting.

Another example could be if you were taking golf lessons. Is your swing performing better on key metrics than it was before, after you received instruction and put the work in?

Wrapping It Up

Technology on its own won't make you a better golfer. But if you use it properly, you absolutely can make meaningful changes in your game. We hope this article gave you some great ideas.

If you have any questions about any of our launch monitors or home golf simulation products, don't hesitate to get in touch with us. We are happy to answer any questions you might have!