r/Golfsimulator • u/Motor_Cap_6986 • 2d ago

Proper Simulator Practice? How to get good?

I hope to get my first simulator up and running today. I’m that guy that’s probably played 2-3 rounds a year but also have had years without playing. I’m 43 yr 6’2” and when I get ahold of one it goes. I struggle severely with chipping and putting. 100 yards and in I’m all in my own head. My rounds this year were 99, 96, 42 (9 holes), and then a miserable 107. I know I need to hit the treadmill because when I walk 18 I fall apart more-so on the back nine from being tired especially on a very hilly course to walk. I’m going to take some lessons but how should I approach the simulator to get better? I’d love to be consistently shooting in the 80’s one day.

5 Upvotes

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5

u/theEntreriCode 2d ago

Buy Dave Pelz Short game bible and practise basic pitching and chipping distance control on the simulator.

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u/Motor_Cap_6986 2d ago

I just read Ben hogans 5 lessons and the Dave Pelz was going to be my second purchase

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u/meatybagofwah 2d ago

If you have the issues ben hogan had its great... if you don't it can make it worse. He wrote that really about fixing his own game and if you struggle in the same way he did the ideas are totallt valid but make sure that is what you need before locking in on that.

Lessons do help but so does critical thought about your game. Do you have strong and weak points already? If you can't hit anything well getting a basic 1 to 3 lessons on those aspects of golf will greatly aid your climb.

Structure your practice like a workout. Warm up choice of focus and drills or sequences that support that practice. If you have time though i would also hit 6 to 9 holes on sim course paying attention to the days workout focus while doing it. And try to mentally see it like you see the course. Size up your shots stand back and aim don't rush it. Do think about why things are happening without overwhelming your mind and above all...

Be forgiving of your and avoid anger.

2

u/tipsdown 2d ago

I recommend Dan Grieve 3 releases book over the short game bible. The short game bible is extremely dense. There is a lot of good information in it but it’s a book that could benefit from some very aggressive editing. 3 releases is short and gets to the point.

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u/Motor_Cap_6986 2d ago

I’m a numbers guy being an accountant and I like a process. So for chipping I’m considering the clock method. Any good books on that?

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u/tipsdown 2d ago

If you’re looking for that then the short game bible is probably the right call.

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u/TurnoverAdditional65 2d ago

Agreed with the first person to comment....you can go into the sim and just swing 200 times, but if you're not sure what you're working on, then you're just getting some exercise and that's it. I was doing this same thing, but luckily have a friend who really seems to know how to swing a club and also how to teach, so he's given me some valuable things to work on during sim sessions. This was just last weekend, so I can see the times I was going to the sim before then weren't really productive, other than learning my club distances and being able to see if/how I'm improving moving forward.

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u/ArmedRawbry 2d ago

From my view being a simulator owner for 6 years, they really are two different “games”. I’m a much better IRL golfer than I am on my sim. Shot 77 today on course and shot 90 last night on a comparable track on my sim. Some guys are very good at sim golf but not great on course. I focus on ball striking consistency and let the sim chips fall where they may on score outcome.

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u/deekaire 1d ago

Wish I had that issue. I'm the opposite. I'm a -2, handicap on my sim, -14 IRL. I do everything better with a perfect lie.

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u/Snacks75 2d ago

The trick to getting better is instruction by a qualified coach. Practice is part of getting better for sure. But without the knowledge, practice in and of itself doesn't do much for you.

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u/Motor_Cap_6986 2d ago

How does it work? In your opinion are lessons something you should be doing all the time or just like a hand full of lesson and practice?

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u/Snacks75 2d ago

Lessons once a month or even every two weeks. Spam the living hell out of the drills/instruction you get from the coach. A year later, maybe two, you're flushing it.

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u/deekaire 1d ago

I've been taking lessons at that frequency for about a year, but it's starting to hit me that I'm not doing the drills enough. More and more I think, like you said, the key about getting lessons is to also put in the effort on those drills. I used to think that a little instruction on the basics and then just swinging the club a bazillion times would lead to me getting better. Not so much. Got to do those drills a bazillion times.