Virtual Golf Simulators

A new indoor Virtual golf simulator is opening in my home town next month.

As anybody played on one of these ?

I took my 1st golf lessons at an indoor facility w/ virtual golf simulator. Here are my playing experiences:

1. It's very accurate. I hit 220 - 230 yds w/ my driver in the simulator and the same out on the field. I used it to record my carry distances for each of my clubs.
2. It's a very good practice tool for your short game < 100 yds.
3. Graphics are just so-so.
4. There are some shots that cannot be duplicated in the simulator (bunker shots, deep ruff)
5. Putting can be a challenge. The simulator that I used had "gimme" distance of 6 feet.
6. One of the nuisance that I experienced was that I had to chase after the ball which bounced back from the projection screen.
7. Due to its inherent limitations it can't duplicate same playing experience as the real thing but close enough. I wouldn't mind playing 18 holes on rainy days.

My instructor said that it costed him about $50K to set it up. I would like to set up one in my home if I win a lotto.

I've got a cheap one that interfaces with a PC - it's a nice toy, but not good for much else, IMO.

There's an indoor place - Mulligan's Golf Center - and it seems pretty cool - much like mhchung described. The real plus is that it's licensed, so that if your round is shot, you can get hammered on the course, just like real life.

I play once or twice a month during the winter (Nov - March) on a simulator.

Basically the same feedback as mhchung - great summary by the way!!!

The other thing I found I had trouble with is judging distance on 1/2 shots. 20 or 30 yard shots I judge by visualizing the distance. A bit more difficult when all you have is a picture on the screen and a distance of 32 yards to the pin. I found it quite difficult to jusge those distances, but got used to it by about Feb. The only problem is that it will take me that long again to remember again!!!

__________________
Gord

Quote of the month:
"It's easy to see golf not as a game at all but as some whey-faced, nineteenth-century Presbyterian minister's fever dream of exorcism achieved through ritual and self-mortification." ~Bruce McCall

Many Thanks for all the replies !

I'm gonna try one of these out pretty soon. My m8 played it and actually LOST a ball!!!

What kind of scores were you shooting? I know, that it may be slightly 'inaccurate' because the gimme range was 6 foot, but that's my real life gimme range anyway !

What choice of courses do you have? Can you play St Andrews, Pebble Beach, Sawgrass etc...?

I'm not sure were getting this indoor golf centre in our town anymore. First it was supposed to open in October, then November and finally the 1st December. No advertising in the local paper yet so it's maybe all fell through. I thought it was too good to be true !

It's finally opened. I went and had a look this afternoon.

Looks amazing !

Apart from the golf course, you can also use the screen as a driving range. Full details of every shot are given; distance, accuracy, launch angle etc. And at the end of the session you can print all the data off.