October is the month of indecision. That woeful 3 syllable declaration that has impaired more than its fair share of swings in more than its unfair share of rounds. It’s that time, in Ontario anyway, when most of us decide whether and when to move the clubs from the trunk to the garage or basement or spare room. It’s the time we really don’t know if and when the snow will fly or the sun may shine. And though the beauty of fall colours abound, it is a predominately blue season for most golfers as the changing leaves are but another painful reminder of a season that will soon end, but alas there is hope – an option, an alternative, a means to a, well, at least not to an end.
Enter the golf simulator.
When it comes to the off-season, I often get asked what a player can do during the winter to keep their game in shape (heck, maybe even improve a little) and it is my advice (good, bad, or indifferent) that the winter is perhaps the best time to work on your game. Why? – because it is inherently without distractions. And a focused practice regime lends itself to results.
Oh yes, the golf simulator.
I stopped in at Oakville Golf to try out the new aboutGolf simulator. The original idea for this story was to look at ways to enjoy a round or two with some friends while the snow piled up outside. Step onto the Old Course in December and or challenge Pebble Beach in February type of stuff but found there was a little more going here. I’ll admit I’m not a techno pundit in that while I appreciate the numbers and the ‘ologies’ — the only real translation for me is in the performance. And the aboutGolf 3Trak technology performs. The system applies ultra-sensitive, high-speed cameras along with some very advanced three-dimensional algorithms for calculating ball flight characteristics that were, well, as accurate as I am (and I hope you translate that as equal to what I see on the course). This may explain why the PGA Tour has opted to partner with the company.
The visuals are great. High resolution 3D graphics are rendered electronically so that accuracy from all angles is achieved. Throw in 50 courses (and growing) and you have an extremely cheap airline ticket to many of the world’s famous tracks. And or you have just uncovered the ultimate golf video game.
Now this is a shot I'd like to try ...
I played 9 very quick holes. I did find the putting and chipping (as with all sims) to be a little tricky as depth perception in an artificial environment is always a feature that one must ‘dial in’ and get accustomed to. Nevertheless, the game-play was enjoyable, lest I say outright addictive as the time spent between shots was no more than the few seconds required to change clubs. In fact, it is probably an ideal place for a beginner to play their first round as it is free from many of the real world anxieties and comes equipped with an electronic caddy, if you will, providing yardages, penalties, options etc. Stephen Somerville, the owner of the facility in Oakville, mentioned that he had many ladies and couples using the system as they ‘learn’ the game and it made a lot of sense.
My preference would be to have a little fun with the experience and opt to challenge the infamous 18 where you tee it up high atop the New York skyline and other extreme and devilishly ‘unrealistic’ places. Sometimes it is more fun to do what you can’t – or better yet shouldn’t. Places where there is no par and intuitively no expectations.
The ‘real’ advantage to the aboutGolf ‘sim’
From the course I moved to the range. I know that is a little backwards, but remember we are in the virtual world where the sky is not near the limit. This is where the techno really shines in my opinion. And in answer to the above question around how one can improve during the off-season here is one very good way.
The numbers are accurate and from that we get instant, average, and graphical feedback to our yardages and trajectories. Want to know your yardages? Need to fix a gap? Want to test a hybrid against a long iron? Looking to test some equipment? This is your ultimate toy or tool to give the technology it’s due. There is even a web based login and means to have your info / session sent directly to you. Experimenting with a swing change? What better a place than a ‘closed’ environment. I’m no Science major but removing variables is a good thing, correct?
The possibilities are endless. Fixed only by your imagination and all of the things relevant to you and the things you’d prefer to work on.
As an example here is something I did while I was there.
On the range there is a short game option where you can set up a short shot to a green. Ok, so – set system to 50 yards. Now here is the problem (and the rationale behind the madness). If I were to hit this shot on the course I would simply ‘see’ the distance and then try to ‘feel’ the shot. Just like when one throws a football. There is no yardage available – if the receiver is 28 yards away, you simply perform an auto-calculation and air the ball 28 yards. And if he’s moving we calculate for that too. That’s the way I play anything inside of 100 yards and that is the way I have been told to do so.
To the contrary, there are teachers who promote the clock type option where we learn our yardages based on how far we bring the club back and through the ball. This theory takes the ‘visual’ calculation away and relies on a predetermined knowledge of just how far one hits a ‘half-swing’ for example. I am not very good at this shot as my tendency is to speed up the downswing in an effort (and I don’t know why) to compensate for the shortened backswing. We are all different so find what works for you.
Back to the system.
My goal was to intentionally remove the ‘visual’ aspect and focus only on my backswing distance and a smooth swing. In essence to ‘groove’ a clock-like swing that translates into 40 or so yards (leaving a few for run-out to the simulated pin). And it worked. In about 3 or 4 swings I was able to hit 3 straight shots to about 5 feet of a 50 yard pin. And I’ll take those results any and every day.
The challenge will now be to retain that shot in the muscle memory bank but should I continue to practice then I would find myself on the course with the invaluable power of a double positive the next time I am faced with a 50 yard pitch.
(a) I can see the shot.
(b) I have a pretty good idea of how the swing feels.
One very simple and easy way to improve one aspect of the game in the off-season. A little creativity and a very accurate simulator equals a putt for birdie. Unfortunately, it won’t help you putt. That is another story.
For an aboutGolf simulator in your area check out these locations.
And please call prior for individual location details.
