The quickest way to improve your game has been and always will be practice and lessons from a certified professional, but should you take your lessons outdoors or on an indoor simulator?
With all the advances in technology, it’s rare to take golf lessons today without the help of a launch monitor and video to analyze swing dynamics and launch characteristics. Golfzon’s indoor simulator takes that technology a step further providing you and your instructor even more features to help improve your game. Critical swing data from the Golfzon Driving Range (GDR) system and visuals make practice sessions smart, more productive and fun, helping you take your game to the next level.
Let’s look at some of the Golfzon golf simulator features and how they can help improve your golf game.
Golf Simulator Cameras
All Golfzon indoor golf simulator models feature a T1/T2/T3 sensor which are proprietary to Golfzon. The golf simulator sensor is paired with two high-speed cameras (up to 2,000 frames per second and up to 120 meters per second of ball capture speed) to accurately trace club movement as well as impact and ball movement. The GDR’s ultrahigh speed dual-camera sensor is easy to install, and it uses stereo vision technology to provide the most accurate data possible.
When you’re taking a golf lesson in an indoor simulator, it’s important to be able to not only feel but see the difference (large and small) in your swing. The GDR is equipped with a single or double swing replay camera. These cameras record and auto-save every shot you hit allowing you to view current and past lessons so you can compare swings. This is seamless and doesn’t rely on an instructor sifting through a sea of video files to find your swing.
Another benefit of Golfzon’s indoor golf simulator is it displays real-time ball flight metrics on the screen. By contrast, in an outdoor session you must rely on a launch monitor and step in and out of your stance to review numbers on a different screen entirely.
The benefits of immediately seeing your swing, ball flight and accompanying metrics allow you and your teacher to hone in on swing mechanics; make adjustments and provide feedback in real time. But the learning doesn’t stop after you leave the simulator. You can access videos of your swing with analytics online and via apps where you can also connect with other Golfzon members.
Uneven Lies Replicated by a Virtual Golf Simulator
If you play enough golf you know that the even lie you enjoy on the driving range is not the reality when it comes time to play a round. This makes practicing with the golf ball above or below your feet, uphill or downhill next to impossible. However, Golfzon’s indoor golf simulator changes all that.
A key differentiator with Golfzon’s golf simulators is the patented 8-way hydraulic Moving Swing Plate which automatically adjusts to uphill, downhill and sidehill lies. The Moving Swing Plate’s accommodates 360 degrees of directional movement – and up to 15˚ of pitch – to provide real world play by simulating course slopes from tee box to the putting green. Now, when you can’t stop hooking the golf ball if the ball is above your feet, your instructor can set the moving swing plate into that position. From there, you will be able to work on tough lies and get instant feedback like angle of attack, club face path and launch angle to correct that dreaded snap hook.
Within the Golfzon indoor simulator you can also work on shots from less than perfect lies. Again, getting lessons at an outdoor range is nice for perfect turf or grass lies, but what if you struggle getting the ball out of the rough, or you don’t know what club to hit from the rough? The multi-material tri-surface matt built into the moving swing plate offers fairway, rough and bunker-like lies. Each of these unique hitting surfaces provide an unmatched real-world feel.
You may know the general rule to ‘take more club’ from thick lies in the rough, but how much? Taking lessons in a Golfzon indoor simulator takes some of the guesswork out of the tough spots all golfers encounter out on the course. You and your instructor can analyze swing and ball data to know exactly how far you can expect to hit that 7-iron from the rough.
Gamification through a Golf Simulator
Whether you’re an aspiring pro, a mid-handicapper or a beginner, there’s a universal truth about practicing golf – it can be boring. Hitting ball after ball on the driving range takes concentration and it can become difficult to stay focused. Gamification is one of the tricks of instructors all over the world use keep their students engaged. Meaning, challenging students to hit 5, 10, or 20 shots to a target and award points.
Usually this requires setting up special nets or targets or even hula-hoops for chipping which can take time and space. Not to mention, beyond 100 yards, it’s difficult to even see if your golf shot has landed in the target area. And what about when you’re taking a lesson indoors into a net? Impossible.
With Golfzon GDR an instructor has a wide array of options to set the indoor golf simulator into a game mode where every shot can be seen, tracked and awarded points. If you’re working on pitching from 50 yards, your indoor golf simulator instructor can help you groove and feel that perfect 50-yard swing while trying to beat your previous best score. Keeping a score and trying to best it is one of the best ways to get immediate feedback and challenge yourself to improve and stay focused.
After a few lessons in a Golfzon indoor simulator you may have picked up a couple miles per hour in swing speed and want to challenge your friends to a long drive contest. No problem. With the Long Drive game you’re all set and with Golfzon’s auto-tee feature you can set your tee height and never have to bend down to tee up your next shot.
Club Fitting Using an Indoor Golf Simulator
Finally, a Golfzon indoor simulator is also a great tool to either ensure the clubs you have are working well for your swing or to get fit into clubs that better suit your game. There are a few benefits of having a golf club fitting in an indoor golf simulator.
First, the launch conditions are always the same versus outdoors where weather can be unpredictable affecting ball flight or club performance. An indoor golf simulator like Golfzon will give you the same hitting conditions every time. This is key for accurately fitting players.
While many indoor fittings are done with a launch monitor into a net or via another golf simulator, Golfzon GDR provides instantaneous ball flight so, much like hitting outdoors on a range you immediately see the ball launch in various windows. This is especially important for higher skilled players who like to see the window where a club is launching the ball. Typically, you can only see that window when you’re outdoors but with Golfzon that’s no longer an issue.
Lastly, no one wants to feel cramped and potentially alter their swing during a club fitting which can often be the case with smaller indoor golf simulators. Golfzon simulators are designed to provide ample hitting space regardless of how tall you are or wide your swing path may be.
Although nothing beats playing outside, limiting yourself to only practicing outside is a thing of the past. Immerse yourself in Golfzon’s array of game-changing features to improve your game in no time.