Screen Golf
Screen golf is golf at a simulator — you hit real balls into a screen while sensors measure the ball flight and put a virtual course onto the screen.
Screen golf, also called simulator golf, is played in a hall or an indoor center. You stand on a hitting area, hit with your own clubs into an impact wall, and radar or camera technology calculates direction, distance and spin. The rest of the hole runs virtually until the ball is holed. Many facilities are networked, so you can compete against players at other locations or play the same hole one after another. Especially in winter, the simulator is for many golfers the only way to play complete rounds.
In practice, you book an hour at the simulator and play a virtual round alone or in a foursome on a replicated championship course. An example: in January you complete three simulator rounds per week, work on your Drive distances and head onto the real course in spring with current swing data. The measured values also help with club selection, because you see the dispersion and length of each club in black and white. For the Course Certificate or the official Handicap, however, simulator rounds usually do not count.
The most common misconception: screen golf replaces no course practice. Short game, bunkers, uneven lies and wind are missing or appear only to a limited degree replicated. The simulator is a supplementary training tool and a good winter alternative, not an equivalent round. Whoever keeps the two apart gets the best out of both worlds.
FAQ
Does a simulator round count for my handicap?
As a rule no — rounds at the simulator count neither for the course certificate nor as handicap-relevant rounds for the official handicap. The simulator is a training tool, not a recognized tournament or casual round. For your handicap, you still have to play on the real course.
What does screen golf bring me in winter concretely?
You can play complete rounds in winter and at the same time work with real measurement data: direction, distance, spin and dispersion of every club are there in black and white. Especially for the drive and the club selection, the data is worth gold, because you immediately see which club delivers which length. Whoever simulates three times a week goes onto the course in spring with a current swing feeling instead of starting from zero.
Does the simulator replace the practice on the real course?
No, and that is the most common misconception. Short game, bunkers, uneven lies and wind are missing at the simulator or appear only to a limited degree replicated — exactly the areas where most strokes are lost. The simulator is a good winter alternative and a supplementary training tool, but not an equivalent round. Whoever separates the two cleanly gets the best out of both worlds.