IRL scoring compared to sim scoring

[tlhammond5]

I know this has been discussed, but I can't figure Me the posts or threads.

Personally, I think it's more difficult to score on TGC than IRL. Don't get me wrong, I can shoot scores the same scores on my sim as IRL, but it's just not as frequent. For example... If I'm hitting the ball well, I'll shoot 65 - 70 on the sim and IRL. However, if I'm hitting it poorly IRL I can make up for it with my short game, but I have a hard time doing that on my sim. I'm hitting it quite poorly right now. My sim golf scores are suffering, but my scores IRL are fine. I find the short game very difficult on the sim. Does anyone else feel this way or is it just me? I know I've seen other posts about better scoring on the sim than IRL. Am I missing the sim short game secret???

[keither5150]

I play at least 10 rounds on the sim for every real life round. So I am considerably better on the sim. My Firs are pretty much equal. My short game is where I come up short....That being said, last winter I worked really hard on my driver to fix my slice. I also was working on my mid to long iron and woods. This winter I am working on my short game, mid irons approach shots and shot shaping. I have had noticeable improvement since getting the sensor mat. I am hoping that this spring my real life game will be a little closer to the sim game. We will see in the spring. I hope to take my RL handicap from it's current 9.8 to around 5.

[rdh]

There are definitely differences on the sim in some areas. From the tee to green, you're playing off of perfect lies every time. No slopes, no heavy rough (although the software penalizes on distance...but not the same)...no actual sand. That's an advantage. I also find the relaxed factor is an element...on the sim I am more relaxed and care less (it's not real)...so I swing more freely. On the short game...it's a completely different game. At first you struggle as you just don't have the same visual/feel. Depending on your math and calculation skills (not rocket science...but it's still the way to do well) you can either do better or worse on the sim than real life. I do really well as I can generally know how hard I need to putt for a given distance and can factor in the uphill/downill effect. I probably do better on the simulator than real life.

Long story short...when I first got my simulator I had been shooting in the mid 90s IRL...after shooting in the low 80s years earlier and then taking a long break from the game. On the simulator I was in a similar range that fall. Over the winter I worked on my game and by the spring I was scoring in the low 80s on the simulator. I went out that spring and shot in the high 80s on the "real" course...and after a couple months I was shooting in the low 80s. The simulator got it done for me...but it's not a magic bullet. It takes work and paying attention to the numbers and focusing on steps to improve. Awesome tool though.

[tlhammond5]

I play at least 10 rounds on the sim for every real life round. So I am considerably better on the sim. My Firs are pretty much equal. My short game is where I come up short....That being said, last winter I worked really hard on my driver to fix my slice. I also was working on my mid to long iron and woods. This winter I am working on my short game, mid irons approach shots and shot shaping. I have had noticeable improvement since getting the sensor mat. I am hoping that this spring my real life game will be a little closer to the sim game. We will see in the spring. I hope to take my RL handicap from it's current 9.8 to around 5.

Interesting thoughts. Maybe I just need more time playing sim golf. I've had a GC2/ FR1 setup in my home for over 6 years, but I never really played many full rounds until I purchased TGC. I have a really hard time from 25 to 75 yards, and I find the putting frustrating. When my full swing is good, I rarely miss greens. That makes the scoring much easier, but I'm struggling with my ball striking right now. I'm missing a lot of greens and I'm really finding it tough to get up and down. However, I find chips of 15 yards or less much easier than 25' putts. I'm a mess! Lol

[Miura Mario]

I play 10-15 shots worse on the sim but ill chalk that up to being a newb and putting which is actually the best part of my irl game and I havent figured everything out in the sim yet - my ball striking IRL is pretty crap so my short game saves me but I cant figure out the way the pitches/flops release and or how short/long to carry it - Im really visual on the greens and its tough to gauge in a video game. i think itll take about 6 months to figure out all of the nuances..

[mthunt]

I was the same. 3-4 strokes higher in the sim. It's all short game. Once I got used to it I started going lower. Putting especially.

[keither5150]

You guys will get the hang of the short game.... The nice thing about TGC is that when you want to work on your short game, you can hit autorewind and just keep dropping the balls. You can't do that IRL. One thing that will speed up the process.. Make sure that your green speed is close to what you play IRL. This makes it more realistic when the ball reacts just as it does IRL.

[Ryan5508]

I tend to shoot the same or slightly lower on the sims

[tlhammond5]

You guys will get the hang of the short game.... The nice thing about TGC is that when you want to work on your short game, you can hit autorewind and just keep dropping the balls. You can't do that IRL. One thing that will speed up the process.. Make sure that your green speed is close to what you play IRL. This makes it more realistic when the ball reacts just as it does IRL.

I think this is good advice! I find myself getting up to the ball, looking at the shot, and just hitting it. I don't pay much mind to the break of the green or elevation changes. I rarely use the scout cam before hitting a pitch shot. I always thought I was more of a fundamentals player on the course, but the sim game has made me realize that I rely more on feel than I originally believed. That's probably where I fail on the sim. The feel approach just doesnt work. Which is good! If you want to score, you must focus on fundamentals and technique.

I have fallen in love with TGC! It's definitely going to improve my game from a fundamentals perspective. My index is +2.6 IRL, and I can still shoot low scores when my long game is off IRL. I just can't do it on the sim. If I have one complaint about TGC, it's the spin out of the rough. I love the spin with full swings, as it helps me stop it. I'm just struggling to adjust to the spin on short pitch shots. I come up short so often. It's the feel thing! IRL I rely on the ball releasing. I don't get that on the sim. I guess I just need to hit more greens! Lol.

[goatbarn]

I would agree that a spin reduction should be added per type of rough surface you're hitting from...I don't think there is one in place right now, but I could be mistaken. If there is one, I think it should be increased...

I have never backed a ball up out of the rough IRL, but have many times in TGC.

[tlhammond5]

I was the same. 3-4 strokes higher in the sim. It's all short game. Once I got used to it I started going lower. Putting especially.

Yeah... I think I just need to take more time and get used to it. TGC is great!

[V8burble]

My handicap is -2 on the sim tour but in real life I play off around 20! IRL I'm a terrible putter and I hit the ball reasonable long and wayward so lose golf balls and get myself in trouble IRL but can normally recover in sim golf. That said, I have had the sim for 15 months and played around 300+ rounds on it so this summer will be my first proper IRL golf summer so hope to be getting down to <18 IRL.

[goatbarn]

+2 to -20!!!

Wow, you have really mastered the art of sim'in. That's a crazy difference.

My IRL handicap is 3ish, so the perfect lies/easy short game makes up about 3 strokes when sim'in. You've made up 23 strokes!

[keither5150]

Mthunt...... before TGC I was a 16-18 handicapper IRL. Last fall I ended up a 9.8 IRL. Since I last played IRL, I have improved my sim game by about 5 or 6 strokes.... I would say. So I am hoping to be a 5 or 6 HC this spring/summer. My differential between sim and RL would be about 7-9 strokes. I would guess. Whoops....Mthunt, I thought you were talking to me. Nevermind.....

[V8burble]

mthunt... During the past 15 months I have played about 300 sim rounds and 1(yes... one) IRL round where I shot 103!
For me, the differential is all the 3putts and the one or two card wreckers with lost balls etc. I am striking the ball better than ever so this summer I'll fund out what 15months of sim use has done to my game but I still suspect I'll be shooting high 80s. Also - I'm an incredibly nervous golfer so sim play suits be down to a tee.

[Bnorman58]

I have made big strides the last month or 2. I didn't play a lot af rounds up until a few months ago because I was hitting it poorly. I hit range for 10 hours one Saturday ( with a half hour break between) . I found something and started hitting it straighter and consistent irons to the greens. The most important thing though was just learning the feel for the 20-50 yard shots. Now when I miss, I get up and down I would say 70 percent of the time. Before I was so concerned and unable to commit to a swing from say 20 yards and would wind up playing tennis. That's actually where I lose a lot of strokes irl too.
Long story short, I haven't had the weather or opportunity to play irl since this improvement but looking forward to it. As of now I am playing about 10 strokes better that when I last played irl last fall. I know some of this will translate but like was said above, you have a perfect lie every time, do not have to hit out of heavy rough or sand or if you have a tree in your backswing it won't affect it and never lose a ball, it will be different actually dealing with all that.

[Bnorman58]

I will add the competition on the tour really helps my concentration. It also has helped my mental approach when things go south that I can bounce back.

[MainStGolf]

Hitting GIRs is a HUGE key to quality scoring in sim play. For me I'm better in sim play that IRL. I've shot par and -2 and the lowest I've shot outside in that same time frame is a 77 which was +5. I'm generally high 70s to low 80s when I'm playing pretty well. I can still get into the mid80s and 90s if I'm not outside. Of course I can do that on the sim too.