Golf simulator Putting

[Bubba22]

What are most folks doing regarding putting on there sim. You can either play the break on your hardware or setup the break on the software and play it straight on the hardware. I suppose you can do a combination of both. So, do you:

A. Play it straight on the software and hit the break on the hardware
B. Play the break on the software and hit it straight on the hardware
C. Combination of both

Interested to get everyone's approach to this. Tell us what hardware and software you are using.

[Richard_Askren]

B. no matter if I'm playing E6 or TGC. ProTee's putting sensor isn't accurate enough to do it any other way. When every putt's angle is rounded to 0,4,7, etc degrees for the path it just doesn't work to try to physically aim for the break. It can't even read the angles in between 0-4 or 4-7. So it's not practical to aim in the same way I would on a real green. I definitely would like to switch to hardware that can read the ball path/launch angles down to the nearest 10th of a degree.

[FaultyClubs]

>>> B. no matter if I'm playing E6 or TGC. ProTee's putting sensor isn't accurate enough to do it any other way.

Really? How is that given all the glowing reports we hear about the putting sensor and it's $1400 price tag? I used A with the Optishot and it worked great (well as good or better than anything else the Optishot did)...does A really not work with the Protee putting sensor?

[Richard_Askren]

Yeah, I don't recommend the A method with the putting sensor. The main sensor is more accurate since it will pick up the ball path down to 1 degree increments, but you have to take an awkward stance so you're not casting a shadow over the sensors with your head.

[Boerdoc]

B. For exactly the same reason as Richard. Though I see putts 2 degrees off not just 4 degrees.

[Richard_Askren]

Usually mine's 2 or 4 degrees off because I have the putting iterations set to 2 instead of the default 1. I just did some tests with it set to 1 before I made my comments. Couldn't get it to read any angles between 0 to 4 or 4 to 7. Also, I think there's a bug with the interface where the sensor gets stuck on an angle for a shot or 2. Where two different shots are obviously different ball paths, but it still uses the previous shot's path angle.

[Bubba22]

I have been using the ST for putting as well and use method B as well there. Which method do you guys think is better "practice" for putting even though as we know putting simulator practice is probably no better than practicing on a carpet. I suppose the only good thing about sim putting is getting a feel of what is 10 feet vs 20 feet. On the ST if you try to putt left or right, the numbers you get can be way off.

[Richard_Askren]

I think B is fine for practice. In my mind it's no different than turning my body to aim a shot on a real course. Putting is more about the speed anyway and the ProTee sensor works great for that. In TGC you still have to read the putt properly, too, to set a correct aim point in the computer. So I think that even helped me a bit on a real course. I actually imagined the grid lines and moving dots while golfing outside this summer.

[FaultyClubs]

>>>>I suppose the only good thing about sim putting is getting a feel of what is 10 feet vs 20 feet. On the ST if you try to putt left or right, the numbers you get can be way off.

Personally I find the speed of sim putting to be WAY off what I would expect from real life. The only thing I found useful was practice hitting it online (ie square club face) which worked with the Optishot but doesn't sound like it works well with the ST. In any case I think practising "on carpet" is better than any sim. I'm not sure sim putting practice translate well in any area to real life.

[Bubba22]

True Faulty howeve it's no different than having different green speeds on real courses.

[SDL]

I set the aim spot through the software and then try to hit the putt straight. This is actually fairly similar to what I do on the golf course where I aim at a spot and then try to hit the ball at that spot. Even on a real course, when I try to feel the break rather than aim at a spot, the results are inconsistent.

[Bubba22]

Now let's switch to chips or full shots. Are you guys doing the same or do you leave the target s th flag and chip/strike a a spot left or right of the target depending on your draw/fade bias.

[Dax]

I usually choose method b for both putting and chipping.

[Mxwoodman]

Most of the time I use B for putting and chipping

[Boerdoc]

I use B for chipping as well.

[mthunt]

B when I care and A when I can't be bothered and am playing crap ergo C.

[Bubba22]

Exactly what I do!

[keither5150]

Ha Ha..... me too! There are probably a few ghost rounds out there of mine that have me missing a 50 foot putt by 30 feet as a result.

[SDL]

Yep - method B for both putting and chipping.

[FaultyClubs]

When putting it is C depending on the green, the break and my mood. My preference is actually A and what I did almost exclusively with the Optishot and it worked great. Still haven't decided what is my miain approach with the GC2 (currently using PG).

For Chipping my preference is B although at times I'll do A.

What is all this getting at Bubba? Just a slow day...or something else?

[Bubba22]

No the reason I am asking is I find the putting accuracy off with the Skytrak. I tested every method as we had discussed his in the past. The most accurate was with method B. I also tested different different greens and the made a difference on the true roll.

[FaultyClubs]

Hmmm...actually reading the thread responses I wonder if people avoid A simply because their hardware doesn't work well with A so it isn't really an option. It seems from the comments that Protee and ST definitely don't work well with A. The only other system mentioned is the GC2 and in my testing so far it isn't clear to me that the GC2 works well either (although it might...more testing/experience needed on my part).

[keither5150]

I have a GSA CX2 system ( 2 camera, no club data) My system uses both cameras for ball path and speed. I can putt both A and B. During tournaments I usually use B unless it is a short putt with little break. I didn't think that I would like putting on a sim. but it is fantastic. I set up a proper putting area so I could compete in the tournaments. I thought that my handicap would go up with putting. It's actually gone down. I can see how it would be frustrating if not accurate. I have a spot on the carpet where I place the ball and 10 feet away I have a line taped on the carpet indicating straight. Works awesome. It all lines up with the pin onscreen.

[Richard_Askren]

Chipping is C for me. Combination of both.

[SFR]

For GC2 users I assume this is still the same but with the GSX set to 2, this triggers the reduction of off line if you are within a certain degree. I think it was 1.5 at one time and now reduced. What this was to help correct was the Azimuth of +\- 1 deg that the GC2 can read. So if left normal, there is a chance you can hit a perfect straight putt on your mat but the GC2 could read that as much as 1 deg either way off line. This makes sinking a 10 foot straight putt a lot harder than it should be. So the GSX set at 2 for putting would reduce any putt if it were (just for example use 1.5 deg) off line or less and make it a perfect putt as in straight. So if your weight was good and you read the break you should make the putt.

The only problem then to use your ball to aim your putt would be when you only want to play a little off line, like 2 deg to 1.6 deg. and leave the putt target on the hole, but you are off by a fraction on your off line putt and hit it just inside that number where the GSX takes off the off line and then you get a straight putt when you intended to be left or right by a bit.

This is where when in close you need to use the aim stick and putt straight as you can on the GC2.

If the reduction was off any off line amount it would not matter as much as you would always be reduced and you would be able to compensate for that when reading the putt line.

Without that GSX setting it was a lot harder to putt and is needed, just can't recall what the amount is set to.