Best simulator for real Top-100+ Courses/How many real courses on TGC?

[chite]

I'm wanting to replicate playing real courses (like Muirfield in Ohio, Firestone, Bellerive, Prairie Dunes). What is the best simulator to get me a really good look at the top 100-200 courses? I see there are 80k courses on TGC, but figure that is so many that they must be computer-generated.

Every once in awhile I get to play some of the top 200 courses, and I like the idea of giving them a practice run at home first!

[mthunt]

Is there another sim software with 200 courses? There is a whole lot of junk in the 92000 courses in TGC. All you have to do is open course designer and auto generate a course and you've got junk. Having said that, there are so many amazing courses. The disigners are creating more and more real courses every day. Play Pebble, TPC Sawgrass or Augusta (called magnolia) and you'll be blown away.

[aja]

I think mthunt hit the nail on the head - Is there any simulator with 200 or more courses today? Only one I'm aware of is TGC.

Back before TGC came to golf sims I do remember being skeptical about the value of thousands of courses being available. There no doubt is a lot of chaff and junk among the 92,000 available in TGC. Most are designed for console play and are ridiculous for use on a golf sim. But we also know that there are some great designs that have been created by a small group of dedicated and talented designers who have also taken pains to make their courses suitable for golf sim use. We have to be thankful to them and I'm sure we're going to see more and more great designs.

The course directory that rdh has started is probably one way to identify the top designs and more playable courses. You can see it here: http://tgccloud.com/courses/GolfCourses_view.php

Other place to have a look is Canuck's favorite 50 from 2015: http://www.hb-studios.com/forum/index.php?topic=14059.0

Biggest challenge is to find the good ones, but I'm sure they are out there...

[ks-man]

Take a look at this thread:

http://www.hb-studios.com/forum/index.php?topic=13377.msg154200#msg154200

If the course has an asterisk then there is a shorter ProTee type course available. The ones without it are still playable but might be over 7000 yards and the greens might be challenging to play on a simulator. You'll have to find the right name to get the good version as many of these courses have tons of generated crap that were named the same thing (i.e. Pebble/Sawgrass). We can help you here find the right version to play. Typically if it has ProTee in the name that means that it is the good version and not an auto-generated course.

[chite]

Thanks for the advice. I keep looking at the alternatives and keep coming back to ProTee.

[FaultyClubs]

What is your timeframe? If it is today then TGC is your only option for that many replica courses. If you have a longer time horizon then PG will become an alternative as there are many courses ready in the wings with more coming.

[aja]

'Many' is as weak a descriptor as 'soon', as in the 'many' courses waiting in the wings. How 'many'?

Highly doubt that PG's course offerings will approach those available today in TGC, and I'm referring to the number of quality courses that are available, not the total number.

[FaultyClubs]

I agree all descriptors related to future are weak compared to something that exists now. As in 'future TGC improvements, or more courses coming or whatever'. So if someone can find something TODAY that meets their needs it is always better than hoping for tomorrow. Having said that, the future for high quality courses in PG looks bright. Based on the info I've seen it would be unwise to discount them. There are mega talented designers working in both environments. Time will tell how it all plays out.

[davray666]

Lucky for you you don't have to take anybody's advice on this particular topic. While some here claim TGC will give you the best and most realistic experience. I claim PG is by far the most realistic golf simulator software that you can get today. But you can buy both on Steam and play them on your PC and make up your own mind.
PG comes with a few real courses in the available early release package. TPC Sawgrass, TPC Boston and Medinah to mention a few. Find the equivalent course in TGC and compare.
All (that I have seen) real life course reproductions in PG are based on LIDAR height data from the real course. That means elevations and layouts are very accurate and realistic. I don't think TGC offers the tools required to create that level of accuracy.
As for amount of courses. I happen to know how many they are and have played quite a few of the ones that are not yet released. I can't tell you a number or when but I definitely don't need more than the ones that are already done.

[Bubba22]

Matter of opinion dav. PG is good but not as visually pleasing as TGC in my opinion. The latest TGC update has taken the visuals even better. It's gonna be a matter of opinion which is better. I agree that the best thing to do is buy both and try.

[mthunt]

A

Lucky for you you don't have to take anybody's advice on this particular topic. While some here claim TGC will give you the best and most realistic experience. I claim PG is by far the most realistic golf simulator software that you can get today. But you can buy both on Steam and play them on your PC and make up your own mind.
PG comes with a few real courses in the available early release package. TPC Sawgrass, TPC Boston and Medinah to mention a few. Find the equivalent course in TGC and compare.
All (that I have seen) real life course reproductions in PG are based on LIDAR height data from the real course. That means elevations and layouts are very accurate and realistic. I don't think TGC offers the tools required to create that level of accuracy.
As for amount of courses. I happen to know how many they are and have played quite a few of the ones that are not yet released. I can't tell you a number or when but I definitely don't need more than the ones that are already done.

Imagine having the best of both software packages? Wouldn't life be grand. PG hands down is better on the short game, real life penalities such as reduced spin from the rough and features and TGC imo has a better overall look and feel plus the courses. It's hard to beat the courses. It's a buyers market for sure. Both are very cost effective. You really can't go wrong either way.

[ks-man]

A

Imagine having the best of both software packages? Wouldn't life be grand. PG hands down is better on the short game, real life penalities such as reduced spin from the rough and features and TGC imo has a better overall look and feel plus the courses. It's hard to beat the courses. It's a buyers market for sure. Both are very cost effective. You really can't go wrong either way.

Agree with mthunt. I've played both games a number of times. I think PG does a better job with the short game and probably also the ball physics feel a little more natural to me. I prefer the aiming, zooming and camera angles of TGC better. The putting feels more realistic (or maybe just easier) with PG. The courses and variety though are significantly better with TGC. I love the CTP contests for PG and both have good online tournaments.

I think both have a lot to offer and I'll probably continue to play both. When friends come over, everybody wants to play Augusta so TGC typically gets fired up. I've already bought TGC and I'm sure I'll buy PG. While I know everybody feels differently regarding the pricing of these products but in my mind for what they offer, both are an incredible value. People can talk about how simulators are only for the winter months, however I intend to use it fully all year long. A real round of golf probably takes me about 6 hours after factoring in commute times vs. walking down to my basement and getting in 18 in 60-75 minutes.