How to Structure a Simulator Practice Session

You finish a session with a sore back, a full bucket count and no idea what improved. That's the symptom. It usually comes from one of four causes, and each has a fix.

Cause one: no job for the session

If you walk in and hit whatever club is nearest, the numbers on screen won't tell you anything. They're just numbers.

Pick one job before the first ball. Distances, wedges, or a single miss you want to shrink. A simulator can show a lot: depending on the system, measurements may include clubhead speed and ball speed, among others¹. That's a long menu. Choose one or two items from it and ignore the rest for today.

The page on gapping sessions is a good first job. So is wedge work.

Cause two: the space isn't ready

Poor practice often starts with a cramped or untidy hitting area. If you're worried about the ceiling, the net or the people nearby, your swing changes.

Garmin's manual for one launch monitor says to make sure there's adequate ceiling height and that nothing can block your backswing or follow-through². It adds that a net or enclosure frame should be padded to help reduce ball ricochet². Follow your own maker's guide for your own gear. Swing a club slowly in the space before you build anything, and keep people and pets out of the hitting area while anyone is swinging.

Never hit toward a bare wall or a window. Real golf balls bounce back.

Cause three: too many clubs, too little repeat

Hitting the driver, then a seven iron, then a wedge, then the driver again teaches your body very little. Each swing asks for a different move.

The rules of golf let a player carry at most 14 clubs³. You don't need all of them in one session. Work with two or three, and hit several shots with each before you switch.

Cause four: nothing is written down

Without notes, every session starts from zero. Keep a scrap of paper or a phone note by the mat. After the last shot, write the job, the clubs and one line about what you'd change. That's it.

A session shape that works

Here's a shape you can reuse. Change the drill and keep the frame.

1. Set up. Check the space, the net, the mat and the monitor. Our warm-up page covers this.
2. Warm up. Start with slow, easy swings and a short club.
3. Focus block. One drill, with a clear target on screen.
4. Play block. Hit a few shots as if they counted. A group game or a few holes of a virtual round can do this job.
5. Notes. Write it down while it's fresh.

If the session still feels flat

Check whether you've changed more than one thing. Maybe you picked a new drill and a new club and a new target all at once. Strip it back.

A simulator is for practice, instruction, club fitting and fun¹. Fun counts. If a session is a slog, shorten it or end it with a game. A short session you'll repeat beats a long one you dread.