GOLF FELLOWGuides · Updated 12 October 2026
Making winter simulator sessions count
A simulator session is only worth the time if you leave knowing something. Here is how to make the off-season useful.
Start with a question
Hitting balls to hit balls teaches you little. Before you start, decide what you want to learn. Some good questions:
- How far does each club carry, and are the gaps between clubs even?
- Which way does my miss go with the driver, and how wide is it?
- How consistent is my distance with one wedge?
Warm up, then record the real shots
Hit a few easy shots first and leave them out of your numbers. Then play a set number of shots with each club you are testing, and treat every shot as a real one with a target in mind.
Look at carry, not just total distance
Indoors, the roll after landing is modelled by the software. Carry is the more reliable number to compare against the course. Use it to build a club gapping table: a list of how far each club carries, so you know what to hit at 140 yards without guessing.
Look at spread, not just the average
An average distance hides how scattered your shots were. Note the shortest and longest, and the left and right extremes. On the course you play to the spread, not the average.
Know what the numbers can and cannot tell you
- Different simulators and launch monitors can read the same shot slightly differently. Compare like with like: the same device, the same setup.
- Indoor conditions are constant. There is no wind, slope or rough, so a good indoor number is a ceiling for the course, not a promise.
- Simulated rounds test your swing and distance control. They say less about course management and nerves.
Keep a record
One session means little. A record across the winter shows whether a change is working. Save the session each time, with a note of what you were working on. In Golf Fellow you can import a launch monitor session, and it will sit alongside your course rounds, so your practice and your scorecards tell one story.
Finish with a test
End each session with a short test, for example ten shots to one target with one club. Repeat the same test every few weeks. It gives you one comparable figure to follow all winter.
See where your own strokes go
Golf Fellow reads your scorecards and sessions, finds the part of your game that costs you most against your own handicap level, and tells you what to practise.
Golf Fellow for iPhone is in testing. Ask for an invite and we'll email you a TestFlight link.
Sources
This guide quotes no external figures. It is practical advice, not a rules summary.