are golf simulators realistic ?

I've never used Trackman, Quad or other measuring device. I've never struck a shot into a screen that simulates ball flight.
Why not ? I live in a 12 month golf season area with plenty of out door driving ranges nearby. If I want to see my ball flight I can do that on the course or at a driving range. If I want to know how far I strike a particular club I have a laser which measures the distance.
So, my experience with measuring devices and, or, simulators is from watching YouTube club review, club test videos. On these videos I sometimes see a guy with a decent swing striking 6 irons 200 yards and drivers 290 yards usually straight as well. This is from a decent swing, one I would expect to see on the golf course hitting about 10 fairways and 10 greens. Not a Tour playing professional swing, yet the machine numbers from the video read as good or better than the shots a Tour pro would produce.
And sometimes a beginner or one described in the video as a high index player will swing on a video and the measuring device/simulator numbers come in at 160 yard carry 7 irons and 245 carry drivers. These numbers are from a swing that (on a golf course or driving range ) would realistically produce crooked 130 yard carry 7-irons and 200 yard driver shots.
My understanding is that these machines have software which uses "impact data"to produce simulated shot results. My question is whether it's just too difficult for impact measurements to accurately simulate shots, or is it that the operator of the machine is able set it so that most all impact results produce relatively long, straight shots ?

I seem to actually lose distance on Trackman*. Whether that’s because I’m hitting off a mat, I don’t know (as until recent lessons I’ve hit my irons on the up, so any mat interaction could lose distance ?)

*I’m genuinely realistic about how far I hit it, and only worry about carry with irons, not roll out.

Depends on the device but if trackman wasn't accurate the pros wouldn't use it. They know their yardage s within a yard or 2. DJ uses it with his wedge practice regularly.

Borss said:

Depends on the device but if trackman wasn't accurate the pros wouldn't use it. They know their yardage s within a yard or 2. DJ uses it with his wedge practice regularly.

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Yes, I know some Tour pros use Trackman for their range practice.
Is there any reason Trackman/Quad would be more accurate when outdoors off grass lies than indoors off a mat ?
I am trying to understand how/why the YouTube video shot results are so different from on course shot results.

DG_1234 said:

Yes, I know some Tour pros use Trackman for their range practice.
Is there any reason Trackman/Quad would be more accurate when outdoors off grass lies than indoors off a mat ?
I am trying to understand how/why the YouTube video shot results are so different from on course shot results.

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I've hit inside and outside on trackman, GC, and in Callaway's camera based setups and what I've seen is consistent with what I see on the course.

DG_1234 said:

Yes, I know some Tour pros use Trackman for their range practice.
Is there any reason Trackman/Quad would be more accurate when outdoors off grass lies than indoors off a mat ?
I am trying to understand how/why the YouTube video shot results are so different from on course shot results.

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Few things - the carry distance should be the accurate but the total yardage will vary. The firmness of the ground is a setting - I use "medium" on the Quad and a 245 carry will roll out just over 270 if its in the fairway. Second, the mat used will matter a little - can cause the spin numbers to be a little higher than normal on steep iron strikes (maybe take away a yard or two).

For the most part, I think these launch monitors supply a solid representation of reality from what I've personally experienced. IDK, maybe these youtubers use juiced monitor settings or something? I don't put a great deal of stock in what numbers they get as we're all different. One thing I've come to realize golfing for so many decades, there are golfers with 'less than pretty' swings hitting the snot out of the ball and others who appear to be almost technically perfect who don't.

They are extremely good for carry distances. Roll out is another story. I have seen some of the guys with outrageous swing speeds have issues with accurate data with having a very low launch. But for Joe average the data is great. I catalog every new set I put into play. Then take them to the course. Spot on carry distances every time.

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DG_1234 said:

Yes, I know some Tour pros use Trackman for their range practice.
Is there any reason Trackman/Quad would be more accurate when outdoors off grass lies than indoors off a mat ?
I am trying to understand how/why the YouTube video shot results are so different from on course shot results.

Click to expand...

It would be more accurate outdoors because Trackman can track the ball through the whole flight and get you 100% accurate results. Inside, it tracks it for those couple feet and then uses that data and calculates distances.

Yes, there are settings where you can change temperature, wind, ground firmness and there's even a setting that can boost distance by fudging the calculations.

We have our GC2's set at sea level, no wind, 75*, and medium ground firmness.

Before I do any fitting I show everyone and tell them that it is in fact possible to lie to the customer but I give full disclosure and show them the settings I have set.

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I think the better/best ones are pretty darn good while many box stores through the years may have crappy ones. But even the good ones while I take most the launch numbers at face value (like spin, aoa, descent angle, ball speed, etc,) I dont take carry nor total distance quite as telling. There is no wind indoors nor does it vary like it does outdoors. Then we have ground conditions including firmness, slopes and hills,etc..
Not to mention out on the course we may be standing on uneven ground, more and less grass, etc,etc,

But remember a lot of the youtube vids are from professional ball strikers and not the average weekend hacker out there. So a lot of them do hit the ball far and even if they don't they most all hit them consistently well and near the sweat spots and especially in their hitting bays where they do this thing all the time.

But I also never seen a ball hit with an iron (say a 7 or 8 iron) on s im to a fake green actually stick or one/two hop and stop and especially hit and draw back. Not that I can do that of course but I do get the ball with a well hit 7 or 8iron (on the course and to a green) To not roll out half as much as shown on these sims. So total yardage imo seems to be long for that reason. I mean Im constantly hitting 7 (when they are good shots) 7 irons mid and upper 170's on the sims and even 180ish. But in reality Im using that club to 160 to 170 at maximum. If I get to 170 or more it will be the rarer great purer strike. Yet on the sims Im hitting low/mid 170's very often. Imo almost too often. I think much has to do with exaggerated rollout and just a little bit of some over stated carry. So cut the carry down just a tad and then reduce the rollout and in real life is about the 165 which is about normal for my decently struck 7iron. So to me its worth about 8 or so yards