Driving range vs golf simulator: Which is best?
Driving ranges have long been enjoyed by budding golf enthusiasts who want to squeeze in a couple of hours of practice without the need to head to the local golf course for a full eighteen.
Easy to use and even easier to finish - with no need to clear up any golf balls - thousands of golfers the world over regularly visit their local driving range. However, as technology has progressed, driving ranges have a new and potentially deadly competitor: Golf simulators.
Consisting of some of the most advantageous and innovative technology in sports today, golf simulators (like the Trackman Virtual Golf Simulator) offer a prestigious and hi-tech feel while also offering immense golfing variety when compared to their driving range cousins.
But which is truly best to take your game to the next level: A golf simulator or a traditional driving range? Let’s dive into the advantages of each, so you can make an educated decision for your golf game.
The advantages of a golf simulator vs a driving range
Freedom of location
It’s true, driving ranges are pretty easy to find. There are many scattered across most developed countries (the countries that have a big golf-playing population, anyway). That isn’t to say they are always the easiest to get to, though.
Depending on your location, it could be a considerable car, bus or train journey to get to your nearest driving range, which will undoubtedly put you off going altogether.
Whereas golf simulators provide the opportunity to fit in practice sessions and perfect your golfing craft from the comfort of virtually any location. As long as your chosen location can meet the minimum space requirements of the golf simulator in question, you’re good to go wherever you are.
Protection from unpredictable weather conditions
Most driving ranges do offer some protection against the elements, usually in the form of an overhead cover, or a second floor of golfing mats if you’re at a particularly large driving range.
But they’re still in the great outdoors and the rain and wind can still be a thorn in your side when you're hitting balls if they’re blowing right in your face, along with icy cold blasts.
But with a golf simulator, you can set it up indoors and enjoy a few “holes” in a controlled environment, without fear of the weather getting you down. Feel a little chilly? Turn the heating up as you play. Or if you’re starting to get a little hot, you can crack open a window or turn on the air con to help you cool down. You’re in charge.
Accurate golf analytics
Driving ranges are great for letting you blast the ball with all of your might using your driver, or hit a few short chips to help get your short game on point, and everything in between.
But beyond what you can see with your naked eye, they offer little else. Without specific information about your shots, you may not be able to make the adjustments you need to truly perfect your swing and take your game to the next level.
However, with golf simulators, all of this is possible. For example, the Trackman Virtual Golf Simulator uses advanced motion tracking and Doppler radar technology to precisely analyse your ball’s trajectory, offering instant feedback and detailed data on ball speed, ball flight, spin, shot accuracy and even swing mechanics.
That way, with all the relevant information to hand, you can apply the appropriate changes to your swing and lower your scores far faster.
Variety of courses
Let’s be honest, driving ranges are a little boring!
For a sport that takes as much advantage of the beauty of nature as golf, visiting the driving range over and over again can be a little repetitive.
You get the same mats, the same balls and the same view time and again. Nothing ever changes.
But with a golf simulator, you may be fixed in one location, but you get to travel anywhere you please through the power of technology!
The Trackman Virtual Golf Simulator, for instance, features a library packed with authentic simulations of some of the world’s most popular courses - including courses used in the biggest and most important tournaments - so you’ll never need to endure the same experience twice if you don’t want to!
You could be driving the ball down one of Scotland’s majestic fairways one day, while switching things up with a trip to sunny Miami the next. It’s entirely up to you.
The advantages of driving ranges over golf simulators
Enjoy the great outdoors
This is pretty much the only advantage we’re able to list against something as impressive as the more modern golf simulators.
If you’re someone who values being outside, there’s little that can compare with strolling along your favourite golf course. But the driving range might come close, given you get to enjoy some greenery and breathe in the fresh air.
Winner: Golf simulator
There’s no two ways about it, golf simulators are by far the most advantageous way to practice your swing if you want to lower your score.
Offering far greater insights into your game than a driving range could ever provide, you’re still able to strike the ball at your own leisure as you would at the range, while also benefitting from the wonders of modern sporting technology.
Explore the Trackman Virtual Golf Simulator at Black Box Golf
If a golf simulator sounds like the right move for you, you won’t go wrong with the Trackman Virtual Golf Simulator.
With Trackman products being used by some of the most famous names in the game, including the likes of Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods to name but a few, the Trackman simulator is your ticket to the most in-depth at-home golfing experience on the market today.
To find out more about the Trackman simulator, and other Trackman products stocked here at Black Box Golf, reach out to a member of the Black Box Golf team today and we’d be happy to assist you.