We're upgrading our sim. 🎉
Sim Weekly by Yardstick Golf
Good Morning, Golfer!!
We’ve got a hands-on sim spotlight this week…we’re taking you through our very own upgrade journey! Plus, we’ve got sim steals, TGL playoff predictions, and futuristic driving ranges on deck.
Let’s tee it up! ⬇️
🔥 Scroll for your internet golf find of the week
👀 The Three-Putt: 3 Golf Picks You Can't Miss
📰 Must-Read: Save strokes with better aim. These tips are straight from the mouths of pros.
⛳ Must-Try: Can you hit it closer than Anthony Kim, Dustin Johnson, Thomas Pieters and Thomas Detry? Now with Trackman, you can find out.
👀 Must-See: While you’re waiting for the Masters, check out this doc on Rory’s own Master’s wait that premieres March 30.
🏌️ Our Sim Upgrade
After spotlighting dozens of simulator upgrades in this newsletter… we’re finally doing one ourselves.
Thanks to Carl’s Place, we’re giving our garage sim a permanent upgrade.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll take you behind the scenes of the entire process — from where we started, to the design process, to the final build. Think of it as your insider look at what upgrading a golf simulator actually takes: the planning, the time, and the real costs.
Basically, we’re taking you from this…
…to this.
Now that’s a makeover.
But before Carl’s came to the rescue, we wanted to break down the budget setup we were running.
The Space
Like many golfers, we’re working with half of a two-car garage. One side still needs to fit a car, so space is tight.
Because of that, our first setup focused on being compact, affordable, and easy to move — a great way to test the waters before committing to a full sim build.
The Net
We went with the SimSpace Deluxe Practice Net + Impact Screen.
It’s sturdier than your typical Amazon practice net, and we were genuinely impressed with how well it held up:
Zero bounce-back
Side panels that catch most stray shots
A target attachment for accuracy drills
The big selling point, though, was the impact screen attachment. That meant we could project simulator golf without needing a full enclosure, which kept costs and space requirements down.
The Launch Monitor
We used the Square Golf Launch Monitor.
It’s small, lightweight, and firmly in the budget launch monitor category, but honestly it punches way above its weight.
Key perks:
Compatible with GSPro, E6 Connect, and Awesome Golf
Solid mix of accuracy and affordability
Simple setup
While it doesn’t capture as many data points as higher-end units, I’ve spent a lot of time on TrackMan at my club, and I know my carry numbers pretty well. The Square was within a few yards, which made it more than good enough for practice.
The Screens
For display, I kept it simple.
I run the sim through an old iPad (just download the app and connect to the launch monitor), and project everything onto an old TV.
Not glamorous — but it works.
The Hitting Mats
To create a bigger hitting area, I put two mats side by side:
I usually hit off the Bullseye because it has a nice cushion and takes a real tee, which makes it feel more natural.
Our Overall Thoughts
This setup was a great entry point into the simulator world. Affordable, compact, and surprisingly capable.
But after living with it for a while… we were ready to enter the big leagues.
Next week, we’ll walk through how we designed the new setup with Carl’s Place — and what goes into planning a real sim build.
Stay tuned. 👀
🔥 Sim Steals and Golf Deals
Top Deals:
Bushnell Wingman View Golf GPS Bluetooth Speaker | Now $179.99 (was $199.99)
Garmin R10 Golf Net Practice Bundle | Now $739.99 (was $839.99)
Optoma ZW350ST Golf Simulator Projector | Now $909 (was $1,299)
Optoma GT2000HDR Short Throw Golf Simulator Projector | Now $1,199 (was $1,499)
Wireless Display Adapter | Now $139.99 (was $149.99)
FlightScope Mevo+ Launch Monitor | Now $1,099 (was $2,299)
Galway Bay Claddagh Chino Rain Pant | Now $137 (was $229)
Galway Bay Corrib Golf Rain Jacket | Now $299 (was $449)
Back 9 Botanicals CBD TOPICAL THERAPY STICK | Now $29.99 (was $34.99)
⛳ TGL Playoff Predictions: Our SoFi Cup Bracket
March Madness is around the corner, and we’re not talking basketball. We’re talking the TGL SoFi Cup.
We dug into the numbers from the TGL regular season — scrambling, greens in regulation (GIR), putting, and hammer differential — to see which teams actually have the statistical edge heading into the semifinals.
Here’s where the data points, and who we’re picking to win it all.
The TGL semifinals are set:
#1 Boston Common Golf vs #4 Jupiter Links
#2 LA Golf Club vs #3 Atlanta Drive
Boston enters the playoffs as the top seed (4–1 record) and statistically the most complete team in the league.
Semifinal: #1 Boston vs #4 Jupiter
Boston leads the league in the two stats that tend to decide matches:
Scrambling: 71% (getting up-and-down after missing the green)
GIR: 70.7% (hitting greens in regulation)
Putting Average: 1.44
Jupiter ranks closer to the middle of the pack:
Scrambling: 64.5%
GIR: 66.5%
In other words, Boston hits more greens and saves par more often, which makes it extremely hard to beat over a full match.
Prediction: Boston advances.
Semifinal: #2 LA Golf Club vs #3 Atlanta Drive
This one is tighter.
LA is slightly stronger statistically:
Scrambling: 70.5%
Putting Avg: 1.45
But Atlanta has a key advantage in hammer strategy, finishing with a +1 hammer differential while LA sits at -2.
In a format where one hammer can flip multiple points, that edge matters.
Prediction: Atlanta advances.
Final Prediction
If the numbers hold, we get #1 Boston vs #3 Atlanta.
Boston leads the league in:
Scrambling
Greens in Regulation
Putting
That combination usually wins tournaments.
🏆 Prediction: Boston Common Golf wins the SoFi Cup.
Will you be watching the TGL Playoffs? Who are you rooting for? Let us know I the comments.
🔮 Is This the Future of the Driving Range?
A new concept range just opened in Essex, England, and it’s basically Topgolf meets a traditional practice range.
It’s called Golf Pods, and the setup is pretty wild:
30m x 30m tech-driven hitting bays
Premium Callaway balls
Left- and right-handed stations in every bay
Toptracer built into every pod
Instead of blasting balls into a huge outdoor range, you hit into a net just 30 meters away — while the tech tracks everything.
Players can:
Dial in carry distances
Track ball speed and shot shape
Play virtual golf courses
Compete in games like Closest to the Pin (or even Angry Birds)
In other words, it’s turning a driving range into a data-driven golf experience — but without the bar-and-party vibe of Topgolf.
It raises an interesting question:
👉 Is this what the future driving range looks like? Is this where you want the driving range to go? Let us know in the comments.
We’re only a month out folks…
That’s it for today, golfers. Stay tuned for more of our upgrade series!
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