Besides lessons, one of the best ways to get better at golf is to practice more and play more golf. But that’s not easy to do for most golfers, at least for those who don’t belong to private clubs open year-round or can afford daily green fees.
One solution would be to have your own golf course at home, so to speak. And that’s getting more and more feasible each year, thanks to companies like The Indoor Golf Shop. The Texas-based online retailer offers an industry-leading selection of residential and commercial indoor golf equipment, which includes a full selection of launch monitors and simulators from companies like Trackman, Uneekor, Garmin, Bushnell, Flightscope, Pro Tee, Full Swing, and Tru Golf. The company also offers projectors, wall padding, mats, and many other products to help you set up your own sim at home.
Jon Sherman, who is the founder of the game-improvement-focused Practical Golf, has been watching this space closely for the past decade. Sherman’s newsletters, website, and podcasts are all about helping golfers get better. And he discovered that having an indoor simulator or even just a launch monitor can play a large role in a golfer’s progress. Sherman has had a professional relationship with Rene Delgado, the founder and CEO of The Indoor Golf Shop and has been monitoring the evolution of simulators and launch monitors, especially home setups.
“A lot of content I’ve done on the game improvement side is to help people evaluate launch monitors, and how to practice with them,” Sherman said. “I hate people wasting money on this stuff without knowing what they’re getting into.”
Fortunately, golfers can find more affordable choices than ever before. Not long ago, you couldn’t get a decent home setup for less than $10,000, but now not only is that not true, but there are good launch monitors out there that cost even less than $1,000.
Meanwhile, it’s never been easier to do it yourself, both in terms of budget and simplicity. The Indoor Golf Shop offers everything from professional installation to do-it-yourself kits that are simple to set up.
“I think the DIY budget thing has been mostly solved,” Sherman said. “If you have a modest budget but want to have quality practice at home, you can get a net, an enclosure, hitting mats, and get everything done for less money than ever. For me, it’s about making sure people know what they’re getting into with the technology, like the launch monitors they’re using.”
For example, he lines out the importance of space needed for different launch monitors like a camera based unit versus a doppler radar unit.
“So just understanding the limitations of radar, I believe cameras are superior for indoor setups,” Sherman said. “I have used SkyTrak for years in a very limited space and it was perfect. I think that’s why companies like The Indoor Golf Shop are great because you can call them up, and they’ll tell you, ‘Oh yeah, don’t buy that one because that’s going to be a disaster in a small garage space.’”
Another great indoor option might be the Rapsodo MLM2PRO, which can be purchased for around $700. “I think the software’s incredible. And I would say their software is one of the best for the price point. And you can also integrate with GSPro.”
What he means is that if you add GSPro software, which is an add-on subscription to capable monitors, you’re bringing in hundreds of golf courses you can play in addition to all the practice modes, and perhaps, more importantly, the games designed to improve various parts of your game (like short-game practice).