Golf Digest Says Sims Don't Work. They're Wrong.
They're Wrong.
The Short Answer
Golf Digest says sim golf does not scratch the itch. Tell that to 650 owners with a 100% buy-again rate. They missed the real reason sims work.
Golf Digest ran a piece called “6 reasons why simulator golf just doesn’t scratch the itch.”
I read it. I nodded along to most of it. The author has spent real time on sims. They’re not wrong about the things they’re right about.
The whole “scratching the itch” argument assumes the itch is the same for everyone. That the reason you play golf is the same reason the author plays golf. It assumes a weekend round at the country club is the universal ideal, and everything else is a compromise.
That’s a pretty convenient assumption if you’re Golf Digest.
Let’s go through their six reasons. I’ll give them credit where it’s due. Then I’ll explain why they’re building the wrong argument.
1. “There’s no fresh air”
Fair. Hitting balls in a garage is not the same as standing on the first tee with the sun in your eyes and the smell of cut grass in your nose. That’s objectively true.
But real golf doesn’t have fresh air in February. In most of North America, from November through March, the “fresh air” option means either freezing or staying home. And staying home doesn’t scratch any itch.
A garage with a fan and a space heater is better fresh air than zero fresh air. It’s also better than the indoor range at Golf Galaxy, which has the same recycled HVAC air and costs $15 a bucket.
So yeah, they’re right. But the alternative isn’t real golf with fresh air. The alternative is no golf. And no golf doesn’t scratch anything.
2. “You don’t get to walk the course”
This one hits different because I agree with the premise. Walking is part of the game. The rhythm of walking between shots is baked into golf’s DNA. You lose something when that’s gone.
The guys buying sims aren’t choosing between a sim and a walk. They’re choosing between a sim and a TV.
The average home sim owner in our audience works 50+ hours a week. They’ve got kids, a commute, a house that needs maintenance. They’re not skipping a Saturday round to hit into a net. They’re hitting into a net at 9:30 PM on a Tuesday after the kids are in bed because they haven’t touched a club in three weeks and their handicap is rotting.
Walking would be better. But walking isn’t available. A sim is. And a sim beats a TV by about 18 strokes.
3. “It’s not the same as real golf”
It’s not. Nobody credible says it is.
But this is the dumbest objection in the whole list because it’s not an argument against sim golf — it’s an argument against everything that isn’t a perfect round at Augusta. By that logic, why play a muni? Why hit the range? Why putt on your living room carpet?
The question isn’t “is it as good as real golf?” The question is “is it good enough to be worth doing?” And for the 650 owners in the Yardstick Golf survey who answered — 100% of whom said they’d buy the same sim again — the answer is clearly yes.
Is it the same? No. Is it worth doing? Absolutely. Those two things are not in conflict.
4. “It’s expensive and takes up space”
This is the only objection on the list I’ll fully concede. Sims cost money and take up space. A decent setup runs $2,000-5,000 depending on what you want. A great one runs more. And you need a room or garage bay to put it in.
But here’s what the Golf Digest article misses — the entire thesis of this site. The barrier isn’t technical or financial. It’s psychological. Most guys think a sim costs $20K and needs a dedicated building. They don’t know about the $699 Square HE that fits in a closet and sets up in 90 seconds.
The cost and space objections are real, but they’re also shrinking fast. Every year, the entry price drops and the form factor gets smaller. In 2026, the cheapest path to real ball data is $199 (Shot Scope LM1) for stats or $699 (Square HE) for a full sim experience. That’s less than a set of irons.
5. “You lose the social aspect”
Sort of true. You don’t get the nineteenth hole energy from a sim session. You don’t get the random pairing, the friendly trash talk with strangers, the post-round debrief.
But you get something else — you get to play golf with people you actually like.
The guys I sim with are my actual friends. We don’t have to coordinate a Saturday for months. I text them “sim at 8?” and they show up. We play 18 holes in 45 minutes. We drink beer. We laugh at each other’s bad swings. And then I’m in bed by 10 PM instead of stumbling home at 7 PM on a Saturday having spent $120 on greens fees and drinks.
The social aspect of sim golf is different from real golf. It’s not worse. For some of us — the ones with jobs and kids and limited free time — it’s better. And if you want that same energy with a schedule, a bracket, and people who show up every week, joining a sim league turns casual Tuesday nights into a season you’ll actually look forward to.
6. “It doesn’t measure what matters”
This one is just wrong.
The Golf Digest piece argues that sims measure ball data but not the things that actually matter — course management, pressure, the mental game.
I get the argument intellectually. A sim can’t replicate the feeling of a 3-foot putt to break 80. But it’s a terrible argument because it sets up a false choice.
Sims measure ball data better than any human eye can. The best launch monitors (GC3, Eye Mini, ProTee VX) give you ball speed, launch angle, spin rate, and spin axis within 2-3% of Trackman. That’s better data than any golfer in history had access to until five years ago.
And the mental game? You can play tournament sims. You can play GSPro’s stroke play mode with wind and pressure situations. You can play online matches against strangers. The idea that a sim can’t test your mental game is a relic from 2018. The software has caught up.
The Real Answer
Golf Digest is asking the wrong question. The question isn’t “does sim golf replace real golf?” Of course it doesn’t. Nothing replaces real golf.
The question is: “does sim golf make you a better, happier golfer when you can’t play real golf?”
And the answer, from every single piece of data we have, is a resounding yes.
Sim golf keeps your swing alive in winter. It lets you practice specific shots without driving to a range. It gives you ball data your granddad could only dream of. It lets you play with friends on a Tuesday night. And it costs less than you think and fits in spaces you already have.
Golf Digest is right that sim golf isn’t real golf. Nobody said it was.
But for the guy whose clubs have been gathering dust since November? For the dad who needs to be home by bedtime? For the working professional who doesn’t have four hours on a Saturday?
Sim golf doesn’t just scratch the itch. It keeps you from losing your goddamn mind waiting for spring.