Best Courses for Practicing Specific Shots

The driving range teaches you to hit balls. Courses teach you to play golf. The difference is context — shot shape decisions, club selection pressure, and the knowledge that a bad swing costs a stroke instead of just a do-over.

Here are the best courses on GSPro and E6 Connect for practicing specific shot types. Each section has one course that is the best option for that practice goal.

Driving Practice: Bandon Dunes (GSPro or E6)

Bandon Dunes is the best course for driver practice because the fairways are wide enough that you can focus on the shot instead of the penalty. The wind makes every drive a different challenge.

The course has four distinct driving challenges:

• Holes 1-6: Into-the-wind drives that demand a low trajectory and a draw to hold the ball against the wind. This is where you learn to hit a stinger.
• Holes 7-12: Downwind drives that let you see how far the ball carries and rolls in sim conditions. This is where you learn the relationship between launch angle and rollout.
• Holes 13-16: Crosswind drives that force you to shape the ball into the wind or accept a 30-yard offline miss. This is where you learn to hit a controlled fade.
• Holes 17-18: Pressure drives with the ocean on the left and out-of-bounds on the right. This is where you learn to hit the shot when it matters.

The goal is not to hit every fairway. The goal is to understand how your driver swing interacts with wind, rollout, and shot shape in sim conditions.

Play from the blue tees (6,700 yards) and hit driver on every hole except the par-3s. Keep track of how many fairways you hit and why you missed the others.

Full breakdown in our Bandon Dunes on GSPro guide.

Approach Shot Practice: Pinehurst No. 2 (GSPro, E6, Trackman, GOLFZON Wave)

Pinehurst No. 2 is the best course for approach shot practice on any platform. The crowned turtleback greens reject off-line approach shots. If you miss the correct spot, the ball runs off the green.

The course has approach shots of every distance:

• 50-100 yards: Holes 5 and 15. Short approach shots into greens that require spin control.
• 100-150 yards: Holes 1, 2, 4, 12. Standard approach distances with moderate penalties for missing.
• 150-200 yards: Holes 3, 7, 11, 16. Long approach shots into greens that demand precision.
• Over 200 yards: Holes 6, 9, 14, 18. The hardest approach shots, requiring a perfect strike.

The key practice metric for Pinehurst No. 2 is greens in regulation. If you hit 12 of 18 greens, you are approaching well. If you hit fewer than 8, your approach game needs work.

The course is available on GSPro, E6 Connect, Trackman, and GOLFZON Wave.

Long Iron Practice: Harbour Town (GSPro)

Harbour Town is the best course for long iron practice. The course is short by modern standards (7,100 yards from the tips, but most people play it at 6,500-6,700). The fairways are the narrowest on the PGA Tour. The greens are the smallest.

The course demands long iron approach shots. You cannot hit driver everywhere. The 4th hole is a 483-yard par-5 with a fairway that narrows as it approaches the green. The correct play is a long iron or fairway wood off the tee to a specific spot, then a mid-iron into the green.

The key skill Harbour Town teaches is long iron distance control. The small greens mean you must hit your number. A long iron that is 5 yards offline is a missed green. A long iron that is 5 yards short is a missed green.

Play from the blue tees (6,500 yards) and focus on hitting the correct portion of the fairway with every long iron. Full breakdown in our Harbour Town on GSPro guide.

Short Game Practice: Pacific Dunes (GSPro)

Pacific Dunes is the best course for short game practice. The course is a links layout on the Oregon coast, part of the Bandon Dunes resort rotation. The greens are firm and fast. The collection areas around the greens create every type of short-game shot.

Pacific Dunes has four distinct short game challenges:

• Bump-and-run: Holes 2, 5, 8, 14. Greens with open fronts that let you roll the ball in.
• High flop: Holes 3, 7, 13. Greens with bunkers or collection areas that demand a high, soft shot.
• Pitch from rough: Holes 1, 4, 11. Approaches from the fescue rough that demand spin control.
• Uphill/downhill: Holes 6, 9, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18. Greens with significant elevation change that make distance control on short shots critical.

The key metric for Pacific Dunes is up-and-down percentage. If you miss a green and get up and down more than 50% of the time, your short game is solid. If you are below 30%, you need work.

Pacific Dunes is available on GSPro as a community build.

Putting Practice: St Andrews Old Course (GSPro or GOLFZON Wave)

St Andrews Old Course is the best course for putting practice. The double greens are enormous. You will have putts from 50+ feet on nearly every hole. The course teaches speed control above all else.

The putting challenges on St Andrews:

• Long lag putts (50-100 feet): Every hole. The double greens mean you are rarely close to the hole on your first putt.
• Downhill putts: The 18th green has the Valley of Sin — a depression that collects balls that land short and funnels them toward the pin.
• Cross-green putts: The 5th and 13th greens share fairways with other holes. The breaks are complex and demand reading the slope.
• Short pressure putts: The 17th (Road Hole) has the treacherous approach, but the putts inside 10 feet are the most important. Three-putt from long range is acceptable. Three-putt from 10 feet is not.

The key metric for St Andrews is three-putt avoidance. If you three-putt fewer than 3 times in a round, your putting is solid. If you three-putt 6+ times, spend more time on the practice green.

St Andrews is available on GSPro, GOLFZON Wave, Trackman, and E6 Connect.

How to Structure a Practice Session

The best practice session uses a single course for a single purpose.

Session 1: Driving. Play Bandon Dunes with the goal of hitting 10+ fairways. Hit driver on every non-par-3 hole.

Session 2: Approach. Play Pinehurst No. 2 with the goal of hitting 12+ greens. Track your approach distance and accuracy.

Session 3: Long irons. Play Harbour Town with the goal of hitting every long iron approach to within 30 feet of the pin.

Session 4: Short game. Play Pacific Dunes with the goal of getting up and down 60% of the time when you miss a green.

Session 5: Putting. Play St Andrews with the goal of three-putting fewer than 3 times.

After five focused practice sessions, play a full round on Pebble Beach or Torrey Pines and see how the practice translates to scoring.

FAQ

What is the best course for driving practice on a simulator?

Bandon Dunes is the best course for driver practice. The wind makes every drive different, the fairways are generous, and the course has four distinct wind challenges.

What is the best course for approach shot practice?

Pinehurst No. 2 is the best course for approach practice. The crowned turtleback greens reject off-line shots and demand precise distance control.

What is the best course for putting practice on a simulator?

St Andrews Old Course is the best for putting practice. The double greens give you long putts on every hole, teaching speed control better than any other course.

Can you practice effectively on a golf simulator?

Yes. For ball-striking skills, a simulator is more effective than a real course because you get immediate data on every shot. For short game and putting, the data is less accurate but still useful for distance control.

Which platform has the best practice courses?

GSPro has the widest selection of practice-friendly courses including Bandon Dunes, Pinehurst No. 2, Harbour Town, Pacific Dunes, and St Andrews. The $250/yr subscription includes all of them.