Complete Sim Software: Ace's Tier List
Ace's Definitive Tier List
GSPro ($250/yr, 4K courses) best value. E6 ($300-600/yr) best graphics. TGC 2019 ($149) anti-sub. Awesome Golf ($15/mo) family. Complete tier list.
The Short Answer
GSPro ($250/yr, 4K courses) best value. E6 ($300-600/yr) best graphics. TGC 2019 ($149) anti-sub. Awesome Golf ($15/mo) family. Complete tier list.
A-Tier: E6 Connect
Price: $300/year (Basic, ~60 courses with monthly rotation) or $600/year (Expanded, 96 courses). Also a $1,000 one-time Home license that still requires a subscription for online play.
Courses: ~100 total. Officially licensed, professionally mapped versions of Pebble Beach, St Andrews, Spyglass Hill, and others. Quality over quantity — each course is hand-crafted, not community-generated.
What you need: Windows PC or iPad. Also runs on some Android tablets. PC needs an RTX 3060+ for the best experience.
Works with: Uneekor, FlightScope, Garmin, SkyTrak, Foresight Sports, Bushnell, TruGolf APOGEE — basically everything.
The verdict: E6 Connect is the premium option. The graphics are genuinely stunning — better than GSPro in raw visual quality, especially on a 4K projector. The ball flight model has 30+ years of refinement and it shows. Setup is genuinely plug-and-play: connect your launch monitor, open the app, play.
But the pricing is aggressive. $300/year for a limited course library that rotates monthly? $600/year for the full access you actually want? And some courses cost extra on top of that? I like E6. I respect the polish. But I can’t recommend it over GSPro for most people.
Who it’s for: People who don’t want to build a PC. People who want to play on an iPad. People who care more about graphics quality than course quantity. Commercial facilities who need the professional tools.
Read the full E6 Connect review →
B-Tier: Awesome Golf
Price: $14.99/month, $159.99/year, or $349.99 lifetime (occasionally on sale for $299).
Courses: ~15. Courses are not the focus. Game modes are the focus.
What you need: Windows PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android. Literally everything.
Works with: FlightScope Mevo+/Mevo Gen2, Foresight GC3/GCQuad, Bushnell Launch Pro, Garmin R10/R50, Rapsodo MLM2Pro, Square Golf.
The verdict: Awesome Golf is the most fun you can have on a golf simulator. It’s not trying to be GSPro. It’s not trying to simulate Augusta. It has 15 courses and twelve different game modes — closest-to-pin, long drive, wedge matrix, shooting gallery, approach shots. It’s the software you pull out when your non-golfer friends come over.
The practice modes are genuinely excellent. The wedge matrix tool is worth the monthly fee alone if you’re serious about dialing in your 50-100 yard game.
Who it’s for: People who want a family-friendly simulator. People who practice more than they play. People who want to pay $15/month instead of $250/year. Garmin R10 owners especially — Awesome Golf is the best software for that launch monitor.
B-Tier: TGC 2019 (The Golf Club 2019)
Price: $149-985 one-time purchase depending on where you buy it. No subscription. Ever.
Courses: 150,000+ community-designed courses. The largest course library in sim golf, but the quality ranges from “feels real” to “someone spent 20 minutes on this.”
What you need: Windows PC. Moderate specs.
Works with: SkyTrak, Mevo+, FlightScope X3/Xi, Uneekor, Garmin R10, Protee.
The verdict: TGC 2019 is the anti-subscription choice. You pay once and you own it forever. That used to be a bigger deal before GSPro came along, but it’s still meaningful for people who hate recurring payments.
The graphics are showing their age. The last major update was six years ago. The physics feel game-like compared to GSPro or E6 — smooth balls, forgiving rough, weird chip shots. But for $149? You get every course you could ever want to play.
Who it’s for: People who refuse to pay subscriptions. People on a tight budget who want the biggest course library possible. SkyTrak owners who don’t want to spend $250/year on top of their SkyTrak subscription.
Read the full TGC 2019 review →
C-Tier: FSX Play (and FSX 2020)
Price: ~$25/month (FSX Play subscription) or $3,000 one-time (FSX 2020 with 10 courses, then $200-700 per course pack).
Courses: FSX Play has ~100 courses via subscription. FSX 2020 has 10 included and 100+ available individually.
What you need: Windows PC. Foresight Sports launch monitor only.
Works with: Foresight GC3, GCQuad, GCHawk, Falcon. Nothing else.
The verdict: FSX Play is excellent software locked to one hardware brand. If you own a Foresight launch monitor (GC3, GCQuad), it’s probably the best software option for you — the integration is seamless, the club-fitting tools are unmatched, and the graphics are great.
If you don’t own Foresight hardware, this doesn’t apply to you. Move along.
Who it’s for: Foresight launch monitor owners who want the best first-party experience. Club fitters and coaches who need professional analysis tools.
C-Tier: GOLF+ Sim (Coming Late 2026)
Price: TBD. GOLF+ (the VR game) costs ~$30 on the Meta Quest store. Sim will be more.
What you need: Meta Quest 3 or Quest 3S headset. No PC required.
Works with: Compatible launch monitors via Quest link. Still being finalized.
The verdict: This is the most interesting new entrant in sim golf. GOLF+ Sim puts you inside the course instead of in front of a screen. You look down and see your putter. You turn your head and see the green. That’s a fundamentally different experience from hitting into a screen.
The killer feature is putting with stereoscopic depth perception — something no 2D projector setup can replicate. We reviewed GOLF+ Sim vs GSPro vs E6 Connect in detail if you want the full breakdown.
Who it’s for: Early adopters. People who already own a Quest headset. People who struggle with simulator putting and want actual depth perception.
D-Tier: OpenGolfSim
Price: Free. Completely free.
Courses: Practice range + limited course library. Growing via community contributions.
What you need: Windows or Mac.
Works with: Limited launch monitor support. Community-built connectors exist.
The verdict: OpenGolfSim is an open-source, free golf simulator. You can’t argue with the price. It has swing video capture, shot data visualization, a remote control app, and course-building tools. It’s genuinely impressive for a free project.
But it’s early. Course selection is thin. Launch monitor support is spotty. It’s not a GSPro alternative yet — it’s a free tool for people who want to see what simulator golf feels like without committing $250.
Who it’s for: Budget first-timers who want to try sim golf for free. Tinkerers and open-source enthusiasts who want to contribute.
D-Tier: Infinite Tees
Price: $19.99/month, $199/year, or $499 lifetime (early access pricing for first 100 users). 30-day free trial, no credit card.
Courses: Growing community library. Built via “Superintendent” browser-based course designer using LiDAR data.
What you need: Windows PC with RTX 3070 or better. Unreal Engine requirements are steep.
Works with: Nova by Open Launch only (officially). Open API for community connectors. More integrations in progress.
The verdict: Infinite Tees is the most visually ambitious new software — it runs on Unreal Engine with research-backed ball flight physics. The graphics are genuinely next-level. The lifetime pricing at $499 is appealing.
But it’s early access, and right now it officially supports exactly one launch monitor. If you don’t have a Nova, you’re relying on community-built connectors that may or may not work. Watch this space — if the team delivers on mainstream LM support, it could become a real GSPro competitor. It’s not there yet.
Who it’s for: Unreal Engine enthusiasts who like bleeding-edge software. Nova owners. People who want to bet on an early-stage product.
The Quick Comparison
| Software | Price Structure | Upfront | Yearly Cost | Courses | Graphics | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GSPro | Subscription | $0 | $250/yr | 4,000+ | ★★★★★ | Serious sim enthusiasts |
| E6 Connect | Sub or Hybrid | $300-1,000 | $300-600/yr | ~100 | ★★★★★ | Premium polish, iPad users |
| Awesome Golf | Sub or Lifetime | $350 (LT) | $180/yr or $0 | ~15 | ★★★★ | Practice, families, fun |
| TGC 2019 | Perpetual | $149-985 | $0 | 150,000+ | ★★★ | Budget, anti-subscription |
| FSX Play | Subscription | $0 | ~$300/yr | ~100 | ★★★★★ | Foresight LM owners |
| GOLF+ Sim | TBD (late 2026) | TBD | TBD | TBD | ★★★★★ | VR, putting improvement |
| OpenGolfSim | Free | $0 | $0 | Limited | ★★★ | Budget first-timers |
| Infinite Tees | Sub or Lifetime | $500 (LT) | $240/yr or $0 | Growing | ★★★★★ | Early adopters, Unreal Engine |
Which One Should You Buy?
Stop reading the comparison table and asking “what about my specific situation.” Here are the answers.
You want the best overall experience: Buy GSPro. $250 a year. 4,000 courses. Best physics. Active development. Done.
You don’t want to build a PC and you own an iPad: Buy E6 Connect. Plug your launch monitor in, open the app, play. It’s expensive but it works.
You refuse to pay subscriptions: Buy TGC 2019. One payment, forever. The graphics are dated and the physics are game-like but you’ll never see a “your subscription has expired” screen.
You have kids or non-golfer friends: Buy Awesome Golf’s lifetime license. The game modes are genuinely fun. Your wife will actually play this.
You own a Foresight launch monitor: Get FSX Play. The integration is seamless and the club-fitting tools are worth it.
You want to try for free: Download OpenGolfSim. It costs nothing. You’ll outgrow it fast, but it’ll tell you if simulator golf is for you.
You’re an early adopter with a Quest headset: Keep an eye on GOLF+ Sim. The VR approach is genuinely different — and might be the future of putting practice.
You’re a tinkerer who likes betting on new platforms: Check out our sim gambling guide — Full Swing Skill Strike, Lucra + Block Golf, Five Iron’s poker platform, and what’s actually legal. Or try Infinite Tees if you want Unreal Engine graphics with limited LM support.
The Real Answer
Here’s the thing nobody on the forums will tell you.
Most people end up buying two software packages. One for serious practice and course play, and one for when friends come over. That’s GSPro + Awesome Golf. Or E6 + Awesome Golf. Or GSPro + TGC 2019.
Don’t think of software as one choice. Think of it as layers. Your primary sim platform handles the heavy lifting — courses, practice, swing data. Your secondary platform handles the entertainment — game modes, family nights, the stuff that makes non-golfers say “okay, this is actually cool.”
Start with one. Play it for a month. Then decide if you need the second.
And whatever you do, use the free trials before you pay. Every major platform offers one. GSPro gives you 14 days of full access to 4,000 courses. E6 has a free demo on Pinehurst No. 2. Awesome Golf gives you 14 days. Infinite Tees gives you 30 days. There’s no excuse for buying blind.
The software is the brain of your simulator. A bad choice means you’re hitting balls into a screen with no soul and paying for the privilege. A good choice means you’re standing on the 18th tee at Pebble Beach at 11 PM on a Tuesday, and that’s exactly where you should be.
Here’s the link to GSPro’s 14-day free trial. Start there. It’s the best $250 you’ll spend on your sim.
Read the full GSPro review → GSPro vs E6 Connect → GOLF+ Sim vs GSPro vs E6 Connect → Best Golf Simulator Software Courses on GSPro → Best Courses on E6 Connect → Best Courses on TGC 2019 → Free Golf Simulator Software Options → Best PC for Golf Simulator (GPU Tiers & Budget Builds) → Browse all software reviews, comparisons, and guides →