👀 The Three-Putt: 3 Golf Picks You Can't Miss

📰 Must-Read: Missing TGL already since it wrapped its inaugural season on Tuesday? Check out USAToday’s article, “TGL winners, losers: What worked and what didn't during inaugural season”

⛳ Must-Try: Our favorite retractable enclosure brand, The SportScreen is giving away a Pins & Aces golf bag. Head to their instagram to enter! 

👀 Must-See: I didn’t know how much I needed to see Tiger Woods do the Happy Gilmore swing before I watched this video. Exquisite. 

🔥 Sim Steals and Golf Deals

File under: “Things I’ll buy if I get a tax refund.” Your weekly dose of sim steals and golf deals is here.

⛳ 36 Holes a Day, Rain or Shine

When daily golf cravings hit hard, some people wait for the weekend. Others build a simulator and start playing 36 holes a day. This setup proves you don’t need a basement to bring the course home. We talked to u/IAmNotMcLovin to break down their set up.

What inspired you to install a golf simulator, and why did you choose your specific location (garage, basement, spare room, etc.)?

I have a habit of going full bore whenever I get into a new hobby—it tends to engross my life for a bit before it levels out. I picked up golf again last summer after a 12-year hiatus and couldn’t get enough of it. If it were up to me, I’d be on the course daily, but that’s not always practical. That’s how my wife and I ended up building a simulator. I now get to play 36 holes daily. We chose the only place in the house that met the space requirements: our enclosed patio/sunroom.

Walk us through your decision-making process—what factors influenced your choices for the enclosure, launch monitor, software, and other components?

The most important aspect to me was functionality, followed closely by cost. When I build something, I like to make sure I’m not sacrificing too many features just to save a few bucks. The SIG8 enclosure, for example, was—at least in my view—the most complete kit for its budget class. For the launch monitor, you can’t beat the Eye Mini Lite when it comes to features like club data and an impact camera, and I got a great deal during their Black Friday sale. All of the other components were chosen with aesthetics in mind.

What was the most difficult part of setting up your sim, and how did you solve it?

The hardest part was figuring out the deck layout. I knew I wanted a fully “turfed” look to make the hitting and landing area seamless and level, but I didn’t want to pay a premium to have the entire deck made of high-quality hitting material since most of it wouldn’t be used for strikes. My solution: build half the deck out of 4x8 plywood and 2x2 joists, then cover it in putting turf to match the height of the Country Club Elite 5x8 mat. I also added a Fiberbuilt Hitting Insert for durability. To finish it off, I raised the SIG8 enclosure to match the deck height by designing and 3D printing custom risers.

Where did you spend the most money in your setup, and do you think it was worth it?

The launch monitor and projector are tied as the most expensive components, which makes sense. I recently upgraded to the BenQ AK700ST—an insanely good projector—but honestly, my free projector worked fine too (just at a lower resolution). If I had to choose, I’d gladly sacrifice projector quality for a better launch monitor.

For those on a tight budget, where do you think it’s most important to invest in a golf sim setup?

Even on a tighter budget, I would’ve still bought the same launch monitor and enclosure. In my opinion, those two elements have the biggest impact on the overall simulator experience and shouldn’t be overlooked.

Bonus tip: hang a couple of cheap black blankets behind your impact screen. They block backlighting, make the image appear brighter, and help mute impact noise.

If money was limitless, what’s the first thing you’d upgrade?

If I had endless cash, I’d go all-in on a complete Golfzon setup just for the dynamic lie deck. You can’t get much closer to real golf indoors than that.

If you could go back and do it again, what would you do differently?

My biggest oversight was spending so much on the Country Club Elite mat. I could’ve built a wooden deck and stuck with just the Fiberbuilt hitting surface for way less money. Plus, I don’t even like hitting off the CCE mat—so that one was kind of a waste.

What’s your favorite part of your setup, and why?

The clean look of the entire setup. It made my wife happy and turned the space into a standout feature in our Fun Room, which now includes a fireplace, custom bar, TV, and workout equipment. Big shoutout to Shop Indoor Golf for making such a great quality enclosure at a solid price.

‼️ Launch Monitor Madness

In the spirit of March Madness, we’re putting launch monitors head to head—vote for your favorites, and we’ll share the final four next week.

🏌️TGL Recap 

The confetti’s still settling at SoFi Center, but one thing’s clear: Atlanta Drive GC just etched its name in TGL history—and they did it in the most dramatic way possible.

After Atlanta secured a win in Match 1 on Monday, the second match of the Finals was anyone’s game early on. Neither team scored until Hole 7, where New York took the lead—and by the 11th hole, Atlanta found itself trailing 3-0. But with all three Hammers still in hand, they had plenty of firepower left—and they used it brilliantly.

The comeback began on Hole 12, when Patrick Cantlay stuck his tee shot to 4 feet. Atlanta threw the Hammer, and New York declined. On the 13th, they threw it again after Xander Schauffele landed in the bunker. New York declined again.

Then came the dagger.

Atlanta threw their final Hammer on Hole 14. Billy Horschel stepped up and drained a 17-foot birdie to take the lead—and the first ever SoFi Cup. 

And just like that, the first season of TGL is in the books. Here are some memorable moments from Tuesday: 

Best Hot Mic: “This is my f—ing house!” - Billy Horschel after hitting his 17 foot putt and winning the SoFi cup. His recap of what happened after may be even better tho. 

Most Tense Moment: Things nearly boiled over on Hole 8 when Schauffele threw the Hammer just as Justin Thomas was about to putt—prompting a quick rules check. Officials ruled the Hammer was valid, but not before a little chirping and a whole lot of tension.

Best Shot: Other than the obvious 17-foot putt, we will give it to Patrick Cantlay on the 15th—his chip shot from behind the bunker on the 15th to make sure Atlanta kept their lead was stunning. 

It’s a no from me dog…

Recommended Read

Up & Down by Tim O’Connor

Explore your relationship with golf, mindfulness, and music with award-winning writer and Ontario Golf Hall of Fame Inductee, Tim O’Connor. Through his weekly essays, Tim shares insights that will elevate your game and mindset. Join 1K+ subscribers for empowering  3-5 minute reads and game-changing wisdom.

And don’t miss Tim’s podcast, Swing Thoughts.