How a High School Golf Simulator League Works
Golf is one of the high school sports that loses its facility five months a year in the north. Courses close in late fall, and a program that was competitive in May at the end of their season comes back next March having done almost nothing collectively as a team since last season.
Simulators answer that, and plenty of schools have already found their way to one, whether it sits in an auxiliary gym or at a course down the road that opens its bays on weekday afternoons. What has been missing is the part after the swing. A student hits into a screen, gets a number back, and that number goes nowhere. There is no competitive aspect, no reason to see numbers improve, and no drive to improve offseason growth.
That is the gap a golf simulator league fills.
What is a high school golf simulator league?
It is a competitive season played on golf simulators instead of a course. Students play a full 18-hole round each week on their own schedule, submit their score, and get ranked against every other golfer in the league that week. Points accumulate and standings build across the season.
The season is asynchronous, so there are no set match times and nobody travels. A golfer in North Dakota and a golfer four states away play the same course in the same week, on their own afternoons, and their scores land on the same leaderboard.
The weekly format
Students complete 18 holes each week in this asynchronous competition. The software captures their score with round analytics, then uploads it automatically into the league platform for that week’s submission. Each week, courses open on Friday at 5:00 pm CT and close the following Friday at 5:00 pm CT, giving competitors one week to submit their round scores.
Once the week closes, golfers are ranked against everyone else in their league and points are handed out by position. Those points carry forward, so the season standing is the running total rather than one good round.
How students compete
Golfers compete in individual stroke play for the inaugural season, with a boys and a girls division. Every student is ranked against every other student in their division, not school against school. Substitutes are not part of the format. If a golfer does not get their round in during a given week, there is no score for that week and the standing reflects it.
Who is eligible
Students in grades 7 through 12, ages 13 to 21, enrolled at the high school they are representing. Homeschooled students inside the district can participate with approval.
Golfers have to meet and maintain the district’s own eligibility requirements for GPA and attendance. We suggest a 2.0 GPA or higher.
Which simulators work
The league utilizes GSPro software, which is what makes the wide range of compatibility possible for the league.
- Trackman
- Garmin Approach R50 and R10
- Rapsodo MLM2Pro
- Foresight GC3, GCHAWK, and GCQUAD
- Bushnell Launch Pro
- FlightScope
- Uneekor
- ProTee
- Full Swing
- Square
- GolfTrak
- Nova
- GolfJoy
- 3Trak
If your golfers have access to a simulator, there is a good chance it is compatible. If you do not see your simulator in the list above, email [email protected] to confirm its compatibility.
The coaching question
The league is captain-led. Students coordinate their own weekly play and enter their own scores.
The rule we hold is that a person cannot coach the same group of students for both the simulator league and their official athletic organization’s golf season. An example being, a varsity boys golf coach cannot run the boys sim league at the same school.
Schools solve this in a few different ways. A staff member outside the golf program supervises and assists the captains as needed, or coaches swap across genders, or the golf coach stays supportive without taking an active coaching role.
Review your state association’s rules on golf coaching before you settle on who supervises. Every state we work in has a workable path, and we can help you find the one that fits yours.
The season
Important dates for the 2027 winter season:
- Registration: November 30th to December 18th
- Preseason: January 11th to 15th
- Regular season: January 15th to February 19th
- Hybrid Regional State Tournament: Saturday, February 27th
Registration and preseason bookend five weeks of scored competition inside a seven-week season. Qualifiers close it out at the Hybrid Regional State Tournament, playing three separate courses with one play-through each and a combined total deciding the winner.
Where this sits in your building
Golf simulators are used as a high-tech, STEM-connected activity, and in most buildings it lives alongside esports and drone racing. Contact us if you are interested in installation assistance. We are here to provide the full white glove treatment. Below are a few things to keep in mind when looking at a space for your facility.
- To hit from the center, and allow for both right- and left-handed hitters, at least 14 ft of width is recommended
- It is best to be 8-10 ft back from the screen while hitting. The minimum height required is 9 ft, while 10-11 ft in height is ideal
What it costs
Pricing is per school for the full season, with no per-student fees. Every eligible golfer on your roster competes for the same cost, so you are never cutting a golfer to stay inside a roster cap.
Pricing is flexible, and schools fund this a few different ways. Some run it through the athletics or activities budget, some through a booster club, and some through STEM or technology funding that the activity qualifies for. Sponsorship works well here too, especially with a local course or simulator facility, and we can point you toward the grant routes other schools have used. If you are interested in learning more, contact [email protected].
Starting without a simulator
A school does not need to own a simulator to compete.
Programs can run this through a local course with an indoor golf facility, a business in town with bays, or at home if a student already has a device.
Buying hardware is a separate decision from joining the league, and your golfers can compete this winter either way.
Getting started
Teams need to be created and registered in the Fenworks platform by December 18.
You can find the full league details and register on our Golf Simulator League page! 🐺