International Competition Comes to a Simulator Near You

Standing over the ball on the 192-yard 13th hole, I was 1-over and facing a pin tucked behind a bunker. A light breeze blew in off the left, but I couldn’t feel it. I pulled a 7-iron, aimed a few yards right of the hole and made a full swing. The ball launched high into the air, turning slightly left towards the flag and held its line. As I talked gently to it, making patient requests as I would to a toddler eating vegetables, the ball landed, bounced, and rolled into the hole. Ace. 

I jumped in the air, fist pumped and stared at the simulator screen with disbelief. Did that really go in? Then a title popped onto the screen: Hole-In-One! I celebrated, searching the simulator bay for someone – anyone – to high-five. But I was there by myself. I was competing against over 750 golfers for about $226,000 in prize money, but aside from the owner of the golf center, there wasn’t another soul in sight. 

Welcome to the NEXT Golf Tour. 

The NEXT Golf Tour is the first of its kind: a virtual professional golf tour played on simulators powered by Trackman, allowing players across the world to compete against each other on the same course, with the same conditions, at different times. Every competition is a one-round event played at a golfer’s convenience within a 10 day range. 

The rules are straightforward: players register, download an app, find a local indoor golf studio using Trackman, record each shot on video in the app, and scores and videos are uploaded to the leaderboard. 

When you browse the Order of Merit, you’ll notice a significant portion of the leading money winners are from European and Scandinavian countries. In the latest events, a couple recognizable Americans broke through. Not only does the winner on the Order of Merit earn a nice chunk of change, they also win two exemptions into Challenge Tour events, and one into a DP World Tour event. The leading female money winner earns a spot on the ANNIKA Women’s All-Pro Tour. 

The third Round (each one-day event is called a Round) of the NEXT season was played virtually at Taiheiyo Club Gotemba in Japan. Six players tied for medalist honors with 9-under 63s. The champion emerging from the group was Denmark’s Jonathan Gøth-Rasmussen, a DPWT member who shot 6-under on the back nine, and saved his best for the final hole. 

After a 328-yard drive, Gøth-Rasmussen hit a mid-iron into gimmie range (gimmie range is about 8-feet for simulator competition). The back nine score broke the six-way tie, giving Gøth-Rasmussen the title and a $50,000 check. 

Gøth-Rasmussen is fresh off a successful run at DPWT Q-school where he shot 14-under at the final stage, earning his card on the number. The pressure he handled throughout Q-school, he says, increased his threshold for performing in important moments. With an event coming up, and Denmark being too cold to practice, Gøth-Rasmussen decided to play the NEXT event. Playing alongside his brother, who caddied for him at Q-school, Gøth-Rasmussen lit up the back nine and his bank account. 

Tying for medalist at 9-under was Bjarki Pétursson, William Östlund, Wil Besseling, Chris Green, and long-time Korn Ferry Tour member, Vince India. While India didn’t win the back nine scorecard playoff, he split 2nd through 5th place prize money with four other players and picked up some “side game” cash, earning $14,886 total. Known for his ball striking prowess, India hit 18 greens-in-regulation to earn a $1,000 bonus. India is coming off a challenging season where he made 10 of 22 cuts, posted two top-25s, and was suspended for six months at the end of the season for betting on golf. He will be able to resume PGA Tour-sanctioned competitions at the end of March.  

Back to my round. 

After making an ace, I hit my tee shot on the 14th into the trees. Recovery shots from the trees played on a simulator can be a risky prospect. It’s a complete guess trying to determine how tall trees are and where branches are located. Rather than play a hero shot at the green, I decided to pitch out. I hit a wedge some 75 yards into the fairway and rather than land softly and stop, my ball started rolling. And rolling. And rolling. 

A large downslope ferried my ball to the depths of the virtual penalty area. I followed a hole-in-one up with a disastrous triple-bogey. More putting difficulties and inconsistent chipping (chipping on a simulator is hard), led to a 3-over 75. You have to comb through over 450 names before reaching mine on the leaderboard. The competition is deep, but the experience was fun; an encouraging introduction to virtual competition. 

The NEXT Tour represents something innovative in golf competition: the ability to compete regularly on an international stage without having to leave home. The low cost and minimal barrier to entry means anyone can play against accomplished players. Every shot in the tournament is recorded and available to be watched on the NEXT website. Players and fans can watch how the top players approach a hole and study their launch monitor data. This has also led to some questions and issues. 

During Round 1, some players were accused of using alignment aids. Because each indoor golf facility has a unique setup and some have alignment lines built into mats, the NEXT Tour made the decision that anything built into the simulator, or mat, and cannot be moved, is deemed legal. 

During Round 3, some players’ spin axis – a measurement to determine which way a ball is curving – wasn’t being read and applied to shots by their simulators. Because shots without a spin axis fly perfectly straight, some players had to replay their rounds making sure the spin axis was measured for every shot.

With so many competitors and varying designs of simulators, there will be issues. So far, the NEXT Tour has responded quickly and fairly. 

On the NEXT Tour, players are able to compete with friends, parents with their children, and men and women can play together in the same competition. Importantly, golfers who play well can earn a significant amount of money and win bonuses for side competitions. This is a tour that should become increasingly popular. 

Round 4 is underway at PGA West Stadium course, and Round 5 will be contested at Muirfield Village. 

Despite finishing 473rd in my first virtual event, I left feeling satisfied and excited to improve. That feeling is what keeps us coming back.

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