Shinnecock Hills on GSPro vs E6 vs TGC 2019: Which Version Is Best?
Shinnecock Hills is a five-time US Open venue and one of the oldest golf clubs in America. William Flynn’s 1931 redesign created a course that combines Golden Age strategy with modern championship length, and the 2018 US Open proved it can still challenge the best players in the world. All three major simulator platforms have it, but the quality differences are as clear as the difference between winning the US Open and missing the cut.
GSPro (Winner)
The GSPro version of Shinnecock Hills is the definitive sim experience. The LIDAR scan captures the course’s most important feature: the ground contours that make Shinnecock a true links-style test. The crowned fairways, the collection areas around the greens, the false fronts that reject anything short — these are the features that define the course, and GSPro’s physics engine handles them correctly.
The 11th hole, a 158-yard par-3 over a valley to a green that slopes severely back-to-front, is the best test case. On GSPro, the bunker short-left and the false front work together to create the same strategic dilemma as the real course: you must carry the ball to the right spot or the green spits you back into a bunker. The 18th hole, a 450-yard par-4 into a prevailing wind with a green that runs away from the player, is equally punishing.
The community creators have done exceptional work on the details. The native fescue rough looks and plays correctly — thick enough to be penal, thin enough to make you think about going for it. The wind effects matter on this exposed coastal property, and GSPro’s wind physics change how you play each hole.
E6 Connect
E6 Connect’s version of Shinnecock Hills is professionally produced and covers the basic layout. The major holes are recognizable — the 17th with its massive bunker fronting the green, the 14th with the water hazard down the right side, the sweeping curves of the routing.
The weakness is in the ground game. Shinnecock Hills is a course that demands low, running shots into the wind, and E6’s physics model favors aerial approaches. The crowned fairways do not punish offline drives with the same severity as the GSPro version. The green complexes lack the internal contours that make Shinnecock’s putting surfaces some of the most difficult in major championship golf.
E6’s presentation is polished. The course looks good on screen, and the US Open setup is correct. But the strategic depth that makes Shinnecock a special course is flattened.
TGC 2019
The TGC 2019 version of Shinnecock Hills is a community creation. The best versions capture the general routing and the major visual features — the clubhouse, the windmill, the overall layout. But the details that separate a Golden Age masterpiece from a standard course are lost.
The fairways are too flat. The greens lack the internal movement. The fescue rough is inconsistently rendered. The course plays too easy because the penalty for a mis-hit approach shot is not severe enough. It is fine for a casual round with friends who have never played Shinnecock, but it does not simulate the experience of the 2018 US Open.
The Verdict
GSPro wins by a significant margin. Shinnecock Hills is a course defined by its ground contours, wind effects, and green complexity, and GSPro captures all three better than any other platform. E6 Connect is a solid second option with professional presentation. TGC 2019 is a distant third.
Shinnecock Hills demands a simulator that can handle the ground game. Only GSPro delivers.
Cross-Links
Read the full platform reviews: GSPro Review, E6 Connect Review, TGC 2019 Review. For the best courses on each platform, check out Best Courses on GSPro, Best Courses on E6 Connect, and Best Courses on TGC 2019.