St Andrews Old Course: Best Sim Version Ranked

St Andrews Old Course is the one course every sim golfer wants to play. It does not matter if you have never set foot in Scotland. It does not matter if your swing would embarrass you on the first tee. The Old Course is golf’s origin story, and the urge to walk across the Swilcan Bridge, stare down the Road Hole, and three-putt from eight feet on the 18th is universal.

The question is which platform does it justice.

I played the Old Course on four platforms — GSPro, E6 Connect, TGC 2019, and Trackman. Three of them are worth your time. One of them is a waste of a download. Here is the breakdown.

The Contenders

GSPro — Crazy Canuck’s LIDAR Recreation

Crazy Canuck built the Old Course from LIDAR data. This is a free, community-created course available through the GSPro course library. It costs nothing beyond your $250/year GSPro subscription.

Graphics: 7/10. The LIDAR data gives you accurate elevation and terrain. The fairway contours are there. The greens have the right slopes. But the textures are GSPro-native, which means they look like a video game from 2019 — not a 4K photorealistic simulation. The bunkers are correctly placed but lack the visual intimidation of the real thing.

Accuracy: 9/10. The LIDAR data is the real deal. Every bump, every roll, every swale on the fairways is captured. The Road Hole bunker sits exactly where it should. The double greens are correctly mapped. If you know the Old Course, you will recognize every hole from the ground contours alone.

Playability: 9/10. The Old Course plays best when you can see the ball roll out. GSPro’s physics engine handles the links-style ground game well. Bump-and-runs play correctly. The wind affects ball flight in a way that matters. The Road Hole 17th plays as a beast — you can actually hit into the Road Bunker from the tee if you overcook a draw.

Cost: $250/year (GSPro subscription). The course itself is free within the GSPro ecosystem.

Verdict: The best overall value. If you already own GSPro, this is a no-brainer download. The LIDAR accuracy makes up for the mid-tier graphics.

E6 Connect — The Official Licensed Version

E6 has the only officially licensed St Andrews experience. This matters because E6 worked with the St Andrews Links Trust to map the course. The result is a version that looks and feels closer to the real thing than any community recreation.

Graphics: 9/10. E6’s rendering engine is the best in sim golf. The Old Course looks like a television broadcast. The water on the Swilcan Burn catches the light. The R&A clubhouse in the background is recognizable. The bunkers have actual sand texture instead of flat polygons. The difference between E6’s Old Course and GSPro’s is immediately obvious.

Accuracy: 8/10. The official licensing means the hole positions are correct. The green complexes are mapped properly. But E6’s physics engine is less punishing than GSPro’s on links-style ground play. The ball does not roll out as much, which softens some of the Old Course’s defenses. The Road Hole plays slightly easier than it should because of this.

Playability: 7/10. The Old Course was designed for the ground game. E6’s engine favors aerial approaches. You can still play bump-and-runs, but the ball does not react the way it would on a real links. The wind modeling is decent but not as nuanced as GSPro’s.

Cost: $300-$600/year depending on tier. E6 Apex is the premium tier with the best graphics.

Verdict: The best-looking version by a clear margin. If visuals matter to you more than anything, this is the one. But $600/year for a single course is a hard sell unless you already use E6 for other courses.

TGC 2019 — The Community Classic

TGC 2019 has a user-created version of the Old Course that has been around since the platform launched. It is one of the most-downloaded courses in the TGC ecosystem.

Graphics: 5/10. TGC 2019 looks like a PlayStation 3 game. The textures are low-resolution. The bunkers are vague brown shapes. The Swilcan Bridge is a blocky polygon. If you care about visual fidelity, this is not the version for you.

Accuracy: 6/10. The course is a fan recreation, not a LIDAR scan. The hole routing is correct and the famous features are in the right places. But the green contours are simplified. The fairway slopes are less dramatic than the real thing. The Road Hole plays noticeably easier in TGC 2019 than in the GSPro or E6 versions.

Playability: 7/10. TGC 2019 handles links-style golf reasonably well. The ball rolls out. The wind affects shots. The course is fun to play. It just is not the most accurate representation.

Cost: $995 one-time license. No subscription fees. This is the budget play if you plan to keep the software for years.

Verdict: The budget option. The $995 one-time fee makes sense if you play a lot of sim golf and want access to thousands of courses without annual payments. But the Old Course specifically is not the best version on this platform.

Trackman — The Official Trackman Version

Trackman’s version of the Old Course is available to Trackman iO and Trackman Performance subscribers. It is an officially licensed course built for Trackman’s ecosystem.

Graphics: 8/10. Trackman’s rendering is clean and modern. The course looks good but not as good as E6’s version. The lighting is more flat, and the textures are less detailed.

Accuracy: 9/10. Trackman’s version uses official course data. The hole positions, green complexes, and bunker placements are all correct. The ball flight physics — powered by Trackman’s radar tracking — are the most accurate of any platform. The ball rolls out properly on the links terrain.

Playability: 8/10. The Old Course plays well on Trackman. The ground game works. The wind matters. The Road Hole 17th is appropriately difficult. Trackman’s putting engine is solid, which matters on the Old Course’s massive double greens.

Cost: Trackman iO subscription (varies by package). Not available as a standalone purchase.

Verdict: The most technically accurate version if you already own Trackman hardware. But Trackman is a $20,000+ investment, so this is not a recommendation for anyone building a new system.

The Comparison Table

Platform	Graphics	Accuracy	Playability	Cost	Best For
GSPro	7/10	9/10	9/10	$250/yr	Value and accuracy
E6 Connect	9/10	8/10	7/10	$300-600/yr	Visual fidelity
TGC 2019	5/10	6/10	7/10	$995 one-time	Budget long-term
Trackman	8/10	9/10	8/10	Subscription	Trackman owners

The Winner

GSPro is the right choice for most people. The LIDAR accuracy is excellent, the playability is the best of the group, and the price is reasonable. You are giving up visual fidelity compared to E6, but the trade-off is worth it for how the course actually plays.

E6 wins if you are building a sim for entertainment purposes — showing off The Open to friends, running tournaments, hosting parties. The visual quality makes a real impression on people who have never played a sim before. It looks like a broadcast.

TGC 2019 is the budget play. The $995 one-time fee is the cheapest path to playing the Old Course in a sim, assuming you already have a compatible launch monitor. The quality is lower, but the course is still fun.

Trackman is the best version if you already own Trackman hardware. The accuracy is top-tier. But nobody is buying a Trackman to play St Andrews. They already have one.

Other Platforms

The Old Course is also available on FSX Play, GOLF+ VR, Awesome Golf, WGT, TruGolf Apogee, and Golfzon Wave. Each of these has its own version with varying quality:

• FSX Play offers a solid officially licensed version with good graphics, comparable to E6 but slightly behind
• GOLF+ VR lets you walk the Old Course in VR, which is a completely different experience — more about immersion than simulation accuracy
• Awesome Golf has a simplified version good for casual play and quick rounds
• WGT offers a free-to-play version with microtransactions
• TruGolf Apogee and Golfzon Wave have their own versions for their respective ecosystems

For detailed breakdowns of each platform’s course library, see our best courses on GSPro and best courses on E6 Connect guides.

FAQ

Which platform has the most realistic St Andrews graphics?

E6 Connect has the best graphics for St Andrews. The officially licensed course data combined with E6’s rendering engine produces the most visually impressive version. GSPro’s LIDAR version is more accurate in terrain but looks less polished.

Can I play St Andrews Old Course for free?

Not on the major sim platforms. GSPro requires a $250/year subscription. TGC 2019 costs $995 one-time. E6 Connect costs $300-600/year. The only free option is WGT’s free-to-play tier, which is a simplified version with microtransactions for premium features.

Is the Road Hole (17th) accurately recreated in sim golf?

GSPro and Trackman have the most accurate Road Hole recreations. The LIDAR data in GSPro captures the exact contours of the fairway and the Road Bunker. E6’s version looks better but plays slightly easier due to its physics engine.

How many courses are available on each platform?

GSPro has 1,500+ courses. E6 Connect has around 100 courses. TGC 2019 has thousands of user-created courses. Trackman has a curated library of officially licensed courses. See our golf simulator software guide for the full comparison.

Does GSPro have a LIDAR version of St Andrews?

Yes. Crazy Canuck’s LIDAR recreation of St Andrews Old Course is available for free in the GSPro course library. It is the most accurate version in terms of terrain and contours, though the graphics are not as polished as E6’s official version.

Which version of St Andrews should I play if I want to practice for a real trip?

GSPro is the best practice tool. The LIDAR accuracy and physics engine give you the most realistic ball behavior on the ground. Play a few rounds with the wind turned up and you will be better prepared than any other platform can offer.