Sim strategy for high school golfer looking to improve

[PinehurstBound]

I am new to the forum and I've been spending significant time researching - thx for all the great content. I'd like to explain what my goals are and I hope that the membership here will offer some opinions on whether I am heading down the right track.

My ultimate goal is to provide a better winter practice solution for both myself and more importantly my competitive high school golfer (with D1 dreams.) Also, I would like to play rounds of golf with more than one person at a time - fun for the family!

Being in New England, outdoor time can be very limited based on unreliable Fall and Spring weather. Important junior events ramp up quickly in the Spring and we seem to be late to the game so I am hoping this will help address that issue.

My budget is approx 5K all-in. Could I go to 6 or more? Possibly. But the currently approved funding level is 5K and that approval took time and effort.

My space is decent. I have a carpeted golf dedicated bonus room with high ceilings. I can safely use a 12' wide by 9' high enclosure. Leaning towards the 5" depth as a 10' depth would overtake the room. I can place the tee comfortably at 10-14 feet away but I don't think I have enough room (or $) for a Doppler type system.

So, my current plan..

SkyTrack
Buy/Build an enclosure with a 12w x 9h screen or thereabouts (room is fairly dark)
e6 software option
Projector - 16:9 or 16:10 (likely ceiling mounted)
Laptop
Mat for teeing area, not sure I need whole area since it is already carpeted?

Concerns...

* Will a SkyTrack provide enough data for my son to help him improve? He's a 1.x index, I'm a 10.x. I'm a little concerned about Club Path. Looks like e6 Golf estimates Club Path and perhaps that's the best I can hope for given my $ limitations.

* Is there another simulator I can buy used that I should really consider that would be a nice upgrade over a ST? ES16 maybe?

* I stumbled across PivotAction Simulator with e6. Should I be considering this as an option?

I'm not too concerned with being able to take the device to the range. I'm looking at one of those <$500 cell phone size options if we feel it's helpful to have some basic data while at an outdoor range. Of course, if I go the ST route then mobility is an option and perhaps I am not giving this enough importance? Maybe in the summer our ST would be the mobile tool and in the winter fixed in our bay?

So, thank you very much for reading and if you have the time to offer some guidance it would be most appreciative.

[andygg1986]

First off, I wish I had a simulator when I was in high school! I think you are on the right track, and it's good that you have a nice space already. I would definitely stay away from ES16. I'm not sure if you have seen the long thread on here with issues, but there are lots of people who question its accuracy. Skytrak seems to be the best option with a $5k budget. People sell used ones on here for around $1300 pretty often, so that might be something to consider. The club data that any software presents with Skytrak is estimated and probably should be ignored if he is a 1 handicap. There isn't an accurate club sensor in your price range unfortunately. I would consider adding a couple of cameras, one down the line and one face on, and using Kinovea software for swing analysis. There's a good thread on here about some $60 cameras that have decent performance. He probably has a good idea of what to look for in his swing, and can always save the video to show to an instructor later on. For software, E6 is more practice oriented, which sounds like what you are after. Courses are expensive so with your budget you won't have lots to choose from, but I'm not sure if that's a problem. For the mat, you don't need to worry about covering the whole area. It can make it look cooler, but isn't necessary. Fiberbuilt and Truestrike mats seem to be two of the preferred ones on here. Don't cheap out on the mat and get a $100 one off of Amazon. If he hits a significant number of balls he is likely to injure himself on a cheaper mat. If you have to cut back, I would start with a cheaper projector instead. Lastly, I think there is still some impact screen available on the direct from the mill thread on here. I highly recommend jumping on that even if you aren't ready to build everything. It is a top quality screen for about a third of the price that you would pay from a vendor.

[PinehurstBound]

Thanks so much for the feedback. I happened to get an email today from woot with the Optoma Technology GT1080Darbee Short Throw Projector refurbished for $579. I may jump on that - thoughts? Regarding the screen, I will look into your suggestion. I'm not sure yet if I am confidant enough to build the full enclosure from scratch or if I will buy one ready to go with screen included. Or maybe I can order the enclosure without the screen and order that via the Direct from the Mill thread. I am definitely not going to skimp on the mat. Regarding courses, I can definitely add course packs later...just trying to keep my initial spend under 5K. i hadn't thought about cameras so thanks for the tip there.

[StuartG]

* Will a SkyTrack provide enough data for my son to help him improve? He's a 1.x index, I'm a 10.x. I'm a little concerned about Club Path. Looks like e6 Golf estimates Club Path and perhaps that's the best I can hope for given my $ limitations.

If he can successfully work on his swing w/o direct measurement of club path outside - it wont be any different indoors. As long as you get a unit that provides accurate ball flight data (and the skytrack is pretty good for that), he should be fine. IF you ever do need to get good club data readings, the least expensive units would be to keep an eye out for a used Flightscope Xi Tour or X2. But that's still likely going to run from $5-6k. So sounds like definately outside your budget right now.

* Is there another simulator I can buy used that I should really consider that would be a nice upgrade over a ST? ES16 maybe?

The next step up (w/o club data) would be Foreight GC2. Used units can be found for ~4k. Certified Pre-owned directly from Foresight is ~$5.4k. And later on down the line (as the budget permits), an HMT unit can be added to allow the collection of club data (used for another ~ $4k).

I'm not too concerned with being able to take the device to the range. I'm looking at one of those <$500 cell phone size options if we feel it's helpful to have some basic data while at an outdoor range. Of course, if I go the ST route then mobility is an option and perhaps I am not giving this enough importance? Maybe in the summer our ST would be the mobile tool and in the winter fixed in our bay?

It completely depends on what data you're interested on the range. Flightscope MEVO has some limitations, but is reportedly a decent unit for the cost ($500) for basic info: ball speed, spin (but no spin axis so not usable for a sim), club head speed, and distance. So can be useful when you can see the full ball flight.

[PinehurstBound]

Thanks for your feedback. I did consider a used Flightscope xiTour but the space requirement 13+8 is about 2' too long. I could do 10 + 8 but that's it. I know there is a short mode but I can only assume you are giving up some accuracy. I'll take a closer look at a used GC2. I like your comment about working on your swing outside...great point!

[StuartG]

I'm not aware of any significant reduction in accuracy for the short indoor mode but I haven't seen any actual data either way. It also makes it easier (than ST or GC2) for the sim to handle both LH and RH players for the same session. However, the other potential downside to the flightscope (other than the room size) with respect to sim use is that it wont allow putting and short chips (unless you go big bucks for the X3). But, essentially that's the trade-off you get for getting the club data. So it comes down to your priorities.

[Ronsc1985]

My advice would be to buy a used GC2 and an FR1 dongle. With that you can put up on a computer screen the simulation ball flight. Later on you can get a projector and screen if you desire. The FR1 software with courses and range can be obtained pretty much for free from various forum members.

[triplebogeysrbetter]

Was in the same position last winter. Please PM if wanted and I can share our journey.