So...I'm an idiot

[blackhatch]

When it comes to knowing anything about golf simulators.

I do have the space and I do have a decent budget (i.e. 5-7K max).

What's the best way to get educated on this stuff or to skip out on the mistakes that others may have made?

[shellman19]

I hate to break it to ya brother but start reading one topic after another on this site... Then read some more.... Then I would recommend reading some more! To expedite things somewhat... start with reading the "stickies" at the top of each forum your interested in. Lots of good info to start with in the stickies. Considering your indicated Max budget of five to seven thousand I think you might want to concentrate your efforts around a skytrak simulator setup. I think most on this site would agree that skytrak offers the best value for the money. At the $5-7 k budget you have indicated you're going to need a lot of sim equipment and a skytrak will leave you money to purchase the rest of your components.

[gnomike]

Very good advice here, blackhatch!

[BGCurtis2nd]

Best way to find out is go to the the pages setup for the simulator you are interested in, read through the post for that system and see what the complaints are and what in general is said about them. Check as many out as you can then decide which one you like best and don't get in a hurry.

[sherrow70]

I changed my mind about 20 times it felt like. I decided not to go cheap because I knew golf was hard enough and didn’t want to get frustrated with the hardware.

[blackhatch]

I changed my mind about 20 times it felt like. I decided not to go cheap because I knew golf was hard enough and didn’t want to get frustrated with the hardware.

Which route are you going and what does "not cheap" look like from a budgetary and equipment side of things?

[sherrow70]

Well I bought a GC2($4,500)good monitor($750), great computer($1200), great screen, turf, side and ceiling nettig etc. when I say cheap I just meant going with the higher end simulator. The sky track based on post and reviews is very good for the
Price but for me the delay and some other reviewers on this site pushed me in the GC2 direction. I pulled the trigger and have been very happy with the GC2. I just wish my golf swing performed as flawless as the GC2.

[sherrow70]

Also good mat

[Antony Chang]

It seems that GC2 also has delay like Skytrak as I read on the forum. I use Skytrak and have been bothered by its delay and some miss read. If the GC2 has much less delay and better read then I will try to switch to GC2.

[sherrow70]

I don’t notice any delay on my GC2 unless you call half a second a delay

[gnomike]

My 2 cents...

At 5-7K you have a decent budget, but not enough to go "free willy"... you'll need to make some tough choices. Shellman19 made a good suggestion with the SkyTrack in that it offers the best bang for the buck at around 2K, and that would leave you a decent amount for the sim room and all the other stuff.

Another route would be to spend the lion's share on a used GC2 and have a much better overall play experience, HOWEVER the sacrifice would be that you'd have to go very cheap on everything else. The advantage of this option, aside from the GC2, is that over time you could upgrade all the stuff you have to cheap out on... at a pace you and your budget agree on.

Don't forget to factor in the actual simulation software too. You'll likely go with TGC for around $1K one time fee (awesome value)

Where you can save $$$:
- Screen - DON'T cheap out IMHO. A great screen is about picture, bounce back, longevity, noise... you want to go high end... BUT you can do it more cheaply by getting on the "Direct from the Mill" list. If you don't have the patience to wait, then check out something like Carl's in their clearance/remnant section... top screens for about 50% less
- Stance mat - important, but there are cheap options to be had. A lot of courses have lots of old mats they would let go super cheap. You'll want to go to the maintenance guys and talk to them. If you talk to pro shop guys you'll likely hit a wall, but the greenskeepers could probably hook you up.
- Hitting strip / strike pad - also super important, but also an area where you can save. Check out some threads for DIY Divot Action and DIY TrueStrike.

Anyway, you get the picture. You'll have to do tons of reading, lol. Every tiny aspect of the build might seem simple on the surface, but as soon as you start investigating you'll have SOOOO many quesions.... but the peeps on this forum are awesome and will help you every step of the way.

[blackhatch]

Well...what this tells me is that I definitely don't have the knowledge or familiarity to make an informed decision at this point.

I will keep researching and thanks for all the feedback so far guys/gals.

[penrose]

skytrak is not just good bang for the buck - it works and his accurate. Now, I would say the better golfer you are the better it is but that can be related to indoor golf in general. For example, I have a friend who is decent at the game but hits many shots a little fat in real life. Fat shots in simulator golf really hurt you more - at least that has been my experience. I would go with a complete solution. try allsportsystems.com

[Mdsypher]

blackhatch I posted a break down of cost on my simulator room on a thread just below this one. (TGC vs. TruGolf) You are in about my budget. The one thing with Skytrak is the delay after you hit. 1-3 seconds. Can be annoying. Besides that I think it is well worth the money. You can find used ones as well. I am glad I went with it. Now several years down the road I might go with a GC2 or there might be something new out by then and it seems the prices are dropping everyday. So who knows.