New build: HD vs. AboutGolf vs. Foresight

[tcw495]

Hi, I'm looking to build a simulator in my garage and wondering what people's experiences are with High Definition Golf (Bryson seems to use this), AboutGolf (my home club is installing these) and Foresight sports.

Both HD and AG are in the $40-50k range for my setup, and the FS sim-in-a-box package seems considerably cheaper at $32k. I just want to get the best simulator in terms of reliability and accuracy of measurements and playing experience. I hover between a +1 to a 2 handicap to the extent that matters in these selections.

I eliminated FullSwing from my search because frankly there were some pretty bad reviews on here about it and their price was a bit higher than the others. I'm not at all tech savvy, so I'm looking for something that is 100% turnkey.

I'm leaning toward HD at this point unless there's some reason I shouldn't. The biggest drawback to me seems to be that you have to put reflective tape on the ball for accurate spin measurements, whereas AG sells special golf balls (including premium balls from the top brands as I understand) that already have the reflective markings. I would think putting tape on a ball would affect the strike and wear off somewhat quickly.

Thanks for your thoughts!

[tcw495]

One note to add: I'm also considering Trackman, but they haven't sent me a quote yet, so I'm not sure where their pricing will come in. I've also heard TM system isn't great if you don't have a lot of space between the ball and the TM. My garage space is 19 feet long so I'm not sure if that's sufficient.

[SkeetShooter]

I would recommend reaching out to Jay Lasco. He has an HD system and also has used all the different systems (including Trackman) a98cr125

I've heard nothing but good things about HDGolf from the stand-point of plug and play. I think Foresight requires a little more manipulation but it offers an amazing degree of analysis of your swing, flight, impact, etc.

Another option which is considerably cheaper, would be Uneekor EYEXO. Again, I would highly recommend contacting Jay. (He is mentioned in the comment above.

[GungHoGolf]

19' feet of room depth is plenty for TrackMan. That'd be my top choice, and the Uneekor EYE XO would be a close second and save $10K over the indoor-only TM4. Can build a killer garage studio with the EYE XO for around $17-21K (HD vs 4K projection) if you can do a bit of DIY installation. Give us a call or text to 512-861-4151 if you'd like some pro help going through your options. We have custom retractable screen systems that often work best in a garage.

[tcw495]

Yes, it's looking like the TM system for full turn key handled by them will be in the range of $55k based on speaking to their rep this morning.

[DS12]

While a TM system is top of the line, you would have to mark all golf balls indoor with a sticker or pay big $$ for the new RCT balls from Titleist. If I was looking at turnkey, I'd be more inclined to look at Uneekor EyeXO as that needs no ball marking and only club markings for club head data.

https://uneekor.com/collections/packages/products/all-in-power-eyexo-suite

[tcw495]

While a TM system is top of the line, you would have to mark all golf balls indoor with a sticker or pay big $$ for the new RCT balls from Titleist. If I was looking at turnkey, I'd be more inclined to look at Uneekor EyeXO as that needs no ball marking and only club markings for club head data.

https://uneekor.com/collections/pack...er-eyexo-suite

Honestly the TM specific balls from Titleist are more of a pro from my perspective than a con. The HD system also requires a piece of tape on each ball to measure spin.

[GungHoGolf]

Strongly agree. It's nice not having to orient the sticker in a certain direction when playing on the TM, and the RCT balls are extremely durable. Paying $5 or so per ball once every 2-3 weeks seems reasonable for the extra convenience.

[StalefishFS3]

If we are taking tcw495 at his or her word, and is "looking for something that is 100% turnkey", then the only two true choices are TM and Foresight. Uneekor is not turnkey - they will give you everything but you have to build it. While I think Foresight is overall better indoors, TM certainly is on par with it, other than spin axis issues. I don't want to derail this thread though with that debate. I know three people who have gotten the turnkey TM install, and all three have said their experience was great with TM. Expensive, but they are satisfied. And the ongoing customer support is excellent as well.

I don't know anything about Foresight's turnkey approach, but I would be slightly concerned about support post-install, given the reputation of Foresight.

In my opinion, the ultimate way to build a top-notch simulator in a dedicated space is as follows:

• You buy and build your high-end PC;
• You purchase the projector (laser, 4K)
• You purchase the other accessories, like TVs, stands, etc...
• You purchase the LM
• You purchase the software to use with the LM
• You purchase the swing cameras
• Have a professional design and install the enclosure, floor, screen, hitting mat, projector, overhead system (Uneekor or Hawk), sound system and all wiring connections to your PC.
• Have professional install lighting (track lights, dimmers, etc..)
• Of course, have professionals install the sheetrock, acoustic materials, soundproofing, etc..

Many of the above you can get used or refurbished to save even more money.

[tcw495]

GungHoGolf Do you have to replace the balls every 2-3 weeks? What's the reason for that, just that the covers get worn down that quickly?

[GungHoGolf]

We put a lot of shots on them in our studio. Usually they crack before the cover gets worn down. Either way, that's probably the average lifespan with a couple hundred shots a day.

[DS12]

Different golf balls have different life spans. The softer the golf ball, the faster it's cover will scuff causing potential damage to the impact screen. I was using a Cut Golf ball and it's cover was getting pretty torn up after about 100 shots (mostly irons and wedges which tear covers more). I've found Srixon and Titleist to have more durable covers and last longer for me, but everyone will have different experiences.

[Dax]

A couple of things to consider:

1. If turn key, then some of the options listed above might need to be crossed off the list, but depending on where you live there are some golf sim sellers that can do an install for you.

2. For me, a very important consideration for any system is the software. This will be the interface that you are always on and you want something that works and hopefully gives you all that you want.

3. Graphics of the sim software is also key (as is the cost that you will pay to get courses. Some are subscription based, some offer buy outs and some that currently offer the option to buy outright sound like they may be going down a subscription route in their next version release. If you don’t like the look of the graphics, ask when they will be updating (might want to get a commitment on that as updates seem to be very delayed in this business unfortunately).

4. If you can, test before you buy. I don’t know where you live, but hopefully you can demo the systems that you are really considering. I say this because I have access to TM, Foresight (QUAD and Hawk), HD Golf and have played on Aboutgolf in the past. There are differences between them all and for me, one stands out, one is a close second and the others I would not consider further (mostly based on my personal preferences).

good luck!

ps, I believe the current min dimensions for TM are a room length of 16.5 feet (however, I would say 7 feet from TM to hitting area and 10 feet of ball flight would be better - this would give you a foot from the wall for your screen and also account for the fact that TM will sit about 7 inches or so off your back wall).

[tcw495]

A couple of things to consider:

1. If turn key, then some of the options listed above might need to be crossed off the list, but depending on where you live there are some golf sim sellers that can do an install for you.

2. For me, a very important consideration for any system is the software. This will be the interface that you are always on and you want something that works and hopefully gives you all that you want.

3. Graphics of the sim software is also key (as is the cost that you will pay to get courses. Some are subscription based, some offer buy outs and some that currently offer the option to buy outright sound like they may be going down a subscription route in their next version release. If you don’t like the look of the graphics, ask when they will be updating (might want to get a commitment on that as updates seem to be very delayed in this business unfortunately).

4. If you can, test before you buy. I don’t know where you live, but hopefully you can demo the systems that you are really considering. I say this because I have access to TM, Foresight (QUAD and Hawk), HD Golf and have played on Aboutgolf in the past. There are differences between them all and for me, one stands out, one is a close second and the others I would not consider further (mostly based on my personal preferences).

good luck!

ps, I believe the current min dimensions for TM are a room length of 16.5 feet (however, I would say 7 feet from TM to hitting area and 10 feet of ball flight would be better - this would give you a foot from the wall for your screen and also account for the fact that TM will sit about 7 inches or so off your back wall).

Can you name names on the bolded statement and provide anymore detail on why you like certain of the ones you mentioned? I'm starting to lean toward TM now because, despite the added cost (I'm guessing their setup will be $50-55k), I've used TM a fair amount and will most likely continue to use the TM platform in other situations (my coach uses TM and I typically buy clubs at a Club Champion near me that's all TM sims). I also like the idea of being able to take it with me to the outdoor range in the warmer months. I'm not as concerned about the balls getting worn out since it'll largely only be used by me at home, so it's not going to get the massive reps that a SIM in a big box store gets.

[Dax]

TM is the one that stands out from the crowd at the moment due to its software and accuracy. The golf ball wear effects all sim owners, but some don’t like the metallic dot, which to be honest is sometimes a bit of a pain. This is resolved with the RCT ball, but to be honest pointing the dot up to the ceiling is what I find to be the easiest and it does make the all last a bit longer than pointing the sot to the screen. RCT ball is great though as it lasts longer, is a premium ball that most use, and does get captured spin most of the time.

The close second is Foresight (QUAD or GC3 - historically the GC2). I don’t like the software and the fact that it sits out in front of you with the need to move for lefties. I have young kids and having to move the unit and the risk of damage to the unit from the kids were key for me.

TM quirks - it still misses the odd putt (I found using a yellow ball without a sticker does has helped a lot for what ever reason - with a white ball and dot I will get around two no reads a round). I have not tried putting with the RCI ball yet. When you play virtual golf, you play the elevation of the course and for me it is hard to adjust for the different elevations as I play at around 3,500 feet of elevation. You cannot change the elevation in Virtual Golf (only on the TPS range).

[SkeetShooter]

Where are you located? I would definitely look into demoing before buying. And that also goes for Uneekor as well. There are several locations where you can try it out around the country. https://uneekor.com/pages/locations.

Another consideration especially as your coach/instructor uses Trackman is their session tracking. You can save your swings to your profile/user and your PGA pro can view them. However, this is also available for systems like Uneekor.

Personally, its really hard to justify $50K for Trackman vs $21K for Uneekor when basically every independent review out there has demonstrated that Uneekor is as accurate as TM or GCQuad. I'd just spend the money for E6 and TGC2019, with all that cash you would be saving. I mean, think about how many golf trips you could go on with that extra $30K?



My experience so far with Golfzon, Trackman, and AboutGolf have left me feeling that Trackman is definitely the "easiest" to use, however Golfzon is a close second, but the UI/Sim experience is a little corny. It feels a little bit like a late 90's-Early 00's video game from Konami or Sega.

AboutGolf is OK, but my experience with them was a bit minimal. A local club fitter was using it and they clearly were boosting their settings on it.

[Dax]

The only problem is that he was looking to take the TM to the range as well which you can’t do with the Uneekor (which I feel is a great alternative for people to consider as well). However, with the savings, a used TM3e could be purchased for around US$7k to US$11k (or other cheaper radar options could be chosen as well).

I think the $55k quote is for the TM indoor outdoor mode and would truly be a turn key solution which also seems important.