So you've got a 23'Lx14'Wx10'H room and $15k for a simulator. What do you buy?

[chite]

I definitely want really good graphics.
I definitely don't want to have to mark balls or clubs.
I definitely want very little lag after the ball hits the screen.
I probably do not want to go with a floor sensor (like the protee), mainly so the room can be configured for other uses.
I probably want a ball and club tracker as I think that will help me improve my game the most.
I would love a curved screen, but realize this may not be possible.
I might want to be able to make custom courses, mainly so I can play my home course, but only if the graphics/game play aren't sacrificed.

Thanks in advance!

Chris

[RCorsa]

For $15K you'll be limited

[cspin]

$6,300............Foresight GC2 base unit [HMT club tracker adds $5,000 and busts your budget]
$ 900............TGC software
$1,500............Premium computer
$ 900............Premium projector 1080 HD
$1,800............Decent enclosure with premium (non curved) screen (assuming DIY install)
$1,500............Misc. parts, cables, mat, floor covering, etc.

Total = approx. $12,900**

*budget a contingency of $1,000
**plan on multiple hours of research, work, tweaks and trips to Home Depot

[drewtaylor21]

Sounds like TGC is your SIM of choice, with Par2Pro HQ screen based on the criteria.

GC2 + HMT = $11k at best

You could put together the rest for under $4k, but it'll be tight and I'm not sure it would meet your standards. Here are some rough estimates based on my own research/purchases:

CCE mat + hitting strip = $185
Enclosure (EMT) = $100
Projector = $800
Computer = $1200
TGC = $900
10x10 Screen = $350

Total = $14,535

The enclosure costs could change dramatically based on what you want, and HQ cost if you don't sew, but it's doable IMO.

[sdrthedj]

At $15k your are going to have to give up something. Is playing a course (simulator) or practicing more important?

GC2 + HMT and use ipad - gets your ball and club....save up for proper simulator computer and software
Flightscope Xi tour -- gets you ball and club....proper simulation is currently not available

The problem with club and ball data is somethng needs marked. Either clubs (HMT), or balls (Flightscope). Flightscope can be used outside at your range. GC2 can as well, but still simulating flight.



I need righty and lefty so would probably get the flightscope. If I didn't I would get a GC2, no HMT, and get a great computer and make the room really nice and enjoyable.

Having a great place to practice, that was warm and enjoyable is more important the HMT for me.

[andygg1986]

I have a GC2 and love it, but I can't see paying for the HMT. For me, I wanted realistic simulation and all that really matters for that purpose is what the ball is doing. I agree with cspin that it is going to be tough to get both the GC2 and HMT with everything else for under $15k, and you will still need to mark the club. You might be able to save some money if you can find a used GC2, but there are basically no used HMT's out there.

If you don't mind separating your practice and simulation experience, you could get a less expensive club tracker like P3Proswing and use that for practice. I have never used one, but it looks like it should show you club path, face angle, etc. You don't have to set up cameras like the Protee system, so reconfiguring the room should be much less of an issue. Then play your simulation rounds with the GC2 and TGC. Or you could spend a couple hundred bucks or less and get something like a Zepp or Skypro. None of those will integrate with TGC, but they might help you work on your mechanics. With something like the Zepp, you could wear it while you are playing your simulation round and look at that data on an iPad while the computer shows your simulation.

[aja]

I'll chime in with my pitch for a ProTee sensor, built in to a subfloor. You say you want to be able to use the room for other things. Having the sensor built in the floor doesn't prevent the room from being used for something else.

Depending on your golf abilities, club data may be just what you are looking for. As others have pointed out, getting both club and ball data is pretty prohibitive price wise.

If you are a high handicapper, then club data would be the most beneficial. That's my case and I have no regrets having gone with ProTee. It's very accurate and once set-up good to go. I haven't changed a thing with my physical install since I got it up and running a year and a half ago.

If you are a lower handicapper, then you probably already know what your club is doing but want to hone your strikes with ball data. Then look at the GC2. It's proven, but not cheap.

Back to the ProTee. You will want a golf ball friendly covering for your floor in any case if you are using the space for a gold sim or practice area. Subfloor, not much more than a few inches in height, and you've got a place for your ProTee as well as surface for carpet or imitation green. I could go on, but, you're going to install some kind of impact screen anyway, some kind of protection for the walls anyway, some kind of projector, anyway, etc. The subfloor for ProTee really isn't a show stopper.

The only thing that you haven't mentioned is wanting both rightie/leftie play. There you will have an issue with your room. It is likely too narrow for a centered sensor. That means that if the sensor is in the very middle of the room, righties and lefties will be flirting with scraping the walls on their backswings and possibly followthroughs. You'll have to offset the sensor to one side in order to allow for an unrestricted swing.

Hope this helps.

[chite]

Thanks for this. I did consider a subfloor. My wife is an aerobics teacher that will also use the room as a practice studio, so she'll need to be stepping in the middle of the room. We will also put small couches in the back that we intend to roll up for movie nights. I just didn't want to end up having to move around the center of the room.

As far as lefty/righty, my closest friends and neighbors are all righty, so I think I'm good. If a lefty comes along, I thought 14' was the minimum for both sides to play (I've read 12' requires shifting over, but not 14'). In any event, I can't go wider.

Thanks for your comments. I really appreciate all the input.

[mthunt]

Looking at your requirements, the thing you need more than anything is more money in your budget. Buy a Trackman4 indoor and it'll give you everything you asked for but it'll be a lot more. You only live once.

[chite]

Thanks, all. Well, I'm probably going to increase the budget and go with the head tracker on the GC2. I was a little deterred from hearing the GC2 sales rep tell me the TGC system was subject to a "Cease and Desist" letter, but then I came on here and realized that dispute has been going on awhile and probably isn't going away soon. My hope is that a license fee gets established, but don't know the likelihood of that.

By the way, I just played a Trackman 4 at the Ritz in Grand Cayman. It was really nice for everything but putting, which was atrocious. It was so bad that the pro there said he just turns it off. That's sort of an important feature when you are talking that kind of money.

[goatbarn]

The problem with the C&D letter is who is that letter to?

I bought my GC2 used (ie no contract with Foresight) and am just hooking up via Bluetooth. There is literally nothing that can be done, without my explicit willing participation, that will ruin that connection. The only thing that will stop TGC or PG from working is that Foresight sues PP or Swingsense. But both groups seem to have done their homework on that, and I don't see it happening.

It'd be impossible to stop if both those software weren't cloud driven, ie TGC server goes down, so do all the courses. PG's courses are saved locally, but the interface is connected to a server on PG's end, so it could be shutdown that way as well.

Also, doesn't TM4 require stickers when used indoors? Doesn't that break your rule #2?

For your budget the GC2 is the best option. But a really mint condition used one and you can circumvent their SDK fee as well. Retail is for suckers, as Kramer says.

[chite]

Thanks. Guess ol' Kramer might think I'm a sucker. But, I usually want the return privileges and latest tech. Plus, I don't know a good place to get a used one. That said, doesn't seem like a bad idea here.

Not considering a TM4, but I didn't see any stickers when I played it.

[mthunt]

I bought new. LOL

[goatbarn]

You sucker. lol

[mthunt]

I scratched it the day I got it too. lol