help me plan my garage sim please!

[Bnorman58]

Turn on interface
check settings, they are always the same since I have good USB extension cables, good lighting and good background
start tgc

[Tonyd9366]

That's great information to pass on. Thanks protee united!!!!

[Bnorman58]

My settings actually stay the same no matter how many times I turn on and off my computer. I'm telling you, it's all about the USB extenders! USB 3 with good repeater. Haven't lost settings in the 8 months since.

[Tonyd9366]

Man, Bill I wish I knew that before. The repeter cable that came with protee must not have been that good then. I lost settings all the time and always had to tinker with it. It would always take me 15 to 20 min to get the thing to work. Oh well, water under the bridge now. I sold my hardware and now have the gc2. Big price to pay... but overall I'm happy... lucky for me par2pro had an excellent conditioned used gc2.

[Bnorman58]

So back to the original subject. There is a ProTee system on here that is an absolute steal! I suggest pulling the trigger on it right away! I promise, you wont be sorry and I promise I will do everything I can to help. If you go that route feel free to PM me. I have so many lessons learned and I am absolutely amazed at the system and the information it give you and the accuracy. I would not mislead a fewllow Minnesotan (though I am a transplant now). Go Vikings!

[morrisad]

I'm assuming you mean the one being sold by Ryan? I messaged him just now... first time I'd checked out the "For Sale" forum. I'm not a native Minnesotan (grew up in Iowa) and I don't care much about the Vikings, but I do love the golf here! One question... are there good stance mats to buy that integrate the cutout and putting sensor for Protee? Trying to avoid "jerry-rigging" as much as possible as I'm just not that handy.

[Tonyd9366]

Go for it Morris. Bill is a great resource and he has been thru it all. We both have actually. If he's willing to help and you get the protee system that he mentioned that will suit your needs go for it.

[wbond]

Well I've had the complete opposite with the skytrak. Hitting three times to register, not even close. I don't even think I've had three no reads on over two years. Half of side spin, God I wish I would get half of the side spin. i play a draw in real life and it's easily replicated here. Point is if you're going for both left and right play, protee is the best bet. Otherwise it will come down to money if you can afford it go with a gc2, if not skytrak is an option. It's not a toy by any stretch, that would be an optishot.

[morrisad]

Almost everything I read about SkyTrak has been positive, if not for having a lefty son it would be at the top of the pile.

[Tonyd9366]

Agreed optishot is a toy. My neighbor got one and it's not even close. I've been say all along here since the start of this post that protee would be the best option especially now since Morris will be getting help from experienced guys that either have had it or currently do. Especially with the dexterity issue.. and there are some systems out there for sale at a steal..

[morrisad]

Wow, thanks for all the opinions and discussion here guys. Obviously people have had different experiences with different equipment but I think with some care and technical acumen any of the systems discussed can give good results. For now I'm still leaning towards Protee, mainly due to the handedness issue. There is a window on the other side of the garage but I should be able to control the lighting quite easily. I do wonder about the longevity and quality of the hitting surface however. I think I read that it's a Fiber Built surface, which like most things "golf sim" has both supporters and detractors. People keep talking about Protee like it's a cheaper option than GC2, am I wrong that Protee will run roughly $5-6k with TGC and the putting sensor? That's as much or more than a used GC2 (non-HMT) and close to the price of a new GC2 isn't it?

Suffice to say no matter what I choose, I'll have great resources to help me with purchase and setup. Unfortunately I'm not sure how quickly I'll be able to start this project as we don't have a yard or landscaping yet (or a driveway for that matter), so it's going to be tough to clear out the area and start really drawing things out. I'll keep you guys posted.

[mthunt]

A used protee system would be a lot cheaper than a used GC2 system though.

[morrisad]

Yep now that's I've started looking that does seem to be the case.

[Bnorman58]

I've had my unit for well over a year and you couldn't even tell a shot has been hit of the mat. My system was 6 k with both cams, great solid rubber platform with cutout, cage, computer, and projector.
There are complete ProTee systems being sold here for less that 2 k all the time and tgc for another ~1k. With the club data protee also gives you, you would need the cg2 and hmt so you're looking at ~15k. Some say club data isnt that important but to me it is awesome. Some will argue ProTee doesnt have all the club data hmt has and that may be true but it has all you'll ever need unless you spend your Thursdays - Sundays with Jordan Spieth and the boys. It also isnt an extra 8k and you dont need stickers on your clubs. It is nothing short of amazing on the accuracy of the club data. It has helped me tremendously.
Again, if you get a ProTee, I would be glad to help you. I have some easy tips that will save you days of frustration. It really isnt that hard to set up if you have good resources.
Sorry, back to the original question, the mat is VERY durable.

[morrisad]

Good to know Bill, do you have an opinion on how nice it is to hit off of relative to the other main options? CCE, etc. I'll definitely be hitting you up if / when I get a system to calibrate!

[Bnorman58]

I have hit off many mat surfaces. Objectively, here are a few thoughts.

It is easy on the wrists.
The ball seems to sit down a bit but that isnt the case and it doesnt feel like it at all when you hit. Contact is as pure as any mat I've hit off of.
It is not as forgiving as some mats, which is a good thing IMO. If you hit it fat, it will let you know. ProTee flight will let you know too :-)
The tee holder insert is awesome. I was reading some things on here about those tee's you place on the floor held by a string. Not here, awesome on that front. I think the one that comes with it is short and hard to get the ball teed up high enough if you like it teed high. However, there is a guy on here that sells higher ones that I use. Perfect. They sell them on par2pro also but these are much cheaper. Let me know and I will find his info.

[Tonyd9366]

Morris, Bill is an excellent resource for you. He and I for that matter. Great explaination above Bill. Yes, the sensor mat is very durable and I had mine for a year before going to gc2 and when I sold mine it looked brand new. Bill is right to have resources like us will make the set up so much easier for you. It's like having two protee techs beside protee support which i might add is the best in the business. You won't be disappointed with protee and the fact that it solves the dexterity issue means you and your son will enjoy it together which is priceless.. Good luck with it and keep us posted.. Tony

[tlhammond5]

Well I've had the complete opposite with the skytrak. Hitting three times to register, not even close. I don't even think I've had three no reads on over two years. Half of side spin, God I wish I would get half of the side spin. i play a draw in real life and it's easily replicated here. Point is if you're going for both left and right play, protee is the best bet. Otherwise it will come down to money if you can afford it go with a gc2, if not skytrak is an option. It's not a toy by any stretch, that would be an optishot.

I totally understand your debate with the SkyTrac, but having compared both units side by side the SkyTrac truly does only read about half of the actual side spin. I have also compared it against my TM. TM does calculate side spin but it's much more in line with the GC2 side spin than it is SkyTrac. Maybe I did have more no reads than other SkyTrac users, but I truly had a lot of them. It drove me insane! I will say that the SkyTrac is okay for the money, but it's nowhere near as accurate as the GC2. I found the shots the SkyTrac read to be quite forgiving compared to the GC2. I can't say the SkyTrac had frequent no reads every time I used it, but it would just start to miss shots in the middle of a round or practice session for no reason. I'd have to restart everything to correct it. I had rounds where it would only miss three or four shots, but those rounds were far and few between. I've said this before... My opinion of the SkyTrac may have been different if I hadn't owned a GC2 prior to the SkyTrac. I do believe that new firmware and other changes could make the SkyTrac better, but I owned one less than 60 days ago and had all the latest upgrades to that point.

If you need more verification of the side spin disparity here's a link. Look at the numbers on the two readings for side spin. I duplicated this every time I tested the two units side by side. There were many times the SkyTrac showed less than half of the actual side spin. I suppose it is possible that the new software or firmware upgrades have taken care of this issue, but I haven't seen evidence to support it. My big miss is a snap hook left, but have a tendency to have a small push right on most shots. In my experience, the SkyTrac showed a ton less side dispersion than the GC2. This resulted in straighter longer shots on SkyTrac. I suppose many would view this as positive. Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment, but I prefer accuracy over false forgiveness. Lol

https://youtu.be/syV98dWjFKw

[Ironstrokes]

I totally understand your debate with the SkyTrac, but having compared both units side by side the SkyTrac truly does only read about half of the actual side spin. I have also compared it against my TM. TM does calculate side spin but it's much more in line with the GC2 side spin than it is SkyTrac. Maybe I did have more no reads than other SkyTrac users, but I truly had a lot of them. It drove me insane! I will say that the SkyTrac is okay for the money, but it's nowhere near as accurate as the GC2. I found the shots the SkyTrac read to be quite forgiving compared to the GC2. I can't say the SkyTrac had frequent no reads every time I used it, but it would just start to miss shots in the middle of a round or practice session for no reason. I'd have to restart everything to correct it. I had rounds where it would only miss three or four shots, but those rounds were far and few between. I've said this before... My opinion of the SkyTrac may have been different if I hadn't owned a GC2 prior to the SkyTrac. I do believe that new firmware and other changes could make the SkyTrac better, but I owned one less than 60 days ago and had all the latest upgrades to that point.

If you need more verification of the side spin disparity here's a link. Look at the numbers on the two readings for side spin. I duplicated this every time I tested the two units side by side. There were many times the SkyTrac showed less than half of the actual side spin. I suppose it is possible that the new software or firmware upgrades have taken care of this issue, but I haven't seen evidence to support it. My big miss is a snap hook left, but have a tendency to have a small push right on most shots. In my experience, the SkyTrac showed a ton less side dispersion than the GC2. This resulted in straighter longer shots on SkyTrac. I suppose many would view this as positive. Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment, but I prefer accuracy over false forgiveness. Lol

https://youtu.be/syV98dWjFKw

Interesting. Ive felt that the side spin felt pretty accurate on my skytrak as well and would be surprised if it was that much more with the gc2. And also havent gotten anywhere close to that many no reads or misreads.....when im in wifi mode. Usb mode is a little more sketchy on that though. Were you using the skytrak on wifi mode when you had it?

I am going to be getting my GC2 soon though, so look forward to doing some of my own comparison test before I decide to sell my trusty skytrak or not. Ill try to take some videos of it as well too and post something up. Plenty of data floating around on the forums comparing the two but only that one video on youtube it seems. So im sure some guys out there would like to see it if I can get them both reading at the same time as in the video you linked.

[tlhammond5]

Interesting. Ive felt that the side spin felt pretty accurate on my skytrak as well and would be surprised if it was that much more with the gc2. And also havent gotten anywhere close to that many no reads or misreads.....when im in wifi mode. Usb mode is a little more sketchy on that though. Were you using the skytrak on wifi mode when you had it?

I am going to be getting my GC2 soon though, so look forward to doing some of my own comparison test before I decide to sell my trusty skytrak or not. Ill try to take some videos of it as well too and post something up. Plenty of data floating around on the forums comparing the two but only that one video on youtube it seems. So im sure some guys out there would like to see it if I can get them both reading at the same time as in the video you linked.

That sounds like plan. I'd like to see the numbers you come up with as well. I hope SkyTrac has improved their firmware to correct the side spin numbers. Honestly, if had your experience with the SkyTrac, I wouldn't switch to GC2. My only complaints were the no reads and the side spin. And to answer your question... I had more no reads in USB mode as well, but had plenty in wifi mode too. I tried everything. I really wanted to like it.