Garage Sim Build - NEED SUGGESTIONS/FEEDBACK PLEASE

[JSafski]

Hey guys,

First off, a huge thank you to everyone on this forum. I’ve read for hours and it’s been very helpful. I’m taking the plunge and building a sim in the garage. I need some advice on if what I’m planning should work or if you guys think it’s the best way to do it. I convinced my wife the kids will love it so she’s been awesome. I’ve attached pictures for reference. Don’t mind the mess, she just had a garage sale so getting rid of everything. Here’s my thoughts. I’m okay with spending a little more money to do less work and less DIY.

Simulator: Skytrak. Debating on buying new through rain or shine and they can offer $100 off or debating on buying through someone on the forum. Is it worth the extra $200-$300 to just buy new? Lastly, I’m leaning towards TGC due to being able to play a variety of courses but being able to compete in the tournaments and game. Thoughts on this over WGT?

Screen/enclosure: I’ve decided to do an enclosure so I don’t have to worry about a ton of netting and for pure looks. I’ve decided to do the 8x10 Carls preferred with the 5 ft depth bay. Dimensions are included at the bottom. On the picture, the red lines are approximations of how wide and high. I have to keep it lower due to the garage tracks and box. Again, for me I’d rather spend the extra $200-$300 and have everything but the Poles included. I am planning to put it a foot away from the wall. Given the window, would you guys recommend something behind it to help block the light? I also tilted the metal flaps up on the heater to avoid directly blowing on to the tarp.

Projector - I haven’t decided on projector but it sounds like benq or the epson short throws are the way to go. Budgeting somewhere between $300-$600 for that. I was leaning towards mounting it on the ceiling again just for ease of access and less clutter. Given the height of the bay and the height of the ceiling, do you guys see this being an issue? Best recommendation for projector mount if so? Looked at the floor box too but again ideally would like to mount.

Mat - decided to do the 5x4 CCE after research. It sounds like a very good mat and will be on epoxy floor so want cushion and then will buy green carpet from Lowe’s for looks and to help stop the bounce off the mat.

My big concerns are if the projector will get in the way or if that should be the least of my concerns. My other concern is depth. We still want to park both cars in the garage as we live in ND and winters are brutal. We can bunch them together and safely get 15-17’ if not a little more of depth. Worse case, I can leave one car outside while using but would like to avoid if possible. My concern is if I’m too close to the simulator, if the overhead bay would be an issue for swinging through beings it’s not super high. The other concern is the drain in the middle that slopes down as I’d like to avoid that. I drew where I would ideally like to have the mat and hit off of.

Based off of the pictures and what I have to work with, do you guys think this would work well and the bay height and width would be good as well? Ideally, I would like to go wider but can’t given the height restrictions because of the garage tracks.

Thank you guys in advance for the help and let me know if you have any further questions that might help!

124.75	124.75	139.8	124.75	163.3
95.8	107.5	107.5	124.75	124.75
59.125 (5' Low Profile) 118.25 (10' Full Depth)
115.75	115.75	130.8	115.75	154.3
86.8	98.5	98.5	115.75	115.75
144	152	164	163	193
4:3	-	4:3	1:1	4:3
All Dimensions in Inches

[andygg1986]

It sounds like you have done a lot of research and put a lot of thought into it. Just a few comments:
Skytrak has fairly frequent sales so I would put off buying it until the end. Maybe a sale will come up before you get everything else done and you could save a few hundred bucks and still get a new one.

I haven't played WGT but tons of Skytrak users have spent the money to buy TGC. If it wasn't a lot better, I don't think they would do that. Being able to play different courses keeps it interesting and the online tournaments are fun. Do note that you will only have one tournament player for your system (you and your kids can't all play in the tournament each week).

I would just get a cheap blackout curtain for the window. It doesn't have to look good but will keep you from having a bright spot. I would also recommend backing up your screen with one of the mesh tarps from Harbor freight. They are around $10 I think. Eventually you will get a hole in your screen, and when that happens you will want something to keep the ball that breaks through the screen from going through that window too.

There is no need to spend a lot on a projector mount. I would get one that hangs down on an adjustable length rod. That way you can make sure it sits low enough that the top of the enclosure doesn't cast a shadow.

For the mat, lots of people (myself included) develop wrist and elbow issues from using the CCE a lot. It really grabs your club which encourages good ball striking but also hurts after a while if you take a divot. Fiberbuilt and Truestrike are much easier on your joints. If you want to go the CCE route, you might consider buying a hitting strip from them and seeing if you can build it into a platform instead. Then if you don't like it you can swap it out for one of the other ones.

I don't think the projector location would be an issue. 15-17' of depth should be plenty as well. Your swing is only higher than the 8 foot high bay for a little while and shouldn't be that high very far in front of you.

[JSafski]

It sounds like you have done a lot of research and put a lot of thought into it. Just a few comments:
Skytrak has fairly frequent sales so I would put off buying it until the end. Maybe a sale will come up before you get everything else done and you could save a few hundred bucks and still get a new one.

I haven't played WGT but tons of Skytrak users have spent the money to buy TGC. If it wasn't a lot better, I don't think they would do that. Being able to play different courses keeps it interesting and the online tournaments are fun. Do note that you will only have one tournament player for your system (you and your kids can't all play in the tournament each week).

I would just get a cheap blackout curtain for the window. It doesn't have to look good but will keep you from having a bright spot. I would also recommend backing up your screen with one of the mesh tarps from Harbor freight. They are around $10 I think. Eventually you will get a hole in your screen, and when that happens you will want something to keep the ball that breaks through the screen from going through that window too.

There is no need to spend a lot on a projector mount. I would get one that hangs down on an adjustable length rod. That way you can make sure it sits low enough that the top of the enclosure doesn't cast a shadow.

For the mat, lots of people (myself included) develop wrist and elbow issues from using the CCE a lot. It really grabs your club which encourages good ball striking but also hurts after a while if you take a divot. Fiberbuilt and Truestrike are much easier on your joints. If you want to go the CCE route, you might consider buying a hitting strip from them and seeing if you can build it into a platform instead. Then if you don't like it you can swap it out for one of the other ones.

I don't think the projector location would be an issue. 15-17' of depth should be plenty as well. Your swing is only higher than the 8 foot high bay for a little while and shouldn't be that high very far in front of you.

Thanks Andy for the response. I have and I just want to make sure I don't buy everything and set it all up and realize it won't work haha. I did reach out to rainorshine and they will give me $100 off. They said the next promotion probably won't be until around Black Friday and I would ideally like to have this all set up and done in the next month. So, was thinking of buying it from the forum here or if it's better to just pay an extra $200-$300 and get it brand new.

Thanks for the advice for the curtain and tarp. I did decide to do the preferred from Carl's so hoping it holds up for quite a while.

You think having the projector mounted wouldn't be an issue then given the bay height and the ceiling height?

I will look into Fiberbuilt and Truestrike. I'm by no means a scratch golfer. Handicap this year has hovered around 7-8 but have gotten very few rounds in hence the want to do a simulator haha. I just wanted something that simulates a divot and penalizing for a fat shot to encourage ball striking. From your experience, do both of those do a good job for that?

Lastly, yeah my concern was if I'm not very far from the screen that the follow through on the swing might hit the top of the bay beings it's pretty low, but I can always go back in depth just wanted to again avoid having to park a car outside in the winter.

Thank you again for the help, it's much appreciated!

[sherrow70]

I have a fiber-built strip and its great very realistic. I highly recommend it.

[triplebogeysrbetter]

Congrats on taking the plunge. Before long you will be like the rest of garage guys. :-) It's a great investment.

You have done a lot of research. Makes it easier for sure.

WGT vs TGC Honestly don't waste the 100 bucks to see if its worth it. It's not. Just use that money towards the TGC lifetime license.

Screen. I actually have two of them. Originally I brought a Carl's standard thinking it would break in 6 months, but its still going strong. I purchased it on clearance and saved alot of money.

I like it so much I went back and brought a preferred on clearance.

For my money I am sticking with the Carl screens.

Blackout screen. I'm using the Harbor freight and it works great. Cheap on the wallet as well.

Screen Backing - I use a king blanket.

Projector - I purchased a Epson HC 1060 from Best Buy on Clearance. I've been super happy with it. Its a 3 LCD and displays in 1080p.

Mat - CCE are ok, but like andygg1986 said. They're hard on the wrist and elbows. I'm buying a truestrike next year.

Gaming PC - Maybe some search into it if you going to go the TGC route.

A/C - If the garage isnt Air conditioned might wanna look into it as well. I have a 450 sq ft for my garage.

Please PM if you have any questions.

[JSafski]

Congrats on taking the plunge. Before long you will be like the rest of garage guys. :-) It's a great investment.

You have done a lot of research. Makes it easier for sure.

WGT vs TGC Honestly don't waste the 100 bucks to see if its worth it. It's not. Just use that money towards the TGC lifetime license.

Screen. I actually have two of them. Originally I brought a Carl's standard thinking it would break in 6 months, but its still going strong. I purchased it on clearance and saved alot of money.

I like it so much I went back and brought a preferred on clearance.

For my money I am sticking with the Carl screens.

Blackout screen. I'm using the Harbor freight and it works great. Cheap on the wallet as well.

Screen Backing - I use a king blanket.

Projector - I purchased a Epson HC 1060 from Best Buy on Clearance. I've been super happy with it. Its a 3 LCD and displays in 1080p.

Mat - CCE are ok, but like andygg1986 said. They're hard on the wrist and elbows. I'm buying a truestrike next year.

Gaming PC - Maybe some search into it if you going to go the TGC route.

A/C - If the garage isnt Air conditioned might wanna look into it as well. I have a 450 sq ft for my garage.

Please PM if you have any questions.

Thanks for the reply. Makes me feel pretty good about what I'm thinking then. Do you have the link to the blackout screen you use by chance?

I think I'm going to go with the 5x4 fiberbuilt after looking at it. I personally like the idea of having a large mat to hit off of so spending a little bit more for that doesn't seem outrageous instead of building a small strip into a mat.

Thanks again for the feedback. Any thoughts on the skytrak used from someone on here or buying new from like rainorshine and paying probably $200-$300 more?

[triplebogeysrbetter]

I brought this one for my side (shank) catchers. I think it would work as a black out as well.

https://m.harborfreight.com/8-ft-x-10-ft-mesh-all-purposeweather-resistant-tarp-60577.html

personally I considered buying a used ST as well, but felt better just buying brand new.

i think it comes down to preference.

I think skytrak has a sale on them every couple of months if you can wait.

[JSafski]

Here’s an update. Got the screen and enclosure set up. The picture is below. Feel like it turned out really well. I decided on the fiber built and going to order that soon. I emailed them questions last week and still haven’t heard back so not very good customer service. Will keep everyone updated as the rest comes together.

[Smudge7204]

I recently added a dimmer to my garage lights, sounds very simple but I find it makes a big difference; I also blacked out my garage windows so I can set the lighting exactly how I want it. The update looks great, very addicting once you get started.

[ROY]

I will be selling my two year old Skytrak unit next week, once I receive my new GC2. I would be happy to discuss with you my history with it and what I am currently using and my sim set up. Just send me a pm. I currently have the Skytrak with the Game Improvement Plan which I just renewed in June 2018. I am also using JNPG and this is good for another 9 months before you would need to renew with JNPG or go with TGC or any of the other options out there. I also have the steel protective case for the unit. It has been an excellent unit for me and I have had zero issues with no-reads or disconnection issues while connected to Skytrak software or JNPG. I have always connected thru WiFi. Any way, if you want to chat more about it, hit me with a pm. Thanks.

[HeelMD]

It sounds like you have done a lot of research and put a lot of thought into it. Just a few comments:
Skytrak has fairly frequent sales so I would put off buying it until the end. Maybe a sale will come up before you get everything else done and you could save a few hundred bucks and still get a new one.

there is a $300 off deal going on right now. Haven't seen the promo code on the skytrak website itself, but major re-sellers including rockbottomgolf.com have it for $300 off.