Newbie needs help Building a Sim

[Lister04]

Hello everyone!

I just want to say that I have have enjoyed reading hundreds of your posts the past few weeks and I have finally decided to join the fun. This all started with me finally deciding I wanted to purchase a golf simulator and as I am looking for ready made Sims, I came across this....... After reading everything I THINK I have come to the conclusion that I am much better off building my own. So with that said this is what I am looking for and I would love all info, feedback and anything kind of information I can gather. Thanks in advance.....

So I am a decent golfer, I sit at a 3 handicap and I coach high school boys and girls varsity golf. I mainly decided that I want the sim because I can't go through another Michigan winter without something to do. I want to build this so that I can tweak my swing, work on my dads swing and play courses. Space is not an issue for me, I have a 36x48 pole barn but its not insulated, so I was thinking about either building out on the side of it, taking a window out and making a door and then doing a 30x20 add on. I would then insulate and put Heat/AC because I live in Michigan, the summers are usually fairly warm and winters cold. I originally was set on the skytrak, then quickly switched to the Foresight GC2 but lost steam when I realized the $3,000 price tag just for the software, especially when I know I will be paying a decent amount for better course software. The other issue with the GC2 for me is that my dad is a lefty and he lives a few miles down the road so I know he is going to be at my place all the time playing with me. I am not opposed to switching it back and forth if someone has any great ideas? I am not interested in the Trackman as I have no desire to pay those kind of prices for subscriptions every year... I saw a lot of people talking about the Uneekor and that sounds like it might be a good solution because of it being mounted on the ceiling. I obviously have heard a lot of you talking about Protee, and any thoughts on GSA? I haven't even started looking at projectors, screens, hitting mat or anything else yet because I thought figuring out the sim would be the best place to start... Id like to stay under $10,000...

[BGCurtis2nd]

I have the Uneekor and am very happy with it, I had the GC2/HMT but thought I was going to have to switch to left-handed play and quickly found trying to move it back and forth was a pain in the butt. I looked into building a lazy Susan type setup for it but ran into problems and then I had an offer on buying my setup that I felt was a very good deal so I sold my GC2/HMT along with the FSX software and purchased the Uneekor and am very glad that I did. I am looking forward to seeing what all the new Uneekor EYE XO will be capable of and do hope to be able to upgrade to it when it comes out, but it is not something that would have to happen. I would love to be able to play what ever ball I like without having to mark it, but for now that is the only real drawback to my system and it is not that big a deal, that being said Uneekor is working to improve their system and have the best service department of any of the companies I have dealt with. I myself would recommend the Uneekor and feel it is the best way to go for the cost. I went with the base system and TGC 2019 software but I am looking at purchasing the additional Uneekor software as I can afford it. Best of luck and be sure to post the finished setup.

[Lister04]

BGCurtis thank you so much for the feedback... I have been so torn and back and forth, just reading about everyones builds, options and what route to take can be completely overwhelming. I think what I am going to do is start the actual construction and get everything mapped out. I was really impressed with the Uneekor and I especially like the fact it is mounted on the ceiling. I didn't realize Uneekor was coming out with the EYE XO, so after reading your post I pulled it up and it looks extremely promising. So with that said I think come summer if its not out I might do a SkyTrak just to get started with the intent of selling it and then looking at the EYE XO.... Any advice on what Mat and Projector I should be buying?

[BGCurtis2nd]

Mats are a tough call, I started out with a fiber built but it seemed to me that it encouraged fat shots somewhat for me so I went to a real feel mat, then when I move my hitting are up to test out the slide rails I bought a cheap 24" X 48" mat and cut out for a 13" X 13" gel center and I love the way it has been performing.
Projectors you need to fit to the room you have, here is a page to help with that;

https://www.projectorcentral.com/projection-calculator-pro.cfm

[3on3putt]

If you're trying to stay under 10k for the total project, a Uneekor might be a tough squeeze. You have to consider the cost of a good mat, screen, projector and computer and simulator software Plus you're talking about hvac and insulation and a possible add-on. That stuff is going to add up quick. Skytrak gives you a lot more room in your budget. I would start by pricing out everything except for the simulator and then you can see how much room is left in your budget for the launch monitor and software.

[Lister04]

Thank you for info.... I originally meant $10,000 just for the sim...Not actually building the room or putting in the mini split. I am going to build the room, run the electrical and I have a buddy that is HVAC so he will do the install just to be able to use it. I have found that things will add up rather quickly! I kept bouncing all over because of my dad and him being a lefty. As of recently I think I am pretty set on getting the Memo + that seems to look like an amazing option for me. It would solve all my issues with righty/lefty and space is not an issue I think I have decided I am going to 18 or 20 x 24 feet.... so that should give me plenty of room. I really like what I am reading about Uneekor but I know I can't swing that right now and I started looking at the Protee also...there are just so many options!

[elli0t]

The Mevo+ is a new contender for the SkyTrak which would be worth considering seeing as you have a large space and that your dad is a lefty. Quite a few videos on this youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/a98cr125/videos

[Lister04]

Yeah, I actually didn't even have them on my radar "no pun intended" until you mentioned it and then I started seeing videos. At first I thought no way I didn't want to mess with the indoor radar and figured it would cause more issues then I wanted to deal with...however after watching videos and reading more I actually think this might be the unit I am going to go with. People seem extremely happy about it and the Skytrak I know will be a huge headache for me because I don't want to have to align it every time I switch sides with my dad. Thank you for sharing this with me!