Hello all - new and lots of questions!

[eerlite]

Howdy all, my name is Chris and I'm checking in from the Fort Mill, SC area. Been perusing the board enough to learn that 1) there's a wealth of knowledge here and 2) I'm nowhere near capable of sorting it without a little help. I recently moved into a new home that's got a larger garage space that offers me the ability to begin my voyage into golf simulation and I'm looking to start somewhere in the $2.5k-3.5k before sinking more funds to see if this is a good fit for me/my family.

With a small budget, what's the best approach assuming that I have nothing right now? (I do have a spare projector)

1) LM? I've been eyeing the Mevo+, but curious if the Garmin R10 is a better substitute for cost.
2) As mentioned, I have a projector but I think for me to get the best gameplay and not bust my budget that a hitting net is more practical than a screen. Thoughts on best nets for the bang?
3) Hitting mats. No idea where to start here. Definitely not looking for top of the line, but would prefer not hitting off garage concrete floor!

What else am I missing? My wife is asking for Christmas gifts and if there are any bits that contribute to the build that aren't $1k plus, now is a great time for me to share that with her.

Looking forward to being a part of this community.

Chris

[jpinkardvt]

I would suggest going to GungHo golf and look at their DIY enclosure instructions. You can build an enclosure that will be ready for projection when you make that move instead of having the sink cost into a hitting net. Depending on what you decide to get for screen material it is doable for $600-$700.

[bh18]

Highly recommend the Holy Grail hitting mat from GungHo golf. Speaking as someone who hit balls off a thin mat over a concrete floor for a year, it's a lot easier on the hands and wrists.

Also recommend the Spornia net if you are looking at a portable set up. https://practical-golf.com/spornia-s...ce-net-review/

As far as the launch monitors, I went with Skytrak because of my space limitations. The radar-based systems like Garmin R-10 need a lot more space behind the ball and from ball to net in order to read the ball flight.

[eerlite]

I would suggest going to GungHo golf and look at their DIY enclosure instructions. You can build an enclosure that will be ready for projection when you make that move instead of having the sink cost into a hitting net. Depending on what you decide to get for screen material it is doable for $600-$700.

Hadn't come across GungHo yet, thank you for the feedback!

[eerlite]

Highly recommend the Holy Grail hitting mat from GungHo golf. Speaking as someone who hit balls off a thin mat over a concrete floor for a year, it's a lot easier on the hands and wrists.

Also recommend the Spornia net if you are looking at a portable set up. https://practical-golf.com/spornia-s...ce-net-review/

As far as the launch monitors, I went with Skytrak because of my space limitations. The radar-based systems like Garmin R-10 need a lot more space behind the ball and from ball to net in order to read the ball flight.

Yep, only in my mid 30's but already have some wrist issues (lifting and sports back in the day really took a toll on me) so the mat definitely needs to not be a "cheapie". Second person to reference GungHo, must be a good site. Thanks for that.

I'm leaning towards the net to be more portable. There will some situations that I'll want the cars in the garage, so having the flexibility to move this setup is key. I may decide no cars down the road, but I didn't want to jump to that conclusion if I don't get the use of this first. I went down a deep rabbit hole of nets last night and ended up feeling like I was going to need to spend $700 on a net that seemed worthy. Came across the Spornia and was curious if I'd get feedback here on that. Looks like a great option.

I was really leaning towards the Mevo+ for the LM, but I do worry that the space between ball and net would be too close? I couldn't find the recommended distance between the net and hit point, any idea how far back is safe?

[bh18]

FlightScope's website says 8 feet minimum ball flight from mat to net, 13 feet recommended. and an additional 7-9 feet behind the ball to place the unit. I don't have that kind of room in my garage, without sacrificing it to be a full-time golf room.

[Wizard of Coz]

1. Create your own enclosure with 1 inch emt and connectors
2. Get a deal on a used gc2
3. Fiberbuilt strip injury prevention
4. Old stance mat is fine
5. Dbgolf impact screen to save $$$

this will get you headed in the right direction and save you money in the long run as you go down the rabbit hole