Question for the experts and long time sim ownersI sit budget/components

[Claydogg14789]

Hello all, long time lurker first time poster. So my wife finally (reluctantly) agreed that I can start building a sim in the new house when the building is complete (should be around April or June). My question is this, knowing what you know now where would you try to save money initially vs what are the no compromise items that you would max out budget on. My budget for the sim build all in is 15-20k. I was thinking that the launch monitor was a “no compromise” item and I was looking at the uneekor QED but the protee vx looks like it might be my choice now due to no ball stickers/club stickers and same price ballpark. But as far as the rest of the equipment goes where would you spend and where would you try and get by? For back ground I am pretty handy and don’t mind gettin’ my hands a little dirty. Space shouldn’t be an issue in the new house garage build, triple car garage lots of height lots of length. I am in Canada so that budget is in CAD (exchange is brutal), and not too far from par2pro so that would likely be the place I did most of the shopping and buying. The biggest constraint that I have seen come up often is the garage needs to be used for parking vehicles. So the sim has to be easy set up and take down, ideally all retractable. TIA for all the suggestions and advice

[Sp913]

Curious what you hear back. I’m using a bay in my 3 car garage too, but hoping I can still park in there. My current plan is to build the enclosure in there and park the car in the enclosure (I have 5 feet so plenty of room to open the door). The thing I’ve been struggling with is the landing area. I have the SigPro Softy golf mat, and it’s been great so far. It’s super light so I can take that up and down very easily. But for the landing area, I’m either going to go with tiles and drive over it (I’d take some turf up and down as I’m using the sim) or come up with a system where I use insulating foam boards attached to some plywood and move the whole thing up and down as needed.

I thought about the retractable options, but they are very expensive, and frankly I don’t think look that nice. And it’s hard to figure out how to deal with the corners.

[Claydogg14789]

I’m either going to go with tiles and drive over it (I’d take some turf up and down as I’m using the sim) or come up with a system where I use insulating foam boards attached to some plywood and move the whole thing up and down as needed.

I have been thinking Swisstrax tiles on the garage floor and having a hitting mat that hangs on a wall. Just not sure how well the Swisstrax would absorb the ball. If you are are into looking at golf sim porn then go to https://www.murphygolfsimulators.com/. Amazing looking retractable bay also very expensive but maybe good for a few ideas

[Brettster]

Claydogg14789 - that's amazing, thank you... I never knew there was such a thing as Murphy Golf enclosures like that, fantastic. I see you can buy just the fold up enclosure for $5k-$6k - and then build your own. Really interesting way to go about it for those trying to fit it in - and I applaud their design for including anyone with 8'6" of ceiling height...

[GoldenSim]

Congrats on getting the go ahead

A few thoughts after 4 years with my current sim setup....

1) I'm also in Canada, and I feel your pain re the $'s conversion!
2) Par2Pro are a great company to deal with. Great value and expertise. If they are local to you, even better. Check out Cory's recent videos from the PGA show for some of the latest hardware and software releases
3) Whatever you do (unless you have a completely unlimited budget) be prepared to spend the rest of eternity wondering about upgrading pretty much everything!! I was super stoked with my sim when I built it, and yet, as time goes on, it's inevitable that the magpie in us all (i.e. shiny new things) reads about the latest launch monitors, more data tracking, higher resolution projectors, etc etc and wants to update what we have.
4) With Golf Simulator Forum in mind, my own approach was to max out what I could spend when I first built my sim, and then try and remind myself how awesome it is, and not worry about how much better it could be (easier to type than to do)
5) With all that said, within your budget, the biggest question is what are you wanting to use the sim for (primarily)? If you are going to be the sole user and want to use it for game improvement, the answer to what the priorities are (i.e. LM, Software, Computer, Cameras) is different from the priorities if your main aim is to have buddies over to drink beer and play golf together (i.e. LM with ability for right and left hand players, Software, Room Protection, Overall Sim Appearance, bar, seating, etc).

My recent experience has been that whatever you go with, if you want to upgrade either the LM, projector, cameras, or software in the future (more than 2 years down the line) you'll likely also need to upgrade the computer. So whilst ensuring you get a computer that can handle your initial setup, I personally would not "overbuild" (and therefore overpay) for the computer, as it will likely not handle major updates more than 2 years down the line.

If you can give an idea of what you want to use the sim for, people would probably find it easier to help you prioritize.

I hope that helps!

[Claydogg14789]

If you can give an idea of what you want to use the sim for, people would probably find it easier to help you prioritize.

Never even thought of that! Most of the time it will be me and me alone. But hoping to get the kids into the game early later on ( they are a little young yet) and occasionally drink beer and have fun with the boys. Thus the overhead LM less chance for an accident

[wbond]

Where is it going to be built in the house? Reason for asking, you can spend more to make it look more "polished" vs being functional. With your budget you should easily be able to build a very professional looking system with great components. You can save money by going with raw screen material, building your own cage vs buying a pre-made set, building your own stance mat and then buying the hitting strip of your choice to go in it. Definitely don't skimp on the PC, hardware, projector. Be mindful of the hardware systems and what software they can work with.

[GoldenSim]

I agree with everything wbond said. And based on what you said, if your primary focus is game improvement, I would focus on the LM, the associated software and computer. Also ensure that you spend enough on your hitting mat / strip to avoid injury. Next priority would be the projector. And decide if you’re going to want cameras for swing analysis (face on and dtl) as if you do, decent ones cost a fair amount and you also need to invest in good lighting. Everything else you can save money by some diy work and shopping around.

[jasonreg]

I agree with everything wbond said. And based on what you said, if your primary focus is game improvement, I would focus on the LM, the associated software and computer. Also ensure that you spend enough on your hitting mat / strip to avoid injury. Next priority would be the projector. And decide if you’re going to want cameras for swing analysis (face on and dtl) as if you do, decent ones cost a fair amount and you also need to invest in good lighting. Everything else you can save money by some diy work and shopping around.

Could not have said it better. Those are exactly the priorities I would focus on.