Brand Spank’n New

[Coffman]

I’ve looked over this site quite a bit in hopes to educate myself. Ha, I don’t understand all the abbreviations, software talk, etc. I haven’t purchased a thing-nota-zero for my garage. I’m starting out slow to make sure I’m doing what’s best for me, my room availability and $ since the wife thinks I’ve lost my mind. By the way, some of you folks have unbelievable rooms.
My first thoughts after studying this endevour for a couple weeks. Start with a Net Return & turf. After that “settles in” (wink-wink); Skytrak, iPad & Flatscreen.
Does this thinking sound familiar? If so, I’m open to ANY suggestions. Have a great weekend. Getting cold in KY, I need to start phase 1 soon.

[Coffman]

I would also appreciate recommendations on what turf to purchase; less strain on body when fat shots prevail and also able to tee up a driver as well.

[Stingreye]

My suggestion:

1) don’t buy into the CCE (Country Club Elite) hype. If you plan to hit a bunch of balls move on and your wrists and elbows will thank you. I would look at fiberbuilt, trustrike, and divot action instead. If you are in the uk T35. Check out the diy trustrike mat too and

2) I think the skytrak and gc2 and the first two devices I would look at. The primary difference is price. The gc2 costs more but it is of higher quality than the skytrak. The skytrak is your best bang for your buck. The gc2 gives you better short shot performance (pitch, putt), bigger hitting area, less delay from shot to display, higher accuracy specs (sping LA/bs/HA). However, skytrak is much more affordable.

3) do you need the portability of the net return? If it use emt and use th savings For your skytrak budget.


4) tees, get the tee claw and then add tomahawk tees or birtees ( trust me using a real tee is OVERRATED)

5) ask more questions here before spending money. Keep an eye on used skytrak’s and gc2’s also.

Good luck!

[Coffman]

Thx. Just figuring out how to reply on the site. Made a response in a new post and provided pictures.

[shimonko]

There's a lot of wisdom and experience in Stingreye's post - definitely don't glance over it.

I would have a CCE mat now if it were available locally, after reading all the positive experiences with it. However most are initial reactions of it. Long term there are countless people with injuries from it.

SkyTrak - Most people have teething problems with it and as people often buy it as their first simulator--meaning indoor swing syndrome and overall lack of familiarity with sim golf. It is however a very usable system if one persists. The Android/iOS software for going to the range is excellent as well.

[Stingreye]

^^^ what shimonko said about skytrak. There is a little learning curve to getting the best out of your skytrak. Logo pointed at unit, aligned properly etc. however, it’s very very usable and a great option.

And be prepared for an indoor swing effect. When I first bought my LM, I set it up on my patio with a Ruket net. When I move me to my garage with 10.5’ ceilings and 13 foot width, I lost 20-30 yards on driver and all my long irons were short for about two weeks before I could swing away. This is after playing 3 times a week outside on the same setup. It was surprising how the indoor swing is real. It must be a real challenge for fitters at indoor studios.

[shimonko]

Strangely I don't get affected at fitting studios as the hitting bays have been huge, plus no windows or stuff I own. Also I think as Thinman mentioned the other day, having a SkyTrak pretty close can encourage a steeper, weak swing path our of fear of hitting it.

[Coffman]

I appreciate the input.
Net talk; no I don’t need the return part of the net, but the framework for mobility and deminsions work perfect for my garage space. I noticed on a different thread on this site, someone attached a roll up screen/net on the frame of garage door rails, kind of liked that idea. My designated area will share a space w one of our vehicles. I plan to use it a lot in the evenings, so I don’t want to interrupt my families & neighbors quiet time. That’s why I’m thinking use a net and tv monitor.
Mat talk; completely clueless. Would appreciate a link or pic so I can start looking into that investment.

[Coffman]

[Coffman]

These pics may give you a better idea, why I’m considering the Return Net, mainly because it can be easily moved and used in numerous configurations-outside as well.

[Stingreye]

Looks good. What are the dimensions? Are the garage rails going to be in the way of your swing? I used the $100 Rukket net off amazon for a while before getting a permanent sim setup. If you tried a flop shot you might be able to hit it over the net. My brother in law uses the $100 Rukket net and bought the side barrier nets too. A little less expensive than Net Return but the Net Return is pretty much the best portable net money can buy I think.

[Coffman]

The garage door is 10’ wide, I’ve swung a driver in both places and it works fine. I’ll take a look at the net you reommended. Thx for your help.

[Stingreye]

If you don’t see yourself getting an impact screen or archery net, then the net return might be the best solution. If you see it as temporary, then maybe spend less on the Rukket stuff.

[Coffman]

At my house, return net looks to be my best option, because it needs to be portable due to the garage is used for cars and mower storage. We own a funeral home in my community and plan to build a larger facility in a couple years, I can see a room dedicated to SIM in the rolling stock garage, ought to be well versed by that time.

[Stingreye]

Cool! Good luck! I know a guy with one that is very happy with his net return. Good luck with your build out!

[mikemcd22]

Hi Coffman... I hung this net in my garage using a similar set up (like you describe) for my first go round. It worked perfectly. I actually doubled it up just to make sure. It's actually still there and currently prevents my wife from driving into the back wall so it does double duty! Also, I agree with the posts here (got great information from everyone on this forum). I have the skytrak and it's taken some time, it has worked flawlessly over the last couple of months. You may also want to check into Carls for screens (you could mount it on a slider and move it out of the way when not in use like others, including me, have done). Good luck with your build! EDIT: The link didn't work so I'm pasting it here: https://www.amazon.com/Nylon-Golf-Hi...2C+Black&psc=1

[Coffman]

Thanks for your input. What’s a slider you was talking about mounting screen on.

[mikemcd22]

Also, I saw this mat recommended here and since my elbow and wrist couldn't take any more abuse... https://www.truestrike.com/product/single-golf-mat/ There are a couple of drawbacks when using the SkyTrak though. You have to reconfigure the sections putting the tray behind the hitter and the gel section on the end (so you can set the Sktrak on something that doesn't move). The Gel is firm and fast and, in my opinion, doesn't give as much feedback as my standard hitting mat, but it's much more forgiving on your joints. My .02

[legendsfan]

mikemcd22 - Are you saying the sections meant for standing on move when you hit the gel section? I was just about to pull the trigger on the Truestrike but not if it won't work well with a Foresight launch monitor.