New to Sky Trak and need some advice on the simulator programs out there/general tips

[OnInTwo]

The ol' lady got me a ST for X-Mas, and after buying the projector, mounts, Apple TV, mat, the net/screen system, etc., I am about $6,000 into my rec room set-up. My net-system finally arrived yesterday (Christensen Net Works), but was missing a vertical pole, so I couldn't put it together quite yet. What I didn't realize, or what I'm gathering from reading various posts, is that WGT is the only program that you can play courses with that is IOS compatible, and that I'll need a gaming computer to operate most of the good programs--is this true? I hear that WGT doesn't have multi-player, so I wouldn't be interested in it anyways. Are there any other programs that I can play real courses on using my iPad, at least until my next pay day where I can purchase a gaming computer?

Also, I've been reading that a lot of people position the ball in different areas (relative to the laser) for different clubs. Is this true? If so, where should the ball be positioned for various clubs? Thanks, fellas!

[OnInTwo]

Also, does WGT cost money to play? I just bought a gaming computer from a buddy for $650, so I guess the last thing I have to do is pay for TGC.

[wbond]

WGT is part of one of the subscription packages. I would pass on that and go straight to TGC. You mention gaming computer, that is a pretty loose term. THe graphics card is key for TGC.

[cman8]

WGT is a toy. Its fun if you just feel like hitting some balls into what looks like a course but dont waste your time practicing on it. TGC or JNPG is the way to go from what I have been reading. I myself am probably going to try JNPG for a year and then come christmas time or something, take the dive and get TGC

[DirtyGarry24]

If you're a golfer, are 6k in, and enjoy graphics then buy TGC and never look back. It's incredible. Absolutely incredible. I've played golf and video games all of my life and can't imagine a better way to integrate the two. Can't speak for the other options, but considering the price for lifetime... Can't touch it.

[Lgnir]

I have to agree with Gary. I did tons of research before I bought my sim software, and the biggest selling point for me was that TGC is the only option you can BUY and it includes future updates. (i.e. TGC2) I absolutely LOVE TGC and find myself looking for ways to sneak into the garage to play. Granted, it does have some areas that need improvement, like being able to select tees, but hopefully TGC2 addresses that. Like everyone said, the video card is the biggest issue to look at.

[StanMI]

As others have said, TGC !!! I7 processor and Graphics card of 1070 really help the experience!

[GungHoGolf]

I recently picked up this ASUS G11CD I5 with GTX 1060 6g video card and 16GB RAM at BestBuy for around $850 on sale, and it kicks butt with TGC graphics pretty much maxed-out:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-g11cd-desktop-intel-core-i5-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1060-512gb-solid-state-drive-1tb-hard-drive-silver-red/5614800.p?skuId=5614800

The CPU isn't nearly as important as the graphics card. The 1060 card is a very affordable, and performant, option right now. Here's a ranking of video card from top to bottom performance: http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/common_gpus.html

You can probably build a 1060 rig for under $600.

[penrose]

WGT sucks - I used it for 2 months before I could spring 1000 for the TGC and 1500 for a PC. Skytrak has it own software which could keep you busy for a month or two or less based on your income. Some folks do move the ball before the laser or after the laser but I am not one of them. If you want to try I believe on driver shots move the tee behind the laser and on flops in front.

hope this info helps.

[OnInTwo]

Thanks, fellas--appreciate y'all. I'm pretty technologically inept, so I didn't even know what a 'gaming' computer was. I have an IT buddy who just so happened to be selling his computer the day I posted on FB complaining about all the stuff I still had to get. It's i7 (whatever that means), and apparently has a really expensive video card. Whatever the case, the stuff in this computer goes above and beyond the recommended stuff for TGC.

I finally got my net-system put together last night and was beta-testing my ST w/the projector just laying on the ground, but it doesn't seem to pick my driver up very well, and my lag on shots is up to ten seconds, if it even registers. I hope this is not an expectation of things to come. I'm going to hopefully have everything (including TGC) up and running by Sunday. I'm excited, but a little skeptical.

[Lgnir]

What type of tees are you using when hitting your driver? I had all kinds of issues when I was using those standard rubber tees that come with mats. I switched to brush tees and there was a great improvement. Finally I tried Tomahawk tees and fell in love with them. The only bad reads I get now are on really bad hits.

How are you connecting your SkyTrak to your computer? USB or WiFi? I first started with USB and my shot delay was the normal average of about 2-3 seconds. I switched over to WiFi as a lot of people say you get less non reads with it, and still had the average 2-3 second delay. I posted in another thread that the other day I was losing WiFi connection and was experiencing long delays, up to 10 seconds. I discovered that my wife was using the microwave (cooking something for 12 minutes) and the freaking microwave was interfering with the WiFi connection. I would suggest if you are experiencing long delays, to ensure there is nothing that is causing interference. It could also be a signal strength issue, and others on this forum have suggested getting a WiFi extender to fix that issue.

Hope that helps some! (You're gonna love TGC!)

[OnInTwo]

My mat hasn't showed up to the house yet, so I've just been using one of those generic $25 things, w/a rubber tee. The guy I ordered it from is sending me some sort of wooden tees that can be used with my mat, so I'm hoping that will help. I've been using Direct Mode--I wonder if that has anything to do with it? My iPad is about 10 feet from my router, so I'm not sure if it would be a connectivity issue, but I could be wrong.

[OnInTwo]

Is lighting a big deal, too? I've read that some people set lights up near the machine to get better reads. I was hitting my 6-iron this morning, and I'm not sure if it's because I'm hitting indoors, but my distances are way off. I generally hit my 6 around 200-210, but was barely getting it 170 today after the roll-out.

[Lgnir]

The distance issue sounds like it could be your mat. Others have experienced the same issue. There is also the "mental" issue of you "think" you are hitting it the same as you do outside, but you're not.

[penrose]

lighting does not matter. Does your driver have any white on it? I noticed my friend with his white driver had to no reads when he came over the other day. I hardly ever have no read.

[OnInTwo]

I have an Epic, so I don't think it's a driver issue. I got a new mat, and it helped tremendously, but I'm starting to wonder if the problem is my iPad 2. My lag time on shots is at least 10 seconds. Using my iPad makes it hardly playable.

[OnInTwo]

I hope the gaming computer changes how it works, because so far, I am really underwhelmed by the ST. I find myself turning it off most of the time, and just hitting into my screen, like a driving range.

[andygg1986]

You are using an iPad 2, as in the second iPad released in 2011? I bet the processing power on that is very lacking which could cause the long lag. From skytrak's website "For Tablets: You must have an iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 2 (with Retina Display), iPad Mini 3, or iPad Pro. "

http://www.skytrakgolf.com/about-skytrak/product-details

I'm guessing they want you to use a newer one so you don't blame the lag on the skytrak. The best case with a good gaming computer is around 3 seconds.

[OnInTwo]

I'm not quite finished, but here was after I put my net/screen-system together.

[OnInTwo]