Trying to get a sense of overall cost

[wdfwguy]

I was reading a thread on another site and just wondering if I am pretty close to overall cost...

Skytrak $2,000
Projector $300 (or $800 for a short throw)
Used IPad Air 2 $300
Apple TV $70
4'x5' CCE Mat $400
Impact screen $150

So, $3200 or so?

[Thinman]

Sim software and/or subscription?


Personally, I would scrap the ipad/apple tv and go the Steam Link route if you have an existing PC. You can eventually move to TGC easier that way also. Steam Link works great for me so far.

[GmanJeff]

Don't forget the annual ST subscription fee for the Game Improvement or Play & Improve packages, if you'll want those features and/or the capability to play sim golf. And, perhaps a protective case, either from ST or for the cost of fabricating your own? There can also be some relatively trivial add-on costs, like Tomahawk tees and tee claws to use with your mat, Almost Golf balls if you need to sometimes be cautious about using real balls indoors, etc.

[penrose]

I have come to conclude Golf Sims are money pits - however I think I am near a finish line at least for this year. However, with my most recent upgrade which I hope to be starting today or tomorrow it should have some side benefits. Once, watch movies and play play station games on a big screen. Looking forward to playing f1 on a big screen.

[Joko]

Those costs are probably pretty close, but I agree with penrose - they can be money pits. Take into account the materials you will need to hang the impact screen, any DIY screw-up's (and there will be some adjustments you need to make unless you are a really good DIY'er). Any materials you may want to 'pretty it up' (and protection) such as side curtains or protective netting on the ceiling for flop shots, etc.. You could easily spend another $1500 on that stuff, and I did, because of various mistakes and rearranging my setup 4 times.

Granted my space is in a garage and I was trying different things before I finally landed on the right thing... so finally after about 8 months I landed on the right design for our garage. Oh, and then I had to add a portable AC unit (with heat pump).. that was another $500. But if you have an interior space that can simplify design and ac/heating greatly.

Just my thoughts, and after I did finally finish, I LOVE it and don't regret any of it. But it was a pain in the a** in my case.

Oh.. and because I guarantee you will want to upgrade to TGC/Perfect Golf after you play with it for a few month, you will end up buying a PC and expensive sim software add another $2000

[A.West]

If you have a spare PC laptop, I'd favor that over the IPad. I suspect the impact screen will cost you more, particularly if you need some frame to hang it on and a ceiling mount for your projector. I decided to use a netreturn golf net in my garage, the CCE mat (sold by Costco to members online BTW), and got a father's day special package that included a cheap mat, Netreturn, Skytrak+play&improve 1yr package for only $2600. Then I used a spare laptop and connected a $200 40 inch TV. Not immersive like a projector, but a cheap projector on a wrinkly screen is also far from perfect (I tried setting up a projector and screen in my garage, but it was too flawed for me to live with). After the annual cost of the play&improve package, I suggest budgeting a further $250/year for Jack Nicklaus Perfect Golf, so you can play some simulation courses.

[wdfwguy]

We have an extra laptop, but not sure of the specs. What sort of set up would need?

[A.West]

For SkyTrak's own range software, they state: "SkyTrak for Windows: Windows 7/8/10, Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.0GHz or higher, 2GB RAM or higher". The simulator games will likely be more demanding than SkyTrak. If you want smooth detailed graphics, you'll need a computer with a fairly new and high-end gaming graphics card. Yet I play JNPG with a 4 year old i7 laptop that has a wimpy graphics processor (NVIDIA 550m) and plays at about 14 frames per second at fairly low graphics settings at 1080 resolution. The SkyTrak software runs much more crisply, btw. But that's good enough for me - for now - all I need to see is where I'm starting, see the shape of the shot I hit, and see where the ball landed. Golf isn't a first person shooter requiring fast reactions. If I had a projector set up for golf game simulation, I'd go for upgraded graphics, but even on an old machine, the JNPG simulator works. And for about $30, you can buy the stand-alone golf game and see how it works graphically on a computer. I hear that The Golf Club is even more demanding on the graphics card than JNPG, but I've never tried it.

[doublebogey]

Interesting you're able to run JNPG on just NVIDIA 550m. Pardon me as I don't know much about GPU's, but do you think JNPG will run on a laptop runnung Windows 7 w Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.0GHz or higher, 2GB RAM or higher using NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT w just 128MB VRAM at very low frames per second and low graphics setting like you have? Thanks. I really don't know difference between NVIDIA 550m vs NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT. Thanks again in advance for any insights.

[A.West]

I'm no expert, but that GPU is only about 1/4 the speed of my already slow GPU, and I'd say my laptop is on the low border of usability for JNPG. I wouldn't want to experiment and play at a lower resolution.

[andygg1986]

I believe that I read somewhere that JNPG uses more CPU power, whereas TGC is more dependent on your GPU. Someone had looked at both CPU and GPU usage while playing. JNPG was maxing out the CPU and TGC was maxing out the graphics card.

[doublebogey]

Thanks A.West. I figured might be too slow - just wanted to see if can recycle an old MacBook Pro running Windows 7 on Bootcamp...

[CBearsSB]

Go to source - onlinegolftours website - lists the required specs.

[John6577]

Total cost for me was around $8k. Honestly, I have regrets about it now because I cannot use it during the summer because its so hot outside and I have to set it up in my garage.

Skytrak (with case and warranty) was around $2400
Net System, Screen, and Mats- $1800
Computer (built my own PC) $1500
TGC software- $1000
Projector- $900
Incidentals- $300 (balls, HDMI cords, etc)

I had some disposable income at the time and go with the notion of buying the best that you can afford. I could have taken much cheaper routes but the quality and all would not have been what I wanted.

Its an absolute money pit but if you use it a lot its one of the best "Man Toys" around. I think what disappoints me most is that I cannot really swing freely on mine because of the limited space I have in my garage. If I had a room solely dedicated to it and had freedom of movement it would be the coolest thing I have ever bought.

[wbond]

Do you have a window in your garage, if so, you could get a window AC unit. I got one cheap off of CL and it works pretty well for cooling off the garage in order to play.

[Thinman]

I know it is expensive, but money pit? lol, no. For the most part, these are one time purchases and some are or can be multi-purpose (projector, computer).

You want a money pit? Get yourself into RC Car racing! Or better yet, let me sell you a few thousand dollars of RC Car equipment and get you into it! :-) Now *there* is a money pit. Drive, crash, pay. Want to go faster, pay. Want to charge faster, pay. Pay, pay, pay (pay pay).

[Dan McWhirter]

Five grand...plus one for a one ton mini-split heat pump self installed.

[wdfwguy]

For SkyTrak's own range software, they state: "SkyTrak for Windows: Windows 7/8/10, Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.0GHz or higher, 2GB RAM or higher"

I think at least to start, I'd just do the game improvement subscription. And I saw the minimums you mentioned, but what would be sort of middle of the road computer specs for running the Skytrak game?

And is this what's going to determine how much lag I would have?

[Sledge0001]

In simple terms they are expensive but damn are they fun and in my opinion worth the expense.