Golf simulators

[PlaidJacket]

I had a flightscope hooked up with E6 software which was good, but needs more space. I am changing to a skytrak instead

 

 

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Are you keeping the FlightScope?

[mygolfjournal]

Sold it

 

 

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[Low Country Golfer]

There's good product support (fixing issues, releasing updates to make it better, listening to feedback) and then there's good customer support. I don't own one and have never called them, so just basing this off things I've read. They seem to be doing a decent job on product support and a crappy job at customer support.

 

That doesn't make the Skytrack a bad product.

It doesn't make it a bad product, but it makes it a bad product to buy if yours isn't perfect. Roll the dice and gamble on yours being perfect? No thanks. I'll wait until someone comes out with one they're willing to support.

 

 

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[dadivots]

Any preference for mats or has anybody found any real advantage to the $$$ ones like realfeel? 

[wbealsd]

I replaced my original hitting mat after 3 winters (about 12 months total), the Realfeel mat I replaced it with 2 years ago does feel better to me, and seems to be holding up better.

 

Sorry, I don't recall the brand / model of the first mat I purchased, but it wasn't cheap

[joen]

Any preference for mats or has anybody found any real advantage to the $$$ ones like realfeel?

 

Do not cheap out on a mat if you are going to be using it extensively. A wrist injury isn't worth it. My real feel mat still looks great after four years of heavy usage. I have read on golf simulator forum of people using a lesser quality mat with a silicone gel mat underneath it and saving a little money that way but still getting good shock absorption.....

[Shifty]

Personally for skytrak I think the fiberbuilt is the best mat, and gives you the most accurate numbers, and won't hurt you on hitting down and through. But...(there is always a but) if you do simulation, its not the best for putting.  Thinking of making some sort of track system for the skytrak so I can put in front of the fiberbuilt.

But if you are doing the range or dynamic handicap testing this mat is fantastic.

[cksurfdude]

Also check out P3 Pro - this one uses a series of infrared sensors set in a small rectangular piece of hardware (that's the LM and) that you hit off of, and that fits into a cut-out in side of the hitting mat.

 

So no camera or overhead projector and indirect light doesn't interfere.

 

You can buy different packages with a mat, or with a net and there are add-on courses. No other costs or subscriptions.

 

Cannot speak to the accuracy of the numbers it gives you, but it does give you basic LM data in addition to practice range and sim play.

 

Putting? Well.... it is what it is on an indoor sim....

 

Have not had any issued that required tech support ( but then for various stoopit reasons have not actually used it that much ... yet .... am cleaning out and reorganizing my garage.... ).

[Chal]

I have a nice outdoor shed and live up north.  I put an optishot inside and my son and I have been playing on it almost daily.  Is the system limited, absolutely.  It is not Foresight, Trackman or anything close to those.

 

I will say this.  My son has improved Tremendously by using this machine.  His set up and consistency with making solid contact with the golf ball have improved greatly.  Is it completely accurate, No.  For iron shots, it does a darn good job.  I have been using it and playing for roughly 2 months.  I am not trying to make changes, but just swinging and hitting shots and having some fun doing it. 

 

I was on a system a couple days ago doing a club fitting and the shots I was hitting on it were exactly like the shots I was hitting on the optishot. 

 

Again, depending on what you are trying to do.  For me it was get my son more excited about golf and have some fun in the winter.  It has accomplished that and more, especially if you do not have thousands to spend...

[DShafr1216]

I have the Optishot also and I love it. For the price I would say it's pretty accurate. Not looking to get to the PGA with it but definitely helps in the winter when there is 2 feet of snow outside

 

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[kejoal11]

I purchased a skytrak in March and love it. It helps me dial in my carry distances and is pretty accurate.  Updates have made it better. 

[TSauer]

I purchased a skytrak in March and love it. It helps me dial in my carry distances and is pretty accurate. Updates have made it better.

Would love to get one of these in the future? How much did it set you back?

[Smalls1588]

Golf simulator room is the dream. 

[djahubes]

Optishot definitely looks like more entertainment but as long as it tracks accurrately I'm good with that, i really want a way to keep practicing in the winter without driving an hour to an indoor range

Optishot does not track anything related to the ball. It simulates based on how the club comes through the pad. It's a game, fun, but nothing like a simulation. Price is good though

 

 

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[HighFade]

I have decided on the SkyTrak. Pulled the trigger last week, and I received the launch monitor yesterday. I've cleared out some space in the garage, but the mat and net won't arrive for a few more weeks. I'll keep you updated on the project.

 

So far, the initial setup and connection was pretty easy. It works with my wireless router and my iPhone app. I plan to find a low cost or used projector along with iPhone mirroring and my AppleTV to project the image onto the hitting screen.

 

Pics to follow too.

[cnosil]

I have decided on the SkyTrak. Pulled the trigger last week, and I received the launch monitor yesterday. I've cleared out some space in the garage, but the mat and net won't arrive for a few more weeks. I'll keep you updated on the project.

 

So far, the initial setup and connection was pretty easy. It works with my wireless router and my iPhone app. I plan to find a low cost or used projector along with iPhone mirroring and my AppleTV to project the image onto the hitting screen.

 

Pics to follow too.

 

Keep us informed on how it works.  I would love to do something like this,  but don't have any available space in my house.

[TBT]

I have looked at these for a long time...still haven't found one that is accurate enough at a decent price.....maybe someday

[GolfJunkie302]

Looking forward to your opinion. I was looking at the SkyTrak awhile back...

 

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[Filtr]

Has anyone tried R motion system. I was thinking of giving it a try

 

 

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[HighFade]

So, I am sitting here in training all week at home. I couldn't wait for the net and mat to arrive, so I plugged in the SkyTrak and chipped in my living room. Why? Because my wife isn't here, and she'd kill me if she saw me chipping into a blanket against the wall.

 

The first few hits were not recognized, but I think I was just hitting too softly. Once I hit it a little harder, the laser pointer disappeared to let me know it “saw” the shot, and a couple seconds later, it appeared on the screen just like you'd expect. It's slower than I had hoped for, but not bad. I wasn't sitting there for 10 seconds waiting for the display. Probably about 2-3 seconds.

 

More to come when the net arrives Wednesday, and the mat arrives Friday.

[GolfJunkie302]

So, I am sitting here in training all week at home. I couldn't wait for the net and mat to arrive, so I plugged in the SkyTrak and chipped in my living room. Why? Because my wife isn't here, and she'd kill me if she saw me chipping into a blanket against the wall.

 

The first few hits were not recognized, but I think I was just hitting too softly. Once I hit it a little harder, the laser pointer disappeared to let me know it “saw” the shot, and a couple seconds later, it appeared on the screen just like you'd expect. It's slower than I had hoped for, but not bad. I wasn't sitting there for 10 seconds waiting for the display. Probably about 2-3 seconds.

 

More to come when the net arrives Wednesday, and the mat arrives Friday.

Don't hit it too hard. You'd hate to have to explain a broken window to her!😊

 

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[MWGolf23]

What kind of nets/impact screens are you guys buying/price points? What do you recommend? I think I'd like the net to grab the ball or keep it close to the net so it doesn't recoil and roll all over the place in my garage. And just place another ball. Dream is to get a SkyTrak for next winter.

[its_ikon]

I ordered my net from west coast netting and got it with a flex track. Size and net can be any size you can dream of. Now I'm just waiting for Skytrak to have promotion on the price.

 

http://www.westcoastnetting.com/netting-products/sports/golf-barrier.html

[grad2004cca]

You do hear horror stories. You never hear from the people who love their products. That's how internet works It's like the Phantom 4 Pro drone I've got. I love it. Fantastic product. Several guys on youtube hate it. It flies away. Video quality is terrible etc etc. Everyones a critic and expert these days. 

 

Truth is - people make mistakes. People do things like use bright lights that shine directly into the high speed camera on SkyTrak. But my favourite is "I don't get the distance and spin I've got when I play outside". You're indoors. Most golfers don't swing/play the same indoors. 

 

There's a lot of user error out there. That's my point.

 

SkyTrak's rep can be contacted on this sim forum - http://golfsimulatorforum.com/forum/skytrakHe does a great job. Their UK office has been excellent in taking care of me and others I've helped buy SkyTrak.

 

Furu thank you for the link! There is a lot of helpful information about the Skytrak on that forum. 

[MDGolfHacker]

My neighbor has a skytrak setup with net in his garage and has invited me over a few times. Just haven't gotten over there yet since he hasn't shank proofed his garage yet😁😂🤣

 

MDGolfHacker

[frackh]

For the Skytrak, I have the Net Return Pro hitting net, thing is just plain quiet, the only noise is from hitting the ball. I'm hearing good things about the new Super Quiet impact screen from Par2Pro but haven't tried it myself. It's likely the route to take if I ever decide to set up the screen to replace the net.

[JSWAT20]

I decided I was going to jump into the simulator market a couple weeks ago and did as much homework as I could prior to making any purchases.

 

Obviously budget is the biggest issue when looking at what to buy as there seem to be more "lower-end" (ex. optishot)  and "higher-end" (ex. trackman) devices but not too many in that middle range.  From everything I could find, the Skytrak and GC2 systems are basically the closest you're going to get to the Trackman, Flightscope range and stay under 5k (for the launch monitor alone).  

 

With more funding, I probably would have picked up a GC2, but I decided to go with the Skytrak in an effort to get started sooner rather than later as i'd have to save up quite a bit more $$ to go the GC2 route.  

 

I ended up with the Skytrak unit with protective case (from Skytrak site), 9x10 Beta-SQ impact screen (from Par2Pro) and the Country Club Elite hitting mat (Costco, oddly enough).  Additionally I bought a new gaming laptop (Newegg via Ebay) and an Optoma GT1080darbee projector (also Newegg via Ebay) #coupons.  The simulator SW I chose was Jack Nicklaus Perfect Golf.

 

After everything arrived, I've now played two full rounds and can say that I've enjoyed it thus far.  The weather here in MD hasn't been ideal, as spring has yet to show itself for more than a day, so being able to play as much as I want in the garage has been great.

 

The things I've noticed are: 

1) The Skytrak was super easy to setup and get started.

2) The distances I was seeing on the Skytrak driving range were relatively accurate for me.

3) The JPNG simulation software is aesthetically awesome.  They've done a great job w/ the courses.

4) What I'm finding thus far is that the distance translation from the Skytrak to the JPNG simulation software isn't as accurate as the Skytrak range.  I find myself coming up short on most shots outside of 150y.  I've decided I'm going to toy with this more - it could be how I have the Skytrak positioned (on the floor and raised to mat level). 

5) Happy thus far w/ the screen (it's a "beta" version that Par2Pro has just released, so there are no durability stats yet, but the picture and impact sound are very good)

6) The projector is excellent also - the picture is great.

 

As things progress and my trial-and-error continues, I'll hopefully be able to provide more info as well as some pictures.

 

Hope this is helpful.

JS

[ED13]

I have been waiting for SkyTrack to go on sale and today was the day at Golftown online.  On order and waiting for it to arrive.

[lamorak24]

I'll have a GC2 and FSX here in a little over a month. Best part, I can simulate putting right next to the bay on a putting green. Anyone have experience with the fsx software and courses?

 

I spent this winter hitting balls a couple times a week in the practice bays at the PGA Tour Superstore.  They have Foresight GC2s with the FSX software.  It cost me $150 for 365 days of use.  

 

I really like the FSX software.  It looks great and quickly displays your shot.  The superstore has a camera set up in each bay, so it ties into the software and I can watch footage in slowmo of each swing will looking at its numbers.  They only have the head on camera, so I am not sure if it works with a two camera set up.

 

To start, you are able to tell it the club you are using(Driver, Iron, etc) and can add additional clubs.  So for example, I was able to track separately my shots for my Driver with a stiff shaft and my shots for my driver with an XStiff shaft so I could compare the numbers later.  

 

You can also move the distance from the green that you are hitting from 350yds to right in front for chipping, so you can always hit at the green.  I dont see a lot of people take advantage of this at the store.   

 

You can also set conditions, wind, wind direction, elevation, and maybe some others.   You can select the most recent shot tracer displayed or 10 shots.   You can select from different type of camera views for following the ball.

 

The export feature isnt really anything to write home about, especially compared to Trackman, its just a CSV table of your stats from that round, but I still email it to myself every time.  

 

I typically only use the driving range mode.  It also has a couple other modes that I haven't experimented with yet.  I have used the Simulator aspect playing Teton Pines, but I don't really care for it, mostly because of the short game falls short.  (In fairness, I don't care for Trackman with E6 either)

 

All that said, I leaning heavily towards building out a range in the garage this year and getting a Skytrak, because at the end of the day, I don't care for having to drive to the Superstore for scheduled 30 minute time blocks.  Instead, I want to be able to head out to the garage at anytime and hit for as long as I'd like.   If I could afford a GC2 with FSX, I'd get that.  

 

Let me know if you have any other questions, I've used the GC2 about 50 times this winter so I feel pretty comfortable with it.

[lamorak24]

Would love to get one of these in the future? How much did it set you back?

 

Skytrack goes for $1995 in the US and a bit more in Canada.  Throughout the year they run a $300 off campaign, so if you aren't in a hurry I'd wait for one of those.   Father's Day is probably the next one.   The consensus seems to be the $99 a year package is a must as well.