Dancin Dogg Golf Simulator

[luigicactus]

For anyone who has the Dancin Dogg swing pad, the new 3DD software is available for download from the Optishot website under the downloads section. Make sure your video card is able to handle the graphics or it won't look great!

Let me know what you think of the new software.

Thanks TA, I downloaded it right away, but unfortunately, I have the older version of the software so I would need to buy the upgrade (which is a new key...)
Do you think it is worth the 69.95US$ price tag??

[holdarien]

Hi guys!

I am also interested in building up a small golf simulator in my house for being able to play some golf during winter months. I have started this endeavor with buying the Launchpad Tour from Electric spin. Then I built a platform for raising my stand to the level of the pad. This installation works great for me and I can swing my golf club like I would do outside. But I am not so lucky with the Launchpad and, therefore, I am looking for another solution.

The Launchpad is most of the time quite accurate in terms of swing speed (the average speed shown from launchpad can be compared with the swing speeds measured by an state of the art ball launch monitor (Flightscope Kudu)). I have tested the pad now for one month and I can say, that approximately 8 out of 10 hits are recorded right, the others are not recorded at all or seem to be too fast or too slow. How does the optishot system behave in this matter? How often do you think the swing is not recorded correctly?

The major problem with the launchpad is that the path of the club is not recorded at all. It only indicates the angle of the club face (and I am not sure how accurate it is). I personally think that the path of the club is as important for the ball flight as the angle of the club head. Therefore, the Launchpad is not as accurate as I would like it to be. How accurate is the optishot? Do you think that the system gives accurate feedback? Would the ball on driving rang behave the same way as the feedback of optishot indicates (assumed no thin or fat hit)?

What about the light, some reviews said that the optishot system has difficult requirements for the surrounding light. What were your experiences? The Launchpad is quite stable in terms of light, it works with every surrounding light conditions I have tried the same way.

For Chipping/Pitching and Putting the Launchpad has different modes (which can be activated by covering a specific sensor). The slower speed of a chip/pitch or a put is then taken quite accurate (maybe the putting needs a bit too much speed). It is fun to practice the short game with the launchpad and tiger woods 2008. Is something like that also possible with the optishot system, or is it only good for irons and the long game? What about the problems with drivers and woods? I have found some reviews on that. Have you had problems with yours? I use a Wilson Spine and on the Launchpad it works fine.

What about durability? The Launchpad seams to be quite good in this matter. I have used it now for one month every day and it is still in good shape (during this time I had some bad miss hits with the driver hitting the rubber case of the unit). It seams to be very sturdy. I do not use the tethered ball, because it is too loud for me. Instead I use a foam ball, and this works fine. Is durability a problem with the optishot system and is the usage very loud?

I have no possibility to try the optishot system, because I am from Austria and the retail system of dancin dogg in middle Europe seams to be quite thin. So please tell me your experiences and help me comparing the optishot system with the launchpad. If the system is not what I expect I maybe keep the Launchpad or go on to the P3Pro Swing or another feedback system out there.

Thanks for every reply!
Best regards
holdarien

[sharon.gmc]

Wow, that's a nice set-up! I wish I can have one too . . .

[TA 845]

Thanks TA, I downloaded it right away, but unfortunately, I have the older version of the software so I would need to buy the upgrade (which is a new key...)
Do you think it is worth the 69.95US$ price tag??

Luigi,

The money is well spent if you plan on using the equipment as an indoor simulator, if you are happy swinging the club on the practice software and using Tiger Woods 08 than I would say no. There is no comparison to the Tiger Wood's games, the new software is far more realistic in both looks and accuracy. Plus once you have paid for the upgrade all new courses they will be issuing are free (and there are a few more almost ready).

[TA 845]

Hi guys!

...approximately 8 out of 10 hits are recorded right, the others are not recorded at all or seem to be too fast or too slow. How does the optishot system behave in this matter? How often do you think the swing is not recorded correctly?

The only time that the Dancin Dogg does not record properly is when you top the ball, it shows a true shot even though it should not be! For fat shots, your club head is slowed down so the sensors pick this up and the ball travels a lot less.

The major problem with the launchpad is that the path of the club is not recorded at all. It only indicates the angle of the club face (and I am not sure how accurate it is). I personally think that the path of the club is as important for the ball flight as the angle of the club head. Therefore, the Launchpad is not as accurate as I would like it to be. How accurate is the optishot? Do you think that the system gives accurate feedback? Would the ball on driving rang behave the same way as the feedback of optishot indicates (assumed no thin or fat hit)?

The path and club head angle information is bang-on!, one thing that is very important is to make sure you alignment is square to the sensors - same as lining up a real golf shot otherwise what should be a square path becomes an outside-in shot.
The feedback is what I experience on the course.... that's why I need to practice!

What about the light, some reviews said that the optishot system has difficult requirements for the surrounding light. What were your experiences? The Launchpad is quite stable in terms of light, it works with every surrounding light conditions I have tried the same way.

In my simulator room I have installed the compact flourescent light bulbs directly over the sensors (in a pot light so it looks nice!). I do have halogens installed in the room but they are far enough away there is no conflict.

For Chipping/Pitching and Putting the Launchpad has different modes (which can be activated by covering a specific sensor). The speed of the club is then taken quite accurate. It is fun to practice the short game with the launchpad and tiger woods 2008. Is something like that also possible with the optishot system, or is it only good for irons and the long game? What about the problems with drivers and woods? I have found some reviews on that. Have you had problems with yours? I use a Wilson Spine and on the Launchpad it works fine.

All of my clubs work great, even my oilcan Vokey wedges.

What about durability? The Launchpad seams to be quite good in this matter. I have used it now for one month every day and it still seams to be very sturdy. I do not use the feathered ball, because it is too loud for me. Instead I use a foam ball, and this works fine. Is durability a problem with the optishot system and is the usage very loud?

I cannot speak for durability yet, so far so good! There is a thread in this topic by Cordug, he has had his unit for 2 years I believe and it is still working great. The only time it is "loud" is when you hit a fat shot, but that is just feedback (and it's really not that loud!)

I have no possibility to try the optishot system, because I am from Austria and the retail system of dancin dogg in middle Europe seams to be quite thin. So please tell me your experiences and help me save the money for the delivery from US. If the system is not what I expect I maybe go on to the P3Pro Swing or another feedback system out there.

I would highly recommend the Optishot system, the new software is fantastic, very accurate and great fun to play. There is a distributor in Sweden (northern Europe!) you may want to try them first... http://www.biogolf.se/group.asp?group=100 you can also search e-bay, they have some pretty good deals, just make sure you buy the Optishot system and not the Dancin Dogg Shot Making System as the latter will require a software upgrade $$.

Hope this helps!

Mark

[TA 845]

Do you think it is worth the 69.95US$ price tag??

There is a special $20 off for the next 10 days, so it's $49.95 with a special check out coupon code of "3DDNOW"

[luigicactus]

There is a special $20 off for the next 10 days, so it's $49.95 with a special check out coupon code of "3DDNOW"

I saw that, the folks from Dancin'Dogg have send it to me and pulled the trigger on the upgrade. It does look nice!!! Now I need to find a way to convince my wife to let me some room.....

Thanks for the precious inputs TA

[holdarien]

One more question. As I said I have already built a platform for the Launchpad Tour, which is about 1.2 inches thin. How thick/thin is the Optishot System? Maybe it is possible to use the mats I have already prepared?

[TA 845]

One more question. As I said I have already built a platform for the Launchpad Tour, which is about 1.2 inches thin. How thick/thin is the Optishot System? Maybe it is possible to use the mats I have already prepared?

Your mats should work fine, the Optishot is 1.5" thick (to the top of the grass), mine is sunk in about 1.25" and I have no problems connecting with the ball!

[holdarien]

Today I have seen some impressions of the 3DD Golf Software. Wow, the graphics are really good. I even took a screen shot for my desktop. Can anybody post some impressions about the game feeling, when playing it with the Optishot system?

[TA 845]

Today I have seen some impressions of the 3DD Golf Software. Wow, the graphics are really good. I even took a screen shot for my desktop. Can anybody post some impressions about the game feeling, when playing it with the Optishot system?

I think the game feeling would depend upon your setup, if you have a dedicated room with a projector and large screen, what you would experience is something like the commercial golf simulators, the graphics may not be quite the level as the newest version of software they are using at Golf-O-Max, more like it was 2 years ago. Pretty good just the same! There is background noise as well - birds chirping, wind in the trees etc... makes it feel more realistic. I can't comment on playing on a computer screen as my setup uses the projector as the screen!

I have seen the Optishot system (new) on e-bay for $279 + $20 shipping (US) - pretty good price for what you get!

[bubba22]

Just ordered the Dancing Dogg simulator and can"t wait. I have the golf launchpad and its ok. Interested in the set up you guys have. Where did you get the mat like flooring? What is the quality of your projector? ie. do you need a high def one? What are you using for a screen? Any more advice would be appreciated. Right now i am using the launchpad via the desktop but once the dancing dogg comes I am seriously thinking about a projection set up.

[TA 845]

Just ordered the Dancing Dogg simulator and can"t wait. I have the golf launchpad and its ok. Interested in the set up you guys have. Where did you get the mat like flooring? What is the quality of your projector? ie. do you need a high def one? What are you using for a screen? Any more advice would be appreciated. Right now i am using the launchpad via the desktop but once the dancing dogg comes I am seriously thinking about a projection set up.

The flooring is an artificial grass that can hold a tee, it's pretty expensive and probably not really necessary - it feels lite standing on a real tee box! You can use the artificial grass they sell at Home Depot with a rubber underpad (1") and cut out where you will install the unit.
The projector is not high def and don't waste your money, the software can't drive at that level of performance. Mine is the BenQ XGA - good value & quality. My screen is made of 2 layers of Cordura, I'm thinking of adding a heavy rubber backing to help absorb real balls (like in Cordug's post). I found the "Almost Golf P3" practice balls here in Ottawa, they are a lot better than the orange Callaway foam balls.
Make sure your graphics card is a good one (NVIDIA 8800 or better) otherwise you may get choppy graphics. Mine works fantastic.

Good Luck, let us know how your installation goes & how you like the unit - I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

[bubba22]

What and where did you get the cordura? Have you tried the floppy in door balls. Just ordered 4 to try. I'll go with the artificial grass from home depot.

[TA 845]

What and where did you get the cordura? Have you tried the floppy in door balls. Just ordered 4 to try. I'll go with the artificial grass from home depot.

I got the Cordura from ebay, not too expensive. Haven't tried the floppy ball... I like the firmer feel of the Almost Golf ball.

[bubba22]

Having a tough time finding the cordura. Do you have any contact info for it?

[TA 845]

Having a tough time finding the cordura. Do you have any contact info for it?

Try this... http://stores.ebay.ca/uBet-uWin_NYLO...QQftidZ2QQtZkm

Would you like my acct# as well

[bubba22]

I owe you for all your help. Thanks a million.

[CPaul]

Floppy is a great indoor ball to use for chipping, pitching practice, but not for full swings with woods or anything like that -- a friend of mine tried full swings on one of his and they get deformed quickly, they're not built to take that.

I got the Cordura from ebay, not too expensive. Haven't tried the floppy ball... I like the firmer feel of the Almost Golf ball.

[TA 845]

That's good to know, nothing worse than a deformed ball! I find the "Almost Golf" ball marks up easily, there are black marks all over the ball. My irons and wedges are clean, I imagine it is just transfer from the irons.

[bubba22]

TA, where in Ottawa did you buy the almost p3 golf balls?

[TA 845]

TA, where in Ottawa did you buy the almost p3 golf balls?

At GolfWorks on Industrial Ave http://www.golfworks.com/canada.asp?bt=default.asp, they can ship to you in Barrie. Are you sure you don't need a hand digging or something??!!

[bubba22]

I promise that is the last question. Come to think of it, a hand with the digging would be great.

[holdarien]

I received my optishot system yesterday and after a few shots the golf fever has infected me again. I am really convinced that the product will help me to improve my game and keep it stable during winter. As I already mentioned I had the launchpad before, which is ok, but cannot be compared to the optishot system. Sometimes I had the feeling that the launchpad uses some kind of random algorithm to detect the club angle and it does not detect the club path at all. At least the swing speed seamed to be accurate most of the time and the support of the retailer was really good.

When using optishot I think that I can really trust all of the results shown. And also the 3DD software has convinced me. It is great to have the ball flight model of optishot transferred to a simulator environment. Yesterday I spent most of the time with hitting some balls on a par 3 hole of Tore Pines in the 3DD practice mode. The distances seamed to be a little short, but I have seen, that it is possible to adjust them for each club. I will try this as soon I get the chance to play outside for verifying my actual distances.

My first experiences concerning detection of different clubs are: all of my irons were detected very well. Also putting was quite good with my matt silver two ball putter. The woods seamed to be ok, but I did not use them a lot in the first session.

Thank you TA for the answering my questions and for giving me the motivation for buying this item. I am really glad about this purchase and might also build up a simulator like you did.

[TA 845]

When using optishot I think that I can really trust all of the results shown. And also the 3DD software has convinced me. It is great to have the ball flight model of optishot transferred to a simulator environment. Yesterday I spent most of the time with hitting some balls on a par 3 hole of Tore Pines in the 3DD practice mode. The distances seamed to be a little short, but I have seen, that it is possible to adjust them for each club. I will try this as soon I get the chance to play outside for verifying my actual distances.

I find my irons are spot on in terms of distance and swing speed diplayed in the 3DD software, I am having some issues with my hydrids, 3 wood and driver with varying results for swing speed (too fast!). This is only in the 3DD software, the Optishot shoftware is very accurate for all of my clubs. As you mention there are the adjusments for each individual club, however, it will not affect the clubs in the 3DD software. I have reported the bug and they are working on it (I hope!).

Thank you TA for the answering my questions and for giving me the motivation for buying this item. I am really glad about this purchase and might also build up a simulator like you did.

My pleasure!

Mark

[holdarien]

I think you are right with the woods in 3DD. They seam to be a bit to long for me too. The irons are too short for me, especially when I use no ball (which is sometimes useful for playing quietly). With the foam ball it seams to be ok, maybe a bit too short, but I have to verify that on the range.

[TA 845]

I think you are right with the woods in 3DD. They seam to be a bit to long for me too. The irons are too short for me, especially when I use no ball (which is sometimes useful for playing quietly). With the foam ball it seams to be ok, maybe a bit too short, but I have to verify that on the range.

To compensate for the short iron distances, select the real ball option (not foam) and you will see the distances to be more accurate when you use a foam/lighter ball.

[holdarien]

Good idea, thanks, I will try that.

[bubba22]

Just got the Optishot 3dd. Looks and works great. Right now just using laptop images and awaiting my projector. I found a local store for the cordura impact screen. I will probably stick to the Almost golf P3 balls. They are just fine for in doors. Wife is a little worried about damaging something or someone in the room. I used a lare square of fake grass indoor outdoor carpet built up with interlocking mats to give perfect hight. I also bought a framed practice net 7 ft by 9 ft ($39 ebay) and will hang the cordura from this. Overall I am thrilled with this setup and will keep you posted once it is all ready. As well the winter tees suggested are perfect. Thanks too everyone for the suggestions and help.

[CPaul]

Could you tell me where you picked up the cordura impact screen in Ottawa -- I'm just using my laptop right now with my indoor golf sim, but at some point it would be great to upgrade to the full projector / screen experience...

Just got the Optishot 3dd. Looks and works great. Right now just using laptop images and awaiting my projector. I found a local store for the cordura impact screen. I will probably stick to the Almost golf P3 balls. They are just fine for in doors. Wife is a little worried about damaging something or someone in the room. I used a lare square of fake grass indoor outdoor carpet built up with interlocking mats to give perfect hight. I also bought a framed practice net 7 ft by 9 ft ($39 ebay) and will hang the cordura from this. Overall I am thrilled with this setup and will keep you posted once it is all ready. As well the winter tees suggested are perfect. Thanks too everyone for the suggestions and help.