Just Dancin Dogg

[rdh]

I emailed the Links 2003 folks to ask about whether the software is open to an "API" interface. They said it's not. So, there's no way to feed in data on club speed, face angle, etc. The ElectricSpin integration just manipulates the standard Links swing bar in place of mouse clicks - so depending on club speed, angle, etc., it would just set the height of the bar and whether the click at the bottom is early or late. It wouldn't be a very accurate simulation, but for a bit of fun could be okay (similar to the Tiger Woods integration I would think...which I never tried).

[tcaron]

Hi rdh,

Thanks for checking on that. As much as I enjoy the 3DD software TW 2008 gives us the ability to play Pebble, etc. with decent graphics. It has taken a lot of tweaking though to get TW to a playable state. I also wish the TW player could be removed during play.

Would a mouse interface from the DD panel, similar to the TW interface, be difficult to write for Links 2003? Links 2003 has so many great courses out there!

Morgan at DD is great. Always responds. I did blame DD for costing me $ in new clubs, shoes and even a new set for my wife! He said he hears that a lot.

Being able to hit balls with the new clubs instead of just dreaming about spring is worth owning a DD.

Although he responded that there would be no ball flight detector of Links interface he did say that more courses are coming soon!

Tom C

[psace]

Tom, I also have new clubs I am dying to try.

I hope to get everything finally working this weekend. It has been 3 months since I started and I am getting very inpatient to actually hit a real golf ball in my garage. I think my brain is going into neutral. The hardest part is planning everything including the lighting, location, size of screen, projector distance, cage or ceiling track, commercial matt and impact screen or home-made. I am starting to think that I should have just bought the whole commercial setup from the get go. Someone tell me it is worth it in the end.

[rdh]

We've been going down parallel paths psace. My last remaining step is to put underpad and turf on top of my platforms, then I'll FINALLY be up and running. My project started last September, so it's been a long, drawn out affair...

Let us know what you think once you're all running psace!

[psace]

Thanks for the headsup, RDH. I tend to be a very impatient person so this timeline is driving me crazy! You have done a great job of keeping everyone up to date with the golf sim world.

I have always been a golf sim fan, since the days of leaderboard. The thing I do like about the Golftek sim is the number of golf courses. Graphics are very mportant to me as is realism. However, with 2 kids in post secondary school there is a limit on spending.

It is good to have 2 forums going.

[Kilroy]

Since you guys have multiple threads on the topic of the DD and other sims, we ask you to refrain from double posting in both.

If the multi thread approach does not work for you we can merge them back into the original thread.

[golfun]

Got it, just thought more awareness for the product if some people only read one thread and considering this forum is basically the only reviews on it on the web... If you actually type in Dancin Dogg Reviews this page comes up in the first 5-10 results now! Amazing all the info on here and how much people have used it to help them out.

[Kilroy]

All the more reason not to split the thread up.

[golfun]

I think some people on here wanted separate threads for Dancin Dogg Simulator and Other general simulators. I think it's nice to have one because almost everyone finds this page first, but it goes off topic a lot too...

[Kilroy]

Such is the nature of a forum. IMHO all discussion of sims is on topic in a sim discussion thread. Be it brand specific or not. If people want more specific threads that's fine too. We don't want posts repeated in multiple threads so people "don't miss it".

If a thread goes off topic for a few posts, that's very normal. Thread jacking is when a thread goes way off topic and doesn't come home.

[golfun]

It is amazing thou with all the millions and millions of golfers in the world there is no definite site or really any review site at all for golf simulators. It shows the interest of this category of product by how many people are writing and reading on here. But I guess that is why this thread was originally for Dancin Dogg as they were the ones who made golf simulators for the first time affordable for everyone... even thou mine didn't even work for me (yet, going to buy another one and leave review!)

[mtgolf]

Folks, got my DD today and have been messing with settings.
I have a question regarding yardages.

In the setting involving % of speed, and % of distance, I have had to enter 125% to get distances that I typically get with my clubs.

I'm confused...isn't DD supposed to measure actual club head speed? Why should I have to make adjustments in the program settings to increase yardage?

[psace]

Mtgolf. I don't have my system up and running yet, but I believe Bubba suggested that the % speed would be your normal club head speed. So if your driver is 100mph set it to 100% and leave the distance at 100%. If you can get to a golf store/proshop with a launch monitor you can find that out, if you don't already know what it is. Also, apparently everything in you sim has to be set up correctly, especially the lighting.

[mtgolf]

I've spent considerable time with the unit now and I have the following observations:


1. All errors are human. The unit is a machine. Garbage in, garbage out! Good swings result in accurate readings. I'm too wimpy to make contact with the unit and take a divot so to speak. I noticed that I came in low but got up high toward the second row of sensors and the sensors wouldn't read the club.
2. Alignment has to be PERFECT. If you compensate for alignment in your swing, you will have a very difficult time with DD. It will change your swing (for the better) unless you don't want to mess with your swing at all and keep your compensations.
3. The putting and tempo are VERY useful. It affirmed that I am a decent putter with a square putterface.
4. My biggest disappointment is that the unit doesn't measure actual mph and has to rely on adjustments to get the same distance as a course (correct me if I'm wrong on this). I thought with two rows of sensors the speed of the clubhead passing through ought to be recorded rather than calculated. Anyhow...I've ordered a swing speed radar and I'll use it to calibrate the unit. Clubhead speed shouldn't have to be calibrated...why can't the unit simply measure MPH the club is traveling through? I'm barely registering 50mph on wedge swings. I hit my PW 135 and have done so for 10 seasons so I know my swing speed isn't 50mph. I'm a 12.3 hdcp and hit my 7 iron 160 yds so a really low reading like 50mph cannot realistically be accurate.
6. Good news is, my Titleist 905T driver reads perfectly if I keep the through-swing low enough for sensors to catch the exiting club. My cobra baffler iron-like hybrids are also being read just fine.

If the radar calibration makes it work, I'll keep the unit.

[golfun]

Different problems for different people? My swing speeds on the unit I had were almost spot-on and were incredibly consistent, face angle and path weren't thou... If the swing speed is consistently off by a percentage on all quarter - full swings the club head speed setting should help some..

[mtgolf]

I've really enjoyed reading the 42 page (and counting...) thread.
I saw bubba's taping, garage setups, youtube videos, and helpful tables with distance for ball used vs. ball type selected. Thanks everyone for making this a great resource.

I have a question regarding shot type. I've just selected normal shot. But there is an option called power shot. What does that refer to? Has anyone tried it? does it alter speed/distance considerably?

I looked at the entire dd manual online and couldn't find anything on this except a brief mention saying, if you don't know what your flight is like, leave this alone.

[psace]

Mtgolf.

I think the powershot was an addition to the last update. I will hopefully be up and finally running tomorrow so I can try it out. I normally hit my shots with a higher launch angle so will probably use the high shot to simulate my own game. Do you have any pics to show yet?

[bubba22]

Powershot is a boost option that has been present all along with the dd. It basically boosts the clubhead speed and distance. Good for the little kids or first time golfer.

mtgolf let me understand, your driver is registering well but the irons are not. Unit is ok then.
I would check your irons. Are they reflective? If not maybe try taping them. Check the lighting in the room etc. Are you trying to take a divot because fat shots will register with slower swing speed. If you can check your clubhead speed with a vector or any club or ball sensor unit then do so to know your actual speeds.
Check your iron settings to make sure they are at 100%. You may have to play around somewhat with your settings but not to 125%.

The dd unit does measure actual swing speed not estimated. It estimates the ball distance and direction based on the club head angle and direction through the sensors. I have a vector launch monitor that I use with the dd and the accuracy of my dd unit is very good with respect to the swing speed and distance. The left to right ball flight is also very acceptable however the vertical estimation is aweful. That is a huge part of the golf flight. That is why I have been very agressive to have the dd folks develop a ball sensor. P3pro have a Logitech web cam based ball sensor that at least tries to measure the vertical launch and reflects that on the software. So if you thin one it shows a very low launch and the sim shows a worm burner. That can't be hard to develop and would be cheaper than sensors. Webcams are not expensive. All dd owners should email dd to request this so they can have it as an option.

[mtgolf]

psace and bubba22...thanks for the feedback and tips.

I'm a believer, BIG TIME.

I set up ideal light conditions in my garage with a lamp with only 1 cfl bulb.
I bought the cheapo home depot artificial turf carpet 6 X 8 (cost US$20) and a 2ft X 4ft 1/2 inch thick piece of wood (it is like particle board...cost US$11).
I cut three layers of carpet and mounted two on top and one underneath the wood.
Now I have a hitting surface that matches the height of the DD unit percisely!
I cut out a bit of wood at the top to fit the DD (not fully enclose but a half rectangle).

With perfect lighting, I'm registering good contact.
I'm getting 80mph for driver and 50 for PW but my radar unit is coming in on Wed and I'll calibrate.

I am getting my yardage for the PW with just 50mph though.

For any aspiring buyers, I gotta say this:

The unit is VERY precise. All depends on whether you follow instructions closely and are willing to experiment to get the right amount of accuracy.

One common complaint here is that people register VERY open faces. I think I may have an answer...
Check your lie angle. If the toe is pointing up at address, you will register an open face. I've seen this with my clubs that are 2 deg flat and need to be bent a bit flatter. When I stand a bit more upright to compensate, the open face goes away instantly. Also, I don't get the open face with the driver because the loft is so much lesser compared to a wedge.

All in all, I'm one happy camper now!!!

I wish DD would give detailed instructions on troubleshooting stuff like this so that they can avoid returns and dissatisfied customers. It is a GREAT product for $350. Incredible actually!

[psace]

MTgolf, so glad to hear things are getting better and you are a believer. I am really looking forward to finally hitting some real balls. I hope to do my first trial tonight when I mount my projector. I agree people need to work with dd for awhile before making negative comments. To bad we couldn't play online like pc sims, that would be awesome.

[rdh]

Our parallel timelines continue psace...I finished putting the turf on my platfoms about 90 minutes ago so I am now all set to play...finally. Let us know how things go for you once you actually get hitting some balls. Congratulations on finishing the project!

[golfun]

Yeah I believe there are many types of cases going on here and there for simulators like any other product (Think about customer reviews on TV's!!). If it works you think it's great, if you have problems maybe not so... People like me and rdh had problems that went away after it being "fixed" ha. Again if you try everything under the moon to get it working and you have optimal almost perfect conditions and it doesn't work then something is up... Rdh's didn't work until he send in and his unit came back working ha Like I said If it worked I would have been all for it's consistency the first time around, maybe my unit was really old(hope that was the case). But I still will try again with hopefully better results.
Like I said for $400 and all courses and hardware what can beat that? That's one thing I really like about DD, the complete package for $400. The complete package isn't divided into 10 different pricey options!
I do like people saying different solutions to problems in case something works for them, but it shouldn't be something so intricate that no one could consistently maintain in order to receive good results.
This is a cool forum, real comments and reviews from real customers, keep them coming!

[bubba22]

The pricepoint for the dd is the best. At some point they probably will charge for the courses. Hope they continue to grow and add hardware to the sim as well.

[golfun]

Some people are saying they will probably charge for courses at some point...
If they are giving away like 10 courses right now for free I can't really see them in the future all of a sudden not giving any with the simulator. Maybe they will give 10 for free and a 20 course add-on for $50?
There is one Reason why I don't believe they will charge for courses thou... Their software they use is different from the other companies mainly and the main big reason is they are not licensing real course names and having to pay royalties from what I can see. If they make a course in a week or two that is fictional or based on a real one and just not called it, then they make them for free besides cost of time producing them.
Hey even just 10 courses is a lot of courses to practice on!

[bubba22]

The inside info I have is that they will start charging for courses when they have produced a database of free courses. Not sure what number that is or how much they will charge. I don't think it is free for dd to make these courses though.

[golfun]

I don't know if there is a fee they have to pay to Simway to create new courses but if they are just designing there own fictional courses or faking real ones then it is just their time to produce it (which of coarse costs money!).
bubba- How many courses would you be content with playing without wanting anymore? ha

[psace]

Congratulations, RDH. You are the envy of most of us here. I know how long a process it is to get to the finish.

I did hit a few 7 irons last night with real balls but only had a few minutes until bedtime. I still have to add black muslin to the cage and foam floor tiles with turf on top to keep the garage floor warm.

Good to see you back Bubba. We need your commentary on these threads. I am very hungry for more courses, too.

[rdh]

Thanks psace. It's great to finally have things running, isn't it? I did the same as you last night - hit a few pitching wedges into the green on #7 at pebble beach. Actually, I should correct myself...I TRIED to hit a few pitching wedges in but man, my game needs work. Eeks.

On the topic of courses for DD, last year I contacted simway directly to see if any of their existing courses could be made to work with it. They basically said no, but they also said:

In addition, we are looking at a concept for more local courses playable on the simulator, including some that we have today. Recently we have not been able to give this priority.
Hopefully we will have a solution for this before next indoor season.

The person I contacted was . One of you may want to email him to see if there is anything more planned directly from Simway.

[bubba22]

My feeling is that they will put out about 15-20 courses before charging. A drivng range is on the way and I think they are working on things like online play, closest to pin, skins etc. I would like as many courses as they can make. 20-30 courses is a good number. I would prefer they work on the webcam launch option.

[mtgolf]

I gave a shout out to ottawa golf in my amazon.com review of DD.
hopefully more people will learn the usefulness of the product and visit this forum to learn how to use their product more effectively.

I'm content with 20 courses. I hope they add pebble beach to the mix if they can.

I'll most likely not pay extra for a course unless it is Augusta national.

A webcam for ball speed is not a bad idea. Some people use the swing speed radar to measure the ball speed. That radar comes with a $20 accessory cover and you put the radar in the ball path instead of to the side. For $120 total that is not a bad solution.
You will have to calculate the smash factor yourself though...ball speed/clubhead speed but practice zone can keep track of swings and so can the radar.

My radar comes in tomorrow...I will experiment with capturing ball speed as well and report the results.

By the way, I taped my driver and PW with reflective tape while covering the remaining sole of the driver with masking tape. No difference in capture at all.

Currently I only have masking tape on my driver and I've left the leading edge of the sole as-is and it is reflective to begin with. I'm getting fine results.