GolfTek ST1

[Par2Pro]

Hey All,

We just setup our new demo center with the Golftek ST1 and so I thought we needed to start a thread just based on the ST1 itself - for feedback, setups, pictures, videos etc.

What better way to start the thread than a video that we took at our new demo center. It is a quick video, but at least you get to see it in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMMIFEIrMOs

PS: I am still on the sidelines due to the injury, so sorry for the limited post - I will try to get back into the swing of things next week and catch up with everything...

Keep your eye on the ball (and your finger out of trouble ),
Cory

[bubba22]

Thanks a lot Cory. Looks good. There doesn't seem to be a lot of sensors for the st1. How often does the ball not cross the ball sensors? i imagine this is possible in really errant shots. The ball row just looks narrow. Otherwise a good looking unit. Just too bad they didn't have launch.

[ZMax]

Cory,

I see that the overhead lamp is directly in line with the projector. Does the light interfere with the projected image?

I noticed that it took the program a while to load the hole. Is that normal? Does it load every hole(after finishing a hole) when playing 18? Or would a faster PC with lots of ram cut down the loading time?

[indydh]

First, I need to thank everyone involved on this board. When first thinking about a simulator I stumbled upon this board and little did I know what a wealth of information I would find. All of the help has been much appreciated.

Through this board I found Cory and has always been said (but can never be said enough) he is just incredible to work with. The man is patient, knowledgeable, willing to answer any and all questions, very passionate about what he does, and did I mention patient?

After Cory reviewed with me all the options and answered a multitude of questions I purchased the St-1 just recently. As the weather in Indiana is still outdoor golfable I am still finding out things about the system each time I use it, but here is my experience so far that may help answer your questions.

"How often does the ball not cross the ball sensors?"

I've hit some shanks the sensors still picked up, very accurately. I have noticed when I hit a full sand wedge shot sometimes it is not picked up. I am assuming my ball loft is initially higher than what the sensors will pick up. I've also noticed because it only estimates launch angle than I can hit a thin shot whose flight is not depicted accurately. Other than those two situations, I've already told Cory the system seems to be eerily accurate and is not concerned about stroking me ego.

"Does the light interfere with the projected image?"

The system is set up in my garage and I have had to get an extension pole for the ceiling mounted projector, but after installing that, no problem.

"I noticed that it took the program a while to load the hole. Is that normal? Does it load every hole(after finishing a hole) when playing 18? Or would a faster PC with lots of ram cut down the loading time?"

I had the good fortune, I guess, of my old laptop crapping out at the time I was considering purchasing the simulator. So I got to order new and I went for overkill for a number of reasons. On Cory's recommendation I got a 1gb graphics card. But I went whole hog and also had the computer loaded with 6gb of memory. So yes, my computer screams but based on Cory's review of the system last spring I also loaded the "fastloaders" that come with the program. The end result is I don't have to "fill time" like Cory did in his video waiting for the screens to advance.

One other comment about the video Cory just posted. When he went to the driving range he didn't have the option of going to a plain flat range. That was included on the software which I received which I really like. As stated somewhere else before, you can only go down to the 7 iron on the driving range though. You have to go to "Virtual Chip" to practice 8 through wedges and there is no option for plain flat range. Obviously, it would be great if you had the option of using all clubs on the plain flat range.

Hope this helps, and hopefully the additonal rest I've given Cory from typing allows that finger to heal that much faster so that we can get him off the IR list.

[bubba22]

Thanks indydh. The st1 looks like a good sim. I wish it had an upgrade for launch measurement. If it had, I would have bought it. It does look nice though.

[walb0034]

Doesn't it include launch measurement bubba? What ball measurements is it taking?

Is this worth selling a p3pro and upgrading to? What was the cost of the system indydh?

[bubba22]

The st1 absolutely doesn't do launch angle. It measures ball speed and direction but the launch angle is selected based on the loft of the club. I spoke with Golftek many times and they have no plans on adding a launch add on. It really is too bad because if it had launch that certainly would be a really nice unit. The st1 is more expensive than the p3pro but not by that much. See http://par2pro.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=21_26 for prices.

[ZMax]

indydh,

The ST-1 estimates swing path. Do you know how it does that? And how accurate is it?

Also, how are the GSA courses? Are there any problems(major or minor) with them? Can you select the type of shot you want to play? i.e. flop, chip, etc...

I'm looking to move away from the P3pro's poor GSA integration.

Thanks

[bubba22]

I am pretty sure that the st1 measures swing path, club face angle, club speed as well as ball speed and initial ball direction. It estimates ball launch angle based on the club selected. I am hoping they would add a launch angle option. they use the GPS not GSA software. The last I talked with the Golftek crew(who are great by the way) they were in the process of redoing the grass top and hitting area of the st1. No plans of changing the sensors, just the hitting area. Adding launch add on was also being considered.

[ZMax]

According to their brochure, it estimates swing path.

[bubba22]

Interesting Zmax, it does say that. Although here http://www.par2pro.com/GolfTek/images/ST1-sensors.pdf it implies that it does measure the swing path. I will comfirm this today.

[ZMax]

Looking at the pdf, it detects the club face at impact and exit, but not at entry. It only measures half of the path.

The other thing is the 20 sec load time between holes, even with the fast loader installed, according to Cory's review.

[bubba22]

It certainly is a budget sim with limited sensors. I would see how the new pad they will be developing will go. Other than that it needs a launch add on.

[ZMax]

It certainly is a budget sim with limited sensors. I would see how the new pad they will be developing will go. Other than that it needs a launch add on.

Also, if you look at the brochure where it shows all the readings and outcome, the result/ball flight is not accurate. Cory's review also said that it was very forgiving.

I would like to hear from indydh about this. It would be nice if the interface can be tweaked, you know what I mean. That plus a LA camera could make the ST-1 a possible choice.

[bubba22]

I think given the price of the st1 that if they added a launch add on it would sell very well. The next option up will be the protee, pro7 or the Holiday golf. Just spoke with the Holiday golf folks. The sim has both ball and club sensors with the launch add on camera. The cost for the sensor pad, ball sensor pad and camera is about 7 grand with 10 real picture courses. They have a GSA option at 3 grand more. Bit more costly than the Pro7. It uses the shadow technology as well.

[ZMax]

I think given the price of the st1 that if they added a launch add on it would sell very well. The next option up will be the protee, pro7 or the Holiday golf. Just spoke with the Holiday golf folks. The sim has both ball and club sensors with the launch add on camera. The cost for the sensor pad, ball sensor pad and camera is about 7 grand with 10 real picture courses. They have a GSA option at 3 grand more. Bit more costly than the Pro7. It uses the shadow technology as well.

Wow, 10K for the whole kitchen sink. That's definitely too much. I hate to spend that much to find out that the ball flight sucks. The more I dig into this industry, the more I hate it.

From the P3pro's butcher of GSA to expensive products to uncertainty of the quality of the interfaces, it seems like they're all just concerned about putting out a product and making tons of money. Despite their claims of realism.

The only product and interface I think I can trust is Martin's GGS system. I see he has released an update for GSA and his interface panel.

I also took a peek at the sample source code for the OEM interface, it looked like it would have been easy for P3pro to input the ball launch angle into GSA. GSA was willing and ready.

[bubba22]

I do think that the GSA system is very good. The issue has always been the support by GSA. As well Martin does have several projects on the go and which will come through is a question. For example he is in the process of developing the adx sensor and who knows when it will happen. I am sure Cory has had some experience with this. Other than that I like the GSA systems. As well they many optional add on options which is very appealing. I still think the Golftek system is great, especially the pro7.

[rdh]

The pro 7 is a very good system. I've been meaning to post my own personal review of it for ages now...I have it started offline and will try to get that up soon.

On the GSA interface topic, yes it should have been very easy for P3Pro to feed in launch angle. I wrote my own interface and it wasn't rocket science.

Happy New Year everyone!

[bubba22]

I am looking forward to that review rdh.

[fhann]

rdh:

What equipment did you write your interface for to capture launch angle data and transfer that data into the P3ProSwing software?

Frank Hann

[bubba22]

I believe rdh has the Golftek pro7 hardware sensor and wrote the interface for that sim and the GSA software nothing to do with the p3pro (unfortunately ). Better we hear it from rdh himself however.

[indydh]

Zmax - Keep in mind I don't have any previous experience with another simulator so I can't compare the St-1 experience to any other simulator. Having said that, I will try to address some of your questions and comments.

When Cory did his review I don't think he did not have the fastloaders loaded. In any event, as I mentioned above I went with a computer with a 1gb graphics card and 6gb of memory. I added the fastloaders. In game play I do not wait at all on transitions. When I go the ranges it may take 10 seconds to load because there are no fastloaders available for the portion of the software.

As to accuracy all I can say is at impact when you already know you've hit a push, pull, slice, hook, or the occasional straight shot, that is what the simulator depicts. I think that is very accurate. When I hook the ball does it accurately depict how bad I hooked it? Beats me. The only other thing I can say is everyone I've had over to play is a little bit stunned by how accurate they think their shots are portrayed. I have no reason to believe the shots depicted, and the shot measurements, are not fairly accurate (with the exception of launch angle).

Can I select the type of shot I play (flop, chip, etc.)? No, just the club. When it comes to the short game, you have to remember it's a computer program, not real life. I tell people to think as if they are playing golf in "The Matrix". For instance, on chip shots I haven't figured out how to get the ball to roll out. Mostly, just plan on carrying the ball to the hole.

Again nothing to compare to, but I definitely agree with Cory's review that when you project the image on the impact screen, it's very vivid and sharp. (My screen size is about 13 feet wide/8.5 feet high). On another thread somebody was talking about how on their simulator software balls would go through trees. I can tell you I've hit trees (more than once), and the ball bounces back. When you hit the cart path it sounds like you hit a cart path. When you want windy conditions, the wind impacts the ball flight like you would expect.

As has already been mentioned, launch angle would be a great add-on.

In this price range, I'm very happy with the purchase.

[bubba22]

I think the st1 is a good sim that is developed by a company (Golftek) that has a very solid reputation and great track record. I do hope that they will develop the launch add on.

[ZMax]

Thank you very much for that detail response. Good to know that you and your friends found it to be accurate. We need more posts like yours. I did a search for reviews of the ProTee simulator and got nothing but marketing material and videos. It's either a perfect simulator so nobody talks about it or people just accepts it as a simulator and don't really care enough about the flaws to post on the web. It just makes it a difficult process.

I've been questioning the accuracy of every sensor out there lately because of what I've seen with the P3pro. After 6 years and 6000 or 9000 units sold, you would thing that somebody would have said something about the ball flight. Or maybe somebody did and nothing was done. Who knows...

Thanks again.

Btw, any idea when Golftek will have the LA setup?

[bubba22]

I spoke with the Golftek folks about a month ago and they said that the launch angle possibilities would be revisited in the new year possibly the next 6 months. They are also in the process of redesigning the platform size and grass top keeping the same sensor arrangement.

[ZMax]

I spoke with the Golftek folks about a month ago and they said that the launch angle possibilities would be revisited in the new year possibly the next 6 months. They are also in the process of redesigning the platform size and grass top keeping the same sensor arrangement.

Wow, 6 months. What are you going to in the mean time?

[bubba22]

Good question.They may develop the cam sooner but who knows.

[Par2Pro]

Hey All,

After 36 years of servicing the Golf Simulator industry, GolfTek Inc. has officially closed its doors. Due to a major health issue with the owner, the company has decided not to proceed without his leadership. Our thoughts and prayers are with Bud & his family, as we take this time to thank them for their great contribution.

For those of you who have purchased a system from them and have questions, you can contact me at any time at cory@par2pro.com. I am doing everything I can to try to get any tech info that will help support those who bought their great products.

I still have a few ST1s for sale, but they will have to be sold off without the manufacturer's warranty (obviously).

Keep your eye on the ball,
Cory

[rdh]

Holy crap. Thanks for the scoop Cory. My Pro 7 has been fantastic, but I've had it in a couple times for support so I guess the next time I have an issue I'll now have to look at replacing it. That's a scary proposition given how much I spent on it...not a happy news flash for me. (Don't worry, I'm not shooting the messenger here - this has nothing to do with you and it's great you passed along the news)

[bubba22]

This is bad news. Golftek made quality products and have been leaders in the golf sim development. I truly hope that all is well with Bud and his family.