Garage Simulator Options - help before pulling the trigger...

[cspin]

Hi All,
I'm a new member but have done a fair bit of research on this and other sites, and now am at the point of taking the plunge on a simulator. Don't have high enough ceilings in basement, but do have a 3rd bay garage that would work well I think. The dimensions are 11' wide, 19' long and 9.5' high. Plan on moving the motor/drive on the garage door opener to give wide open space between side rails. Plan to insulate garage door and purchase space heater for winter play in Michigan.

So, have it narrowed down to Skytrak or GC2. Already have a Skypro, but that is not going to drive my simulator purchase. Plan to go all in with mat, netting, projector and impact screen. Seems like I could go the Skytrak route and if not satisfied from use this winter I could always move it and go the GC2 route. Having a hard time plunking down the coin for a new loaded up GC2 not knowing whether it will make that big of a difference. I am a low hdcp player and looking to improve my full swing, not just play simulated golf.

I have the DIY mentality and ability, although not strong on tech side. Looking to make this simulator nice and would like to keep it under $10k. Going the Skytrak route makes that very doable, but don't want to rule out GC2. I have purchased nothing yet and so am in a position where comments and input from forum members here would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks!

cspin

[wbond]

Whereabouts in MI are you? I'm in MI as well and have my setup in the garage. For most of the time, i can get away with just a heat dish, they sell them at costco and other places I'm sure. Works well and directs heat directly at you. For very cold times, i use a space heater as well. With your width, you will more than likely be offset from the middle of the screen, i don't find this to be an issue, but it does bother others.

If you have the money, the GC2 is more established for sure and you won't go wrong there. Skytrak is very new still and has a ways to go. I have a skytrak and for me, it was well worth the savings between the two. I don't really see a difference between the two and I have used GC2's quite a bit. If you can DIY stuff, you can save quite a lot of money.

If you go the GC2 route, skip their software and go with TGC, others have and are very pleased with it.

[Harry]

There is another thread on the topic pertaining to Perfect Golf and their support for GC2 and Skytrak http://www.perfectparallel.com/topic...tor-tour-2016/

This has some promise. You may want to see the cost and reviews prior to pulling the trigger on TGC / $1,000

My opinion - GC2 is the way to go. Get both TGC and PG. Both will be better than FSX for sim play and cheaper too.

[SFR]

With 11' make sure you have enough room to swing a Driver and you need to factor in the Launch Monitor with it's distance it needs to be from the hitting surface. That adds another foot or two. I found that 10' was hard to swing normal without even adding in the LM added space.

[Clintobean]

Hi All,
I'm a new member but have done a fair bit of research on this and other sites, and now am at the point of taking the plunge on a simulator. Don't have high enough ceilings in basement, but do have a 3rd bay garage that would work well I think. The dimensions are 11' wide, 19' long and 9.5' high. Plan on moving the motor/drive on the garage door opener to give wide open space between side rails. Plan to insulate garage door and purchase space heater for winter play in Michigan.

So, have it narrowed down to Skytrak or GC2. Already have a Skypro, but that is not going to drive my simulator purchase. Plan to go all in with mat, netting, projector and impact screen. Seems like I could go the Skytrak route and if not satisfied from use this winter I could always move it and go the GC2 route. Having a hard time plunking down the coin for a new loaded up GC2 not knowing whether it will make that big of a difference. I am a low hdcp player and looking to improve my full swing, not just play simulated golf.

I have the DIY mentality and ability, although not strong on tech side. Looking to make this simulator nice and would like to keep it under $10k. Going the Skytrak route makes that very doable, but don't want to rule out GC2. I have purchased nothing yet and so am in a position where comments and input from forum members here would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks!

cspin

Hey I'm in the exact same boat you're in. I'm trying to build a complete simulation system in my garage for around 10k myself. I'm leaning toward skytrak because I've read it's the best bang for your buck. Let me know what else you go with as far as projector, impact screen, software etc... Can you even use different software with skytrak?

[cspin]

Hey I'm in the exact same boat you're in. I'm trying to build a complete simulation system in my garage for around 10k myself. I'm leaning toward skytrak because I've read it's the best bang for your buck. Let me know what else you go with as far as projector, impact screen, software etc... Can you even use different software with skytrak?

Hey Clintobean,
Good thing we have a forum like this before dropping a good bit of money on a garage sim! I think Skytrak sounds like a very good option, but not sure about how the course software is and/or what the cost is. Sounds like you can get WGT software with the unit and you just pay $99 a year for it on a membership/subscription basis. Sounds like you can also run the Skytrak with an ipad instead of a desktop or laptop. Makes for a very portable unit, although not sure if an ipad would be as good as a laptop or desktop with loads of memory and a high end graphics card. Again, I am not very strong on the tech side. There are plenty of threads and posts about quality projectors, screens and mats.

Keep me posted on where you go with your garage sim, and I will do the same!

cspin

[jagmanjoe]

With the talk of height, my suggestion would be to use either a video camera at the slowest possible speed, or even a lot of smartphones have that capability. Point it to the ceiling and take a couple of swings with a driver and maybe a 3 wood for comparison sake -- that might give you a little more input on swing height. It would be awful to have to be adjusting your swing inside. Also, as a matter of practice, I always suggest for a stance mat to use a fringe style turf or indoor outdoor carpet then have that level with the hitting surface of the turf you select to hit from. That way your feet do not sink into a thick turf stance mat and throw your entire swing off for when you transition out to the regular golf course.

Jagmanjoe

[cspin]

Here are some pics of the space in my garage that I have cleaned up now. Plan to have the impact screen along the back wall, which is just under 11' wide. The back wall is 9.5' tall. As can be seen in pics, I have drywall along the back wall, ceiling, and part of the right wall up to where the door to the house is located. The blue tape on the floor is at just inside 10' wide, and the horizontal blue tape in the middle of the garage floor is 10' from the piece of tape along the back wall. The tape is only for reference.

Open to suggestions on how to set this area up. I plan to take the garage door opener down, along with the rail on the left side when facing the back wall, and keep the garage door shut at all times. That will give me plenty of room to swing driver (right handed) with the mat off to the left and the ball location centered on the screen. I park two cars in the garage, and the sim set up would go in the 3rd bay, which will be dedicated for the sim.

My thought is to run a tarp on a metal curtain track mounted to the ceiling, from back to front, to divide off the 3rd bay entirely from the rest of the garage. This will protect the cars and make it easier to heat just the 3rd bay in the winter. They make insulated tarps that can be used to divide rooms and can use Velcro at each end to secure it against the vertical walls. I have already insulated the aluminum garage doors to help also.

I was then thinking of going with some type of hitting cage with netting and impact screen. Seems like the way to go instead of trying to use aircraft cable and/or hanging the netting from the ceiling. I am trying to get the netting somewhat taught so that it can go close to the ceiling and right wall to maximize screen size. Really don't feel like going through the time and expense of putting specialty cushioned panels on the ceiling and walls. There are some cages out there that look doable, and the PR20 or Cory's HQ2 would work well for the screen.

I can set my stance mat up anywhere from say 8' to 14' from the back wall. Plenty of room in that regard. Plan to go with a ceiling mounted short throw projector, and would like 1080p but based on my square-ish screen size I might be locked into a 4:3 XGA projector to max image on the screen.

So, looing for any and all suggestions that anyone may have. I appreciate the feedback thus far! Still on the fence with the ST or GC2, but want to get the other particulars sorted first to know what I am looking at $$ wise:

1. enclosure type
2. netting
3. screen
4. projector
5. sim unit
6. software
7. desktop computer (need one that can handle TGC, as leaning that way)

Looking to take advantage of any Black Friday sales that might be out there in a few days. Ready to pull trigger on all this stuff, as the cold weather is coming and I want to be operational within next 3 weeks or so.

Much thanks!!

cspin

P.S. can't figure out how to rotate pics, sorry!

Garage 1.JPGGarage 2.JPGGarage 3.JPGGarage 4.JPG

[wbond]

How big of a cage were you thinking? Are you looking at a full cage or one that has the short depth? You would need to make sure you can swing without hitting the top netting(full cage) or crossbar(short depth) at the front and then you also need to make sure you can get your projector low enough to clear the cage. If you go with a short depth one, you may still need some "shank" protection on the side walls depending upon how far you come out. Some type of cage will definitely help with mounting netting and screen. I would say go with par2pro screen right off the bat.

With your height, you may need to go with a short depth cage. Something along the lines like this.
http://www.allsportsystems.com/share...superbay-1.jpg
Here is one with just three sides, maybe you can make it so your right side mirrors this and then combine it with the one above.
http://forum.ottawagolf.com/attachme...3&d=1429107240

[cspin]

How big of a cage were you thinking? Are you looking at a full cage or one that has the short depth? You would need to make sure you can swing without hitting the top netting(full cage) or crossbar(short depth) at the front and then you also need to make sure you can get your projector low enough to clear the cage. If you go with a short depth one, you may still need some "shank" protection on the side walls depending upon how far you come out. Some type of cage will definitely help with mounting netting and screen. I would say go with par2pro screen right off the bat.

With your height, you may need to go with a short depth cage. Something along the lines like this.
http://www.allsportsystems.com/share...superbay-1.jpg
Here is one with just three sides, maybe you can make it so your right side mirrors this and then combine it with the one above.
http://forum.ottawagolf.com/attachme...3&d=1429107240

Allsportsystems.com has a Mini Bay that would perhaps work, and comes out 5' on both sides, although would likely need more protection on the right side. P2Pro has a frame that comes out 6' on both sides. I think both just give you the connectors and I would have to go buy the pipe from HD or Lowes.

The P2Pro HQ2 would be nice, and go with their netting and frame. But it gets pricey for the connectors and netting at $1,199 plus $249.

http://www.par2pro.com/shop/product_...roducts_id=137

http://www.par2pro.com/shop/product_...products_id=56

This is a good looking set up too, but is 10x10x10, which likely puts me back too far and would be tight against the ceiling. http://www.sportnetting.com/nets/sim...-cage-net.html


I found this pic online and looks like a sweet setup. Seems like they probably used some blackout material in addition to the netting to make it so dark. A setup like this that is maybe 6' to 8' deep and would allow enough room to hit from in front of the cage would seem like a good option, although it might be odd swinging on the left side of the cage opening.

[madspeed]

Here's my setup, looks kind of similar to the one posted above. I chose to use dual sensor pads to help accommodate lefties and righties and giving more room to swing comfortably

[cspin]

Here's my setup, looks kind of similar to the one posted above. I chose to use dual sensor pads to help accommodate lefties and righties and giving more room to swing comfortably

Madspeed,
Great setup you have! Very much like what I am looking to do. Would love to know what dimensions you are at for screen size, projector location, hitting location, etc. Are you able to hit at a target in the middle of your screen, or do you hit to the side? I am only looking for RH play, so will have the ball lined up with middle of screen, and stand to the left of the center of screen. Also, do you use a 4:3 native projector? Trying to figure out whether best to go with a 720p 4:3 projector, or a 1080p projector set to 4:3 rather than native 16:9. I cannot see going 16:9 and giving up a couple feet worth of screen height just to get HD. But, if the HD projector set at 4:3 gives a better image with no distortion, I am good to go.

Still looking at ST or GC2, and leaning toward the GC2. Part of me says build the enclosure first, then buy the projector that fits my as-built enclosure, and last buy the launch monitor. Want to get this thing up and running, and it is hard to be patient.

Thanks!

[madspeed]

my enclosure is 10'W x 10' L x 9.5' H. I am hitting approximately 16' from the screen and my projector is ceiling mounted about 3' behind the hitting area. have lots of guys play here and no one has ever complained about not hitting from the center, hardly even notice when you are standing there. My projector is the powerlite Home Cinema 725HD picked up new online for a mere $299 last year. Native resolution is 16:10, but has easy picture adjustment to fill most of my screen. If it were doubling a a movie projector i'd likely get something a bit better, but i have a dedicated theater room, and this thing performs very well for the sim.

[cspin]

my enclosure is 10'W x 10' L x 9.5' H. I am hitting approximately 16' from the screen and my projector is ceiling mounted about 3' behind the hitting area. have lots of guys play here and no one has ever complained about not hitting from the center, hardly even notice when you are standing there. My projector is the powerlite Home Cinema 725HD picked up new online for a mere $299 last year. Native resolution is 16:10, but has easy picture adjustment to fill most of my screen. If it were doubling a a movie projector i'd likely get something a bit better, but i have a dedicated theater room, and this thing performs very well for the sim.

Thanks for the info. Where did you get your enclosure, netting and screen? Has anyone ever hosel rocketed one off the block wall? The net looks like it is right up against it and might not slow the ball down. I have drywall off to the right and don't want it to get dinged up (same with the ceiling), but don't want to keep my netting a foot away from the wall and ceiling because my space is limited to begin with.

[madspeed]

Picked up my enclosure from a local shop that was closing. The screen I purchased second hand from the forums here, but is the HD impact screen from Cory at Par2pro. I've hit thousands of REAL balls and no signs of wear or impact at all, I believe it helps that my hitting area is a bit further away than most.

[tonyd9366]

Thanks for the info. Where did you get your enclosure, netting and screen? Has anyone ever hosel rocketed one off the block wall? The net looks like it is right up against it and might not slow the ball down. I have drywall off to the right and don't want it to get dinged up (same with the ceiling), but don't want to keep my netting a foot away from the wall and ceiling because my space is limited to begin with.

This is my current set up. And I'm actually upgrading it next week to make it look better. As you can see I hit from the middle because my left side panel opens 30 degrees so there is no interference. When I get the new set up complete I'll send new pics.

[cspin]

This is my current set up. And I'm actually upgrading it next week to make it look better. As you can see I hit from the middle because my left side panel opens 30 degrees so there is no interference. When I get the new set up complete I'll send new pics.

Very nice! Looks like you have some type of blackout material on the left side panel? Ever hosel knock one into the net/drywall on the right? Doesn't seem like there is enough space on the right for the net to keep a ball from hitting the drywall. Most say I need 12" min to protect the ceiling and walls. Have heard that I can reduce that down to 6" if I go with a heavier netting material like PR-20 under slight tension.

Good luck on the setup mods and will keep an eye out for the pics. Thanks!

[tonyd9366]

I have 5 ft on both sides and I've never hit the drywall. My nets are commercial grade and there is some tension there but not too much to where the ball bounces off. It just drops down and lands on the carpet pretty gently. On the left side I just bought a dark blue tarp from home Depot and attached it to the frame with small 10 inch bunji straps, as well as my impact screen utilizing the grommets for both. When I do my mods next week I'll have the right side tarped off as well for a better look. The tarp goes on the outside of the frame and netting.. glad you like it. Yea I'll send you more pics when I'm finished with it. Thanks

[tonyd9366]

I read some of the posts. Your dimensions are very similar to mine. I took the rails off my garage too which will give you plenty of space to swing driver with no problems. I have a 3 car so my single bay is my Simulator side. My dimensions are 11 ft wide my 20 ft long and 9 ft high ceilings and it's a right handed set up only. And I bought the protee system with the golf club software. I changed from the p3 proswing which is why I'm re doing the room. Can't wait to show you and if you need help let me know. Which system were you thinking of getting.?? And what's your budget if you don't mind me asking. ?

[cspin]

I read some of the posts. Your dimensions are very similar to mine. I took the rails off my garage too which will give you plenty of space to swing driver with no problems. I have a 3 car so my single bay is my Simulator side. My dimensions are 11 ft wide my 20 ft long and 9 ft high ceilings and it's a right handed set up only. And I bought the protee system with the golf club software. I changed from the p3 proswing which is why I'm re doing the room. Can't wait to show you and if you need help let me know. Which system were you thinking of getting.?? And what's your budget if you don't mind me asking. ?

Trying to keep this project under 10k. Going to be tight if I go the GC2 route, and would be a breeze going with the ST. Looked at Protee but not very close as it looked like mostly club head data, and it also sounded like a more complicated system based on lighting, cameras, etc. Thought that with a ST or GC2 I could just plunk it down and have at it. Mostly looking to work on my game during the winter, and sim play is secondary.

Our garage setups are very similar. I'm hitting into the back wall on the far right side of a 3 car garage, whereas you look to be hitting into the garage door on the far left side of a 3 car garage...in NV v MI . Could be wrong on your setup but that's what it looks like from the limited angle in your pics. Keep me posted on your mods and I'll do the same.

[tonyd9366]

Yes I am hitting into the garage door but I have about 14 inches from where the screen and frame is and where it garage door is so I have no issues there. Be careful with ST. It gives really good data but there is like a 3 to 4 second delay from ball strike to results on the screen.. I went with protee because the graphics are great on the TGC and the protee 2.0 software has 100 courses and a good driving range mode and it's gc2 compatible. For a 10k budget your gonna have a kick ass set up as well. Mine was approx. 5800.00 for everything. 3k for the protee with TGC and the other 2800 for the rest; frame, mats, nets, impact screen, rear projector, and super desktop (recommended) computer to run the software.

[tonyd9366]

You live in Nevada? ? I live in Las Vegas.

[tonyd9366]

Trying to keep this project under 10k. Going to be tight if I go the GC2 route, and would be a breeze going with the ST. Looked at Protee but not very close as it looked like mostly club head data, and it also sounded like a more complicated system based on lighting, cameras, etc. Thought that with a ST or GC2 I could just plunk it down and have at it. Mostly looking to work on my game during the winter, and sim play is secondary.

Our garage setups are very similar. I'm hitting into the back wall on the far right side of a 3 car garage, whereas you look to be hitting into the garage door on the far left side of a 3 car garage...in NV v MI . Could be wrong on your setup but that's what it looks like from the limited angle in your pics. Keep me posted on your mods and I'll do the same.

Here are a couple of pics of my garage set up.. hope this gives you a good idea. It's the protee system..

[AJA]

Nice set-up.

Where is your projector, and what kind?

[cspin]

Here are a couple of pics of my garage set up.. hope this gives you a good idea. It's the protee system..

Nice setup!! Is that a portable air conditioner? Boy, wish I had that problem. Looking at garage space heaters right now...

[tonyd9366]

Thanks guys. No its a swamp cooler that I use but doesn't work very well. I don't use the sim in the summer I take the computer inside the house. Here in Vegas gets really hot in the garage. I have a rear projector optuim 720 hd projector 4:3 aspect ratio. Saving money to get a 4k projector but cost is too high right now. What I have works really well. Gives a great picture especially with the 2 protee lights on only. I recommend with the protee to put up both lights even if you don't purchase the putting sensor. That's what I did and I put individual switches for both with dimmers to control the light conditions better. Works great. Thanks guys.