Which Simulator ?

[gwilsoncfc]

Im looking to install a simulator and realise that there are many on the market. Im looking for cost effectiveness but also the best for my budget ! Assume i have a budget of $7-10k - what is the best Simulator i can get ? Ive looked at Trugolf and one or 2 others -

thanks in advance

Gwilsoncfc

[Libbing]

Lots of posts / opinions if you dig through the forums. From my recent research, seems like leading contenders in that range would be:
www.protee-united.com
www.ggssytems.com
www.foresightsports.com

I think the foresight / GC2 is the most expensive of the 3. Once you add all the enclosures / computers / etc. its probably outside that range but its' worth looking to pressure test what you want because it has some unique advantages. I went with the Protee, but even that can stretch the upper end of the price range when you add computer and projector and any enclosures work in your house. $7-8k for software / sensors / screen. $2-3k for computer & projector.

[TheGolfer]

Take a look at the thread i created below...

http://forum.ottawagolf.com/showthre...l-measurements

long story short tested 4 different sims ranging from abuot golf radar, abuot golf 3track, trugolf, and foresight gc2. hands down foresight gc2 is winner for me on accuracy with shapping shots. look at their website - only sim that publishes their backspin / sidespin measure error tolerances along with all other ball measurements.


there seems to be several members that are going the route now of gc2.

its very easy setup, just sit down, turn on, put in feild of view, and hit balls. you can use your own mat and don't need special mat platforms built up for sensors in the mats. you also don't need to hang lights / cameras from ceilings and walls.

the unit is about $6k USD. the fitting system with one course is about 1.5k usd - awesome for comparing ball spins, shaft differences in spin, comparing clubs, etc. 12 pack champions course is about $995 USD. Screen us $750 for standard width but mine was $995usd for 9 x 14.5.

haven't had a chance to upload my comparisons since i am still testing my unit and preparing for install (gc2 is easy but i am creating a room for dual home cinema room also).

after reading the posts feel free to PM me with any quesitions. i will what i did, why i did it, and any lessons learned.

what every you do you need to test them. your perception of accuracy is going to be different that others. i was dissapointed in all of them except for the gc2. if you are on the line budget wise its worth going over. i personnaly started wtih a lower budget but after testing several i decided to blow my budget rather than be dissapointed.

good luck.

keep in touch,

kind regards,

[bubba22]

Still waiting for your review thegolfer. You keep mentioning that you will post a review. What is the delay?

[psace]

There is more to consider than what TheGolfer is saying. Why do I get the feeling some of the posters here are sales reps?

You have to consider where you are going to install your simulator. If you desire a mobile setup ie in a garage, the Foresight sim may be more advantageous. If you are interested in playing multiple courses with your buddies, then other sims may be your best bet. If you just want accuracy, the Foresight sim probably is king at the moment. If you want club data you will not want the Foresight sim at this time. You also have to look at support and some sellers are better than others. What is their track record?

It is by no means an easy decision as many of us here have discovered. I am happy with my decision but yours may differ. There are so many variables. You need to read through all the threads here to help you make your own decision.

[bubba22]

There is more to consider than what TheGolfer is saying. Why do I get the feeling some of the posters here are sales reps?

You have to consider where you are going to install your simulator. If you desire a mobile setup ie in a garage, the Foresight sim may be more advantageous. If you are interested in playing multiple courses with your buddies, then other sims may be your best bet. If you just want accuracy, the Foresight sim probably is king at the moment. If you want club data you will not want the Foresight sim at this time. You also have to look at support and some sellers are better than others. What is their track record?

It is by no means an easy decision as many of us here have discovered. I am happy with my decision but yours may differ. There are so many variables. You need to read through all the threads here to help you make your own decision.

Now that my folks is " the best advice" I have read in a long time.

[TheGolfer]

Still waiting for your review thegolfer. You keep mentioning that you will post a review. What is the delay?

i decided to wait until i have the entire golf studio converted along with the dual cinema capability before i post my testing and lessons learned. figure i could include lessons learned on the install to. i am exchanging PMs with quite a few people going through or preparing to just go through the process themselves. the project ended up being much bigger than expected. not due to gc2 since you place the unit down and hit. i decide to remove my nets and put up plywood on ceilings, right wall, and around the screen then adding carpet with padding for protection. adding a new 7.1 system so fishing wires through black walls / ceiling along with trying to find way to hide all equipment in closet except for gc2 unit and touchscreen on wall. adding double doors from golf room to another room to keep it seperated and eliminate ight. i had to take some time also to figure out how to get 3 monitors working with the radeon 6970 gpu (touch for sim, projector, and lcd for computer). blah blah i know, long story short i am spending a lot of time on preparing for install. plus last two weekends here in PA have been 60 degrees F and couldn't let that pass without some golf. once i get through next week i should be in shape to summarize my thoughts.

i have popped up hear and there as someone is looking for something similar to gc2 to give them some information on lessones learned to help them if they are looking at a near term purchase. The key is the data is not going to change existing users perspectives but it may be helpful to shorten the research phase for a new user like me.

It's funny now but there seems to a number of people moving toward the gc2 now. Either that or i am just now communicating with more members than before wrt to their gc2 or upcoming purchase.

[bubba22]

Not really following your thinking but let us know when ready.

[TheGolfer]

Not really following your thinking but let us know when ready.

basically burried with time with work and preparing for install. i am building from ground up rather than just replacing the sim. once i free up then i can post something. it won't be helpful to those that already purchased their system like yourself. for the newbies like me doing their research i am exchange PM offline for any info they are looking for that may help. this is just requires less time now and it still helps those doing research. later once everything is installed and then i can summarize lessons learned.

[TheGolfer]

i will try to make it simpler. no time to right a lessons learned for people that already have their optishot/protee/gsa sim and just want to read and critique it. any newbies (which i fall into that) doing research have and can always PM me with questions that went into my decision process. i am open and provide the good and the bad i have experienced. once i get time and come up for air then i can summarize for future reference.

[gwilsoncfc]

thanks ill take a look at these - anyone got the foresightsports.com model installed ? appreciate views

[gwilsoncfc]

Would this be a good choice ?

http://www.sportsentertainmentspecia...ses-offer.html

[ZMax]

Which one exactly?

[gwilsoncfc]

technique personal?

[ZMax]

It's a Trugolf Technique that sells for $7000. Comes with Projector but you still need to add the computer. Looks like they're throwing in 12 extra courses for a total of 22. These courses are E6lite and not E6. I don't think anybody here has any experience on the E6lite. According to Trugolf, E6lite uses static 3D instead of full 3D as in the E6.

Trugolf's sonic triangulation system and it's club sensors have some limitations. Read my review of Trugolf's $45K premium system somewhere in this forum.

Oh yeah, these are not available yet. It's a preorder.

[gwilsoncfc]

so you are saying that the http://www.sportsentertainmentspecia...-prestige.html - with full E6 software is better option ? thanks Z

[gwilsoncfc]

http://www.sportsentertainmentspecia...rs/e6lite.html seems the E6 LIte now allows for 1-4 players

[ZMax]

Not necessary. If you want a Trugolf system then maybe the Prestige is a better value. You get full E6 with 30 or courses at the moment but you should read my review and decide if it's right for you. You said that you've already played on a Trugolf sim so you already know how these sims work?

Isn't the Prestige out of your budget? Here's my review.http://forum.OttawaGolf.com/showthre...l=1#post396543 Also read the other threads on other sims to get an idea of what they do and don't.

[gwilsoncfc]

Budget can be tweaked especially if the wife is not around !

[Scratch]

TheGolfer,

Continue your good work for us newbies. Please take your time before your lessons learned, pics, setup walkthrough, item list with expenses or what ever other information you can give to us. I am completely fine waiting for this info, in that I am in no need to rush off and make a 8 to 10 to 12 thousand dollar purchase before doing all the research possible and also waiting on potential deals/ price breaks as new hardware and software updates seem to happen monthly. Bubba22 I am not calling you out, I appreciate all your input as well as rdh, psace, ZMax and all others have researched and posted on various threads on this site. I hope all of you can help me in my process of building my sim; from choosing systems, to mats, screens, projectors, computer requirements, etc as well in ideal setups and finishing touches. I plan to return the favor like TheGolfer, once I have completed my sim, for the time being I am learning.

[bubba22]

We all want everybodies input. There are many options for sims and certainly the GC2 is a great one. Everything depends on your expectations and how much you want to do with respect to setup and calibrating/tweaking the sim. Sims like the GSA and Protee require more setup and tweaking than the GC2 etc.

[walb0034]

I'm going to chime in here with the same advise I'd give anyone looking for their first home sim. For those new to the boards I have owned a optishot, then a p3pro and now a gc2.

First let me say - just because you have $8k to spend on a sim doesn't mean you should. if I were you I would pick up a $400 optishot. It's an awesome little system and will give you a taste of a sensor based system, clubhead measurements, and what you want moving forward. You may love it and save the $7500. You may realize you want more.

If you love the clubhead data, like the sensor pad, and enjoy playing a large variety of courses, then you can comfortably step up to a protee and feel good about it.

If you find you wished it were more portable, would like to hit off differentbsurfaces, are using it more for driving range/practice than playing a variety of courses (GC2 course packs are expensive!!) and would rather have real ball measurements without any club head data, then maybe the gc2 is right.

Point being what's important to me may not matter to you or vice versa. I don't regret for a second starting on a cheaper system and working up. It saves you from making an $8000 mistake.

[jagmanjoe]

I couldn't agree more, walb! Particularly the way the prices of the more expensive sims are dropping and the technology is advancing. Get a good screen, decent projector and you will be able to continue using those should you decide to upgrade. Plus, the value of a higher priced sim will drop as soon as you buy it but the inexpensive starter will always have a stronger resale market -- Hard to find a good DD or P3Proswing much below the new price.

[bubba22]

I couldn't agree more walb. I think we are all saying the same thing. There is no perfect system. I have owned the and still have the Xavix golf, the Launchpad, the Wii, the Optishot, the Accusport Cobra Monitor, The P3pro and the the Protee. They all have been greet and have their roles. I still heavily recommend the Optishot especially for it's plug and play. A sim like the Protee or GSA requires more setup and ome folks may not like that. Bottom line is that there is no right answer just different options. Having all the accurate information is important before deciding. The GC2 is a great sim but even it had it's limitations.

[ZMax]

Bubba22,

How about making this thread a sticky? The next time this question comes up(in a week or two), we can just say "read the above sticky thread".

I would also like to encourage new people to do a lot of reading first then ask specific questions on a particular simulator. We have threads on just about every simulator now.

[bubba22]

Good idea Z.

[Par2Pro]

Great posts everyone. The whole reason I started my business is because I was in the same position you were. There are a lot of variables that can change what will be the right system for you. I spend countless hours consulting with people trying to help them with their decision by asking them all of the questions that help narrow down the search and then going over what is available based on their answers. On my to do list is creating a 'Golf Simulator Compass', basically a questionaire that asks all of the pertinent questions in the Golf Simulator Hunt

Here are just a few of the questions that I ask customers. For newbies, I suggest taking some time to think about the answers and feel free to contact me (cory@par2pro.com / 1-877-417-2161) to discuss your results so that we can figure out which system would be right for you.

1. Whatis the size of your room?
2. How many courses do you want?
3. Do you want club, ball or both measurements?
4. Is integrated Video Capture (video of you swinging the club shownwithin the simulation program) important to you?
5. How important is it for you to be able to hit off of any surface?
6. Will it be in a permanent location or will you need to move iteach time?
7.How beneficial would it be for you to use the system outdoors for analysis?
8.Will you have both left and right handed users playing simultaneously?
9.Do you need to hit foam or no balls at any point?
10.Do you currently have any components (computer, projector, mats, etc.)?
11. What is your budget for the entire simulator system?
12.What are your main goals in purchasing this system (what do you want to get outof it)?

Hopefully that helps

Cheers,
Cory

[Abe Froman]

Is there another sim out there that is comparable in quality and price point to the Optishot2? I recently picked up an Optishot, and am currently building a golf garage. It was more of an impulse buy with the Optishot than anything for me though. I just was floored when I stumbled across a youtube video of a garage build, and then realized how inexpensively it could actually be done! Now... I'm starting to wonder if I should have done a little more homework? Nothing against Optishot, it looks great, I just didn't look very hard before I dived in.

[mthunt]

Is there another sim out there that is comparable in quality and price point to the Optishot2? I recently picked up an Optishot, and am currently building a golf garage. It was more of an impulse buy with the Optishot than anything for me though. I just was floored when I stumbled across a youtube video of a garage build, and then realized how inexpensively it could actually be done! Now... I'm starting to wonder if I should have done a little more homework? Nothing against Optishot, it looks great, I just didn't look very hard before I dived in.

There is nothing as good as optishot for the same price. Optishot is at the very low end of golf simulators. The price goes up from there.

[Par2Pro]

Is there another sim out there that is comparable in quality and price point to the Optishot2? I recently picked up an Optishot, and am currently building a golf garage. It was more of an impulse buy with the Optishot than anything for me though. I just was floored when I stumbled across a youtube video of a garage build, and then realized how inexpensively it could actually be done! Now... I'm starting to wonder if I should have done a little more homework? Nothing against Optishot, it looks great, I just didn't look very hard before I dived in.

The next step up from the Optishot is the P3ProSwing and it goes up from there. You can see the pricing and options here:
http://www.par2pro.com/shop/index.php?cPath=23_26

There are quite a few good comparisons out there, but here is one:
http://www.par2pro.com/compare.php
(updated web page coming soon)

Hope that helps!
Cory