$2600 garage simulator build (and updates on using it for my game)

[thaar]

The realfealgolfmats.com site has a discount code "usgolftv" going now. More than offsets shipping and no tax unless in GA. Cosco is still slightly cheaper for members.

 

Crap! I just ordered mine this weekend and had no idea about the code. Oh well!

[bmitch33]

Currently attempting to piece together a super cheap garage simulator. I'm going real cheap basically for the sake of getting swings in during the cold snowy Michigan winter months and have a little fun with the boys in the garage. I just bought a $40 mini projector on eBay I plan on mounting next to my hitting mat and projecting onto the wall. Going to purchase Optishot and use my laptop connected to the mini projector (probably have to make a white screen to hang). All said and done I'll have about $350/400 into it I think.

[Greasegun]

Just finished reading through every post of this thread; cheers Dornstar for getting it started.

 

I recently moved into a new house with a third garage spot and am taking a lot of the ideas from this thread - can't wait to get my space set up. My takeaway regarding the mat is that the CCE is the way to go; anyone have a recommendation for the best deal on a 5x5?

 

Make sure you buy your CCE mat from a reliable source. There are imposters out there. I found one on Ebay advertised for a lower price, only to find it wasnt the real thing. Luckily I was able to return it. I then purchased the CCE mat directly from Realfeelgolfmats.com.

 

Do you mind pointing to the fake CCE listing on Ebay ?

 

I actually notified real feel mats about the ebay seller and they were able to make them remove the real feel name from thier listing. Here is the ebay item number 151728466260. I only opened the end of the box when I recieved the thing. I could tell it was not the mat in the listings picture, didnt even have to get it out of the box.

[Milfordlefty]

Here is my setup. Real feel elite 5x5 mat. 14ft birdieball green. 30 dollar net from ebay.

 

Greasegun, what is the ceiling height in the basement? Std basement height is not conducive to driver/fairway swings. It appears you have a nice corner with no duct work or pipes/drains

[bongta029]

You're gonna have to link that amazon price.

6'x10' Residential Pro Golf Mat https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0161N4OQ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_d01BybJF6W9PR

It's this one. Thicker than the one they sell on their actual website.

[jgonz69]

You're gonna have to link that amazon price.

6'x10' Residential Pro Golf Mat https://www.amazon.c...a_d01BybJF6W9PR

It's this one. Thicker than the one they sell on their actual website.

You know I read your first post and it was directly below someone talking about the CCE, so I assumed you meant you bought one of those.

I bought a CCE from Costco.

[bongta029]

You're gonna have to link that amazon price.

6'x10' Residential Pro Golf Mat https://www.amazon.c...a_d01BybJF6W9PR

It's this one. Thicker than the one they sell on their actual website.

You know I read your first post and it was directly below someone talking about the CCE, so I assumed you meant you bought one of those.

I bought a CCE from Costco.

I heard those are pretty good but some reported it being too hard causing elbow pain. You have to modify and insert a gel to make it more comfortable. I wanted a mat so I went with the one from amazon. Let me know how yours turns out :)

[sethdavidsdad]

You're gonna have to link that amazon price.

6'x10' Residential Pro Golf Mat https://www.amazon.c...a_d01BybJF6W9PR

It's this one. Thicker than the one they sell on their actual website.

 

6x10 is huge, I only need half of that. maybe someone will split it with me. lol

How is that one working out?

[bongta029]

It's perfect with my net return. I might add a screen later but for now, the ball returns to the original spot so the mat works well for that purpose.

[sethdavidsdad]

It's perfect with my net return. I might add a screen later but for now, the ball returns to the original spot so the mat works well for that purpose.

Nice setup. Does the mat provide enough cushion?

[Greasegun]

Here is my setup. Real feel elite 5x5 mat. 14ft birdieball green. 30 dollar net from ebay.

 

Greasegun, what is the ceiling height in the basement? Std basement height is not conducive to driver/fairway swings. It appears you have a nice corner with no duct work or pipes/drains

 

I have a 9ft basement ceiling. 1 ft deeper than normal. I can swing driver and woods but if my follow thru gets higher than normal due to a bad swing ill hit the ceiling. Ill be limited to irons and hybrids, which is fine, im just using ST for driving range practice, not simulation. Only bad thing about the CCE mat is its so thick it cuts into my ceiling swing space.

[bongta029]

Here is my setup. Real feel elite 5x5 mat. 14ft birdieball green. 30 dollar net from ebay.

 

Greasegun, what is the ceiling height in the basement? Std basement height is not conducive to driver/fairway swings. It appears you have a nice corner with no duct work or pipes/drains

 

I have a 9ft basement ceiling. 1 ft deeper than normal. I can swing driver and woods but if my follow thru gets higher than normal due to a bad swing ill hit the ceiling. Ill be limited to irons and hybrids, which is fine, im just using ST for driving range practice, not simulation. Only bad thing about the CCE mat is its so thick it cuts into my ceiling swing space.

I also have 9ft ceiling and I have same issue. So I make sure I swing a little flat or do a few practice swings before my actual drives.

I covered a few feet of my ceiling with sound deadening foams but I ripped through that. I just need to tape the edges of my driver and maybe glue a small piece of carpet to prevent scratching my driver heads.

[Greasegun]

Here is my setup. Real feel elite 5x5 mat. 14ft birdieball green. 30 dollar net from ebay.

 

Greasegun, what is the ceiling height in the basement? Std basement height is not conducive to driver/fairway swings. It appears you have a nice corner with no duct work or pipes/drains

 

I have a 9ft basement ceiling. 1 ft deeper than normal. I can swing driver and woods but if my follow thru gets higher than normal due to a bad swing ill hit the ceiling. Ill be limited to irons and hybrids, which is fine, im just using ST for driving range practice, not simulation. Only bad thing about the CCE mat is its so thick it cuts into my ceiling swing space.

I also have 9ft ceiling and I have same issue. So I make sure I swing a little flat or do a few practice swings before my actual drives.

I covered a few feet of my ceiling with sound deadening foams but I ripped through that. I just need to tape the edges of my driver and maybe glue a small piece of carpet to prevent scratching my driver heads.

 

I actually hit a floor joist with the head of my fairway metal once on a bad swing. Didnt seem to hurt it. I got some 1/4 thick floor underlayment foam board and stapled it up there. Time will tell how that will work, just hoping to keep from having a square on hit like that again.

[KeithM38]

Has anyone used the perfect golf simulation. I saw a youtube video of it with the ST and looked really nice (Google perfect golf skytrak), wondering how it compares to wgt. And also found it available for like $40, so could I buy it them somehow use it with the ST?

[bradski]

Has anyone used the perfect golf simulation. I saw a youtube video of it with the ST and looked really nice (Google perfect golf skytrak), wondering how it compares to wgt. And also found it available for like $40, so could I buy it them somehow use it with the ST?

 

they have the integration fee on the skytrak website. It starts at around $200 per year with $100 game improvement package. so $300 to $350 per year for it.

[KeithM38]

Has anyone used the perfect golf simulation. I saw a youtube video of it with the ST and looked really nice (Google perfect golf skytrak), wondering how it compares to wgt. And also found it available for like $40, so could I buy it them somehow use it with the ST?

 

they have the integration fee on the skytrak website. It starts at around $200 per year with $100 game improvement package. so $300 to $350 per year for it.

Screw That

[smeech8000]

Wow, great post OP - thanks for all the time you spent in sharing with the community.

 

I specifically had an extra course of block laid when we built our basement to permit something like this down the road.

[Barto78]

I don't know how it happened, but I just placed an order for skytrak on RBG for $1195. It was in my cart for 1695 and I came back later and the price dropped to 1195.

[KeithM38]

I don't know how it happened, but I just placed an order for skytrak on RBG for $1195. It was in my cart for 1695 and I came back later and the price dropped to 1195.

Really...the wife is going to be mad at me a little bit

[thaar]

Holy crap, it's still $1195. Ugh, do I pull the trigger...

[IanW]

Boo. They won't ship it to Canada :(

[Barto78]

I just tried adding it to my cart again and it's 1695. I'll screen capture the confirmation and post it tomorrow when I get back to my office. I hope they don't cancel my order.

[thaar]

Bummer, I just went to finish up my order from when I pulled it up earlier since I had to drive home and the price changed even though I had it my cart at that 1195 price.

[KeithM38]

It's only saying 1695 for me

[Barto78]

It's only saying 1695 for me

 

I truly don't know why or how it dropped the price by $500, but it did without any promo codes. I'll post proof tomorrow once I get to work. I was on the fence but decided inbetger pull the trigger before something changed, so I didn't waste any more time submitting the order!

[KeithM38]

It's only saying 1695 for me

 

I truly don't know why or how it dropped the price by $500, but it did without any promo codes. I'll post proof tomorrow once I get to work. I was on the fence but decided inbetger pull the trigger before something changed, so I didn't waste any more time submitting the order!

Hope it works out

[Barto78]

Here is part of the screen grab of the email i received after i placed my order

 

"]http://[/url]

[KeithM38]

Was that only after you paid?

[Barto78]

Was that only after you paid?

 

No....I had the Skytrak in my cart from earlier in the day. I went out later in the afternoon to see if i could find a 10% off promo code. I read on another forum where there was a 10% off RBG code floating around and i was hopeful i could save another $160 by using a similar code. Well, i came back to the site to input a code i found on some coupon website and i noticed the price had dropped to $1195. I had put in no coupon codes or anything at all, the price had just magically dropped by $500.

 

Well, needless to say i decided if i was going to buy it, then i better get off my arse and do so before something changed to the price. 2 minutes later the order was placed.

[Barto78]

To those of you who own a SkyTrak. Do some of you have a set up that doesn't include an impact screen? I am mainly focused on having a place to hit balls and not have to deal with keeping the mat and net up all the time. In a perfect world, i would put up the net whenever it's in use and take it down afterward. What i'd like to do is put up a 50" TV or so in my garage and simply hit shots into the netting and then look on the TV screen to see where the ball goes.

 

Those of you who play Perfect Golf or The Golf Club, can you advise what type of computer you are using? Can a simple MacBook Pro run the software or do you really need a full fledged gaming PC to play the golf sim games w/ Skytrak?

 

TIA