R Motion Golf Simulator

JPW75 · October 24, 2017

Bueller? Bueller??

OrangeGravy · October 25, 2017

Bueller? Bueller??

bump

dpb5031 · October 25, 2017

So I was one of the lucky few to be selected to receive and subsequently review the Rapsodo R-Motion Golf Game Simulator. I have a NetReturn in my basement with ample room to swing all clubs, but I do not have a screen or projector, so I’ve been using my MS Surface Pro 3 to run R-Motion and The Golf Club simulator.

The R-Motion comes in a very slick little package that contains everything you need to get started. It comes with a swing tracking sensor, a USB connection dongle for your PC, a USB charger for the sensor, 4 attachment holders for the sensor, and a small Allen wrench to secure the holders to your clubs. Included with the packaging is a convenient user guide that quite thoroughly explains step-by-step how to get started.

Initial set-up is not difficult but does take about 1 hour especially if you’re a non-techy like me. You have to charge the sensor which is easy enough, and you have to download The Golf Club game and R-Motion sensor software to your PC. The installation procedures are simple and straightforward and I figured it all out without too much difficulty. Once you get the sensor charged and the software installed you simply attach the holders to the clubs you’re planning on using and you’re good to go. After this first time set-up there’s nothing to it and future use is quick and easy as long as the sensor is charged.

The sensor holders attach very securely to your clubs and I have not experienced any slippage. I should note that the sensor is a tad difficult to slide in and out of the holders, which is necessary when changing clubs. It’s not physically hard per se, but it takes some force to slide the sensor in and out of the holders and I was nervous about damaging the light weight sensor. The game also comes with just the 4 holders, which means that if you want to use all 14 clubs in your bag you’ll have to move the holders from club to club or purchase additional holders for each club. Again, you do have to move the sensor for each shot if you’re changing clubs and this takes a few seconds and can be just a tad frustrating.

The first thing I noticed when firing up the game was the quality of the graphics. I’ll be 50 in a few months and am not a part of the gaming generation, so my experience with game graphics is limited, but this interface is very cool. Once I got swinging my clubs I was really impressed with how quickly the data is transmitted from the sensor to the game. As soon as you’re in your follow through you get a very gratifying “thwack” sound and can immediately see the flight of your ball on the screen. Again, I’m just using my Surface Pro and can only imagine how slick this must look on a large screen with a quality projector. I should add that I am as impressed with the audio feedback as I am with the graphics, both of which are superior to Optishot in my limited experience.

The controls of The Golf Club game are fairly easy to navigate on your PC. You can modify the look of your golfer or just use the default avatar. Once you’re playing, the only delay between shots will be from moving the sensor from one club to the next, and taking a slight pause at address before swinging. The The Golf Club game that comes with R-Motion includes fifteen different courses and you can purchase additional if you’re so inclined. You can set it up for stroke play, match play, or practice mode. Practice mode is on an actual golf hole. It works just fine in this mode but I would prefer an actual driving range with targets. I suspect that they will add this feature in the near future. Again, the graphics resolution and audio quality are really impressive and the smoothness of movement provides for life-like images of your swing, the course, and the ball in flight.

In terms of the data generated and displayed the R-Motion seems to do a nice job at detecting the quality of your strikes and provides both club and ball data. You can see whether you’ve hit a fade or a draw, your swing path and trajectory, club head speed, and smash factor. Mishits were detected and the feedback provided is useful in helping you make corrections. As a reasonably skilled low handicap player I was able to intend to shape shots and have them come out as expected in the game. In other words, fade swings produced fades, and draw swings produced draws. Very cool!

The distances from club to club do not precisely marry up to my real life on course yardages, but they are close. It is also consistent in terms of quality strikes producing consistent results in the game. After a little experimentation I was having success in hitting fairways and greens. Chipping is a bit more difficult to get used to and develop a touch, but I think that’s more a product of me generally finding it difficult to judge off of a mat and into a net with no visible target. I suspect a projector screen set-up would improve this dynamic. Like most indoor simulators I think the putting is difficult and more trouble than its worth.

In summary, I think this is a great product that does what it is supposed to do quite remarkably, especially given the price point. The graphics and audio are exceptional and the swing data and consistency of the data relative to the swing you put on the ball is quite impressive. Playing the game on a PC is fun, but I would imagine that it would be really awesome with a screen and projector.

viperstudio · October 25, 2017

First when I received the box I was expecting medium to large box but I was surprise how tiny the box was. Is like almost the box of the iphone. The box was supercool, is like one of those expensive jewelry box like the beats box.

The device was also easy to install, in the box you get the following item.

1x R-Motion Swing Tracker

4x attachment holder (I was told you can order more to complete your sets, in my case I have 13 clubs in the bag so I will order 9 more of these)

1x USB Charging cable

1x PC Compatible Connection Dongle

1x Allen Key

1x quick guide

1x user guide instructions

Step I taken after unboxing the item

1. I charged the R-Motion Tracker using the USB cable and using my Samsung charger to connect the USB to the wall outlet.

2. Went to www.rmotiongolf.com to register

3. Get my TGC license

4. After successfully registering you will two links to download the “The Golf Club Game” and “R Motion Apps.(TGCSim is about 1.6 GB, RMotion is about 42 MB).

5. Once you successfully install both apps, you can go to your desktop and start the R-Motion, and bingo the fun begin ?

6. Then I change the default settings and setup my equipment length and Loft. (I wish on the R Motion you can change the Club since some players don’t carry a woods and have driving irons and Hybrids). The max length is 40 inches while I used 44 inches. But I don’t think the length matter on the configuration.

7. Once you put it the holder on the shaft then connected the tracker and when it turn Blue and the R Motion Status is check it will upgrade the firmware then you are ready to play.

I have used the R Motion for almost a week, I setup a golf cage with net, impact screen, golf mat and a projector on my patio. So far so good I really enjoy the RMotion, I think the numbers are pretty spot on, and maybe off just a little compare when I try some expensive LM at Dicks, Golf Galaxy and getting my expected number on the driver and 6 iron. This is really great to practice at home, I feel like I have improved my short game. I bounce around from 2-4 handicap this year and working on my wedges yardages, and hitting and practicing my wedges a lot with RMOTION seems to improve my striking and give me confidence on the course. I am natural drawer of the ball and trying to practice the fade shot and with the RMOTION, and it really track and pick up show you the ball flight. Other information stats like the path, the distance, the face of the club, the swing path, the club head speed (very close), the ball path, the launch angle, offline, deviation all in all I am very satisfied and not bad at all.

Only thing that I don’t like is only came with one tracker, and 4 holders so when playing the courses, you have to remove the tracker then put in on the other club. I will definitely buy more holder but not sure if RMOTION will sell more just the tracker. Mostly I used the driving range sims and just used wedges and drivers and the 4 holders should be good enough and just remove the tracker and put it back on. Also after owning the RMOtion for a while now, the holder kind a wear out, the red rubber grip wear a little but still grip fine (2nd to the last pic).

So far I really recommend the RMOTION to my friends, is very affordable and does the job what other expensive LM in the market.

Marks23 · November 7, 2017

I was able to borrow a Windows 7 PC from the office to test out the product. I'm not the most tech savy guy so I need to contact support for a couple of items. I will say it is very fun to use. I've used it with wiffle golf balls that I hit into the garage since I don't have a functioning net at the moment. Although there seems to be a bit of lag between the time of the hit and when it shows up on the screen, it all registers like a true golf shot. I am not sure how to pause the shot data so I can look at the numbers more carefully. There is one driving range course included in the package that I received but it seems to function for me more as a real golf course. I'd like to use it more as a range to see my swing stats.

wareagle12 · November 7, 2017

I never bought one but my friend did and we tested. He was one of the first users back in the spring and I haven't used it since then, so this info may no longer be true.

As everyone has said, the graphics are excellent. The setup, layout and gameplay are great. It is annoying to switch the sensors especially if there is more than one person playing.

My major issue was the driver. It would not read my driver at all using almost golf balls. It read my friends pretty well. My club head speed is pretty high and I have an extremely late release so that could be why. Irons were close. Shape was pretty much what I'd expect most of the time with some outliers. It also read distance longer. The longer the club the worse off it was. It was reading long.

If you want something to play around with friends and have a good time this could be it. If you're wanting accurate data I would save up.

JDFish · December 24, 2017

After reading reviews of this and the Optishot, I purchased this from Amazon - it came with 15 adaptors for $247. I also had to buy a new laptop because my spare was old and only had an i3 processor. I am fairly tech savvy but had some difficulty getting it set up and operating. The instructions aren't very clear and the TGC program isn't what I would call intuitive. Once I uninstalled and reinstalled TGC program it seemed to work (I also had the sensor upside down in the adaptor and the diagnostics mode was turned on). I've only hit a few balls on the practice course. Like others, I wish there was a "true" driving range for practice. I also don't know if there is a way to "lock" in the club you are hitting - for example, If I want to hit my 8 iron for 3 shots on the practice course, locking it in rather than having to select it each shot would be easier. I will be doing more with the set up and playing with the club lofts and avatar over the weekend. The graphics and sound are excellent. I'm impressed so far with the QPR.

JPW75 · December 26, 2017

After reading reviews of this and the Optishot, I purchased this from Amazon - it came with 15 adaptors for $247. I also had to buy a new laptop because my spare was old and only had an i3 processor. I am fairly tech savvy but had some difficulty getting it set up and operating. The instructions aren't very clear and the TGC program isn't what I would call intuitive. Once I uninstalled and reinstalled TGC program it seemed to work (I also had the sensor upside down in the adaptor and the diagnostics mode was turned on). I've only hit a few balls on the practice course. Like others, I wish there was a "true" driving range for practice. I also don't know if there is a way to "lock" in the club you are hitting - for example, If I want to hit my 8 iron for 3 shots on the practice course, locking it in rather than having to select it each shot would be easier. I will be doing more with the set up and playing with the club lofts and avatar over the weekend. The graphics and sound are excellent. I'm impressed so far with the QPR.

Was this on sale? I don't see it with 15 adapters for that price (currently)?

JDFish · January 24, 2018

After reading reviews of this and the Optishot, I purchased this from Amazon - it came with 15 adaptors for $247. I also had to buy a new laptop because my spare was old and only had an i3 processor. I am fairly tech savvy but had some difficulty getting it set up and operating. The instructions aren't very clear and the TGC program isn't what I would call intuitive. Once I uninstalled and reinstalled TGC program it seemed to work (I also had the sensor upside down in the adaptor and the diagnostics mode was turned on). I've only hit a few balls on the practice course. Like others, I wish there was a "true" driving range for practice. I also don't know if there is a way to "lock" in the club you are hitting - for example, If I want to hit my 8 iron for 3 shots on the practice course, locking it in rather than having to select it each shot would be easier. I will be doing more with the set up and playing with the club lofts and avatar over the weekend. The graphics and sound are excellent. I'm impressed so far with the QPR.

Was this on sale? I don't see it with 15 adapters for that price (currently)?

I think it was a sale during the holidays.

One thing I've encountered is that all of my iron shots track to the left of the target, from 4 iron to wedge. My normal iron shot is straight or a slight draw. My brother just got the R-Motion and said he is experiencing the same thing (and he normally hits a fade). Anyone have a similar problem?

Belmont148 · January 24, 2018

No problems with mine. Iron shots are straight as an arrow.

Belmont148 · January 28, 2018

Now that you mention it about going left I started paying more attention and testing it. With short irons, 9-LW I don't get it, but I have taken a few swings with longer irons and gotten the left shot. I have found that if you don't keep the club in line on the back swing and close to parallel with your shoulders, it will register an out/in path and cause a hook/pull. Now on the range I can do this same swing and the ball goes perfectly straight, but on the Rmotion I think it exaggerates out of sync motions. Just focus on not coming out/in and keep the elbow tucked and the shots track straight.

Keep in mind, this is just a game setup like Optishot. Not designed to mimic a real strike and give you any feedback. I just hit on it for fun and focus on my swing speed and the strike of the ball if I want to make sure I am hitting it well.

hidrake · February 20, 2019

Stumbled across this on Google while looking for cheap simulators. I have to agree. The OptiShot was rubbish when I tried it. Made me think of a glorified wii.

My buddy has a SkyTrak in his basement that I tried and after trying the OptiShot I was blown away by what that monitor can do.

I ended up getting myself a SkyTrak and my basement has the space needed for a full golf simulator (12’ Wide x 12’ Length x 9’ Height), and it gives me plenty of room to practice my full swing.

The one thing that I didn’t like about it is that it has about a 4 second delay from when you hit the ball to when it shows up on the screen, but being the average golfer I am it tracked what I needed and I have seen an improvement out on the course.

For the price, I don’t think there is a simulator out there that beats Skytrak for the average golfer simply trying to break 90!