Golf SIM computer components help

[JahSteve]

Looking to build a golf sim in the near future... 

After a firesale at work i have begun to gather equipment needed. 

 

What I have;

 

INfocus IN5144a projector.

 

 

Computer side of things:

 

Asus Deluxe 99ii motherboard

Samsung 860 EVO SSD sata m.2 256GB drive

Dell computer Chassis, fan and power supply but nothing else will be saved. 

 

I assume I will need a OS as well as a decent graphics card so any suggestions will help. 

 

I am not sure as to which simulator I will chose (i.e GC2, skytrak or what not) so input is appreciated on that as well. 

 

 

Other than mats and a projector screen of some sort am I missing anything? 

 

I have poured over some threads in this forum and others but would like direct advice. 

 

Thank you in advance... 

 

-Steve

 

 

 

[JahSteve]

oh i forgot i have a Pentium I7 processor

[Seattlegolfnut]

Check out golfsimulatorforum...lots of folks there with DIY setups and recommendations for your gaming rig.

 

Get as good a graphics card as your can afford. The sim apps are very dependent on GPU (graphics processing units) and dedicated video memory. I run a skytrak on a laptop with a GeForce GTX 1060 6GB card and definitely wouldn’t go any less than that. I can get max graphics from the skytrak app and on TGC’19 run object detail 2 and something like middle of the slider on trees and don’t get any frame drops.
 

If you are setting up high speed cameras for practice sessions, you may want more storage than 256GB and a bunch of regular computer (not video card) RAM to dedicate to video delay buffers, especially with color cameras. A decent i7 processor (not sure your specs) will be good for this.

 

As for which launch monitor and simulator software, there are a bunch of permutations. The Golf Club (TGC) 2019 has tons of courses and a huge user base adding custom and real-world replicas from LIDAR data. Maybe start there and see if others fit your liking better. The hardware? Skytrak is good if you will dedicate it indoors and don’t really care about seeing club data. For pure sim, that’s usually a good option. Mevo+ is good too, but need lots more down the line space. 
 

If you will be dedicating to practice time, not just sim play, and want club head data, look at GC2+HMT and upward from there. I use my setup more for practice time year round, and the sim play when I can’t get outside on real course. I do miss club head data, but not enough to spend the steep increase price point to get it. I go on a trackman every now to get that feedback. Otherwise, the video cameras, shot feedback in my hands, and some foot spray powder on face give me enough real time feedback to get general sense where and how I hit it on the face and with swing path. AoA, dynamic loft, and spin loft are the data points I really miss.

 

Hope that helps get you started!

[JAM01]

Just built a garage set up. Because I’m hitting toward a the garage door, the Mevo + was probably not going to work as the metal might interfere with the radar. Went with skytrak. Hitting into a Net Return Pro net with a mat. No projector or screen.  Have a TV on a stand sitting to the right side. Since the Skytrak has a slight delay, I hit and then watch. Interestingly, I’ve hit better shots aiming straight at the net rather than picking a spot on a screen with an image on it. Leveno Legion with i7, GTX 1660ti card and 32 mb of ram. Windows 10. Went with TGC 2019, got the lifetime license for a good price. If you go Skytrak, you need to upgrade to one of the play/improve plans.

Mevo + has some free courses with it and the delivery time is quicker if you have about 16 or so feet from the unit to the screen. Skytrak was quoted as 10-12 weeks and showed up in 7. 

 

As Seattle mention, for me, not about club head data so much. Good practice and just good fun. Plus, haven’t lost a ball yet! 

[JahSteve]

Thx guys. Lots of info here!