What LM is Most Accurate for Indoor Sim Golf? (Large-ish Budget)

[gophers79]

We are planning on moving, and we'll make a big enough chunk of money on the sale of our current house that I should be able to devote ~$25k or so to a simulator setup without my wife yelling at me too much.  I live in Minnesota, and I would like to be able to "play golf" in the winter.

 

The question is this: if you had enough money lying around such that you could afford something like the GCQuad / GC3 Sim In A Box, or a Trackman, or equivalent, which would you get?  This is assuming you were going to be using it indoors, primarily for playing for fun, and that you wanted the data / shots to resemble real life as much as possible.

 

I've been disappointed with the accuracy when I've played sim golf indoors with a trackman (distance, direction, and curve seemed off), and I've been fitted using a GC2 in the past that I wasn't so sure about the numbers I saw compared to what I'm used to on the course (primarily distance seemed off).  I've never hit on a GCQuad (or GC3), but am hopeful that the camera-based systems would work better for an indoor / short hitting area than the radar systems I've played on.

 

Is there anything that "feels" like real golf on a simulator (even at the higher-end price points), or am I chasing something that doesn't really exist?

[Benoit61]

I think an overhead mounted system is best if the goal is fun simulator play … if you are willing to stretch the budget a gcHawk is probably best otherwise I’d look at the uneekor eyexo and you’ll have lots of leftover money for Everything else you need (hitting mat, projector , gaming computer etc 

 

edit: I’m assuming in the above that you want to accommodate for both lefties and righties 

Edited October 11, 2021 by Benoit61

[hammersia]

If you don't find the GC2 or Trackman accurate enough, I think you're gonna be disappointed..... (joking slightly).

 

If I had that sort of budget - and space, building a room from scratch - I would actually put effort into a tilting floor type arrangement that can simulate uphill, sidehill etc. 

 

I suspect it is more than 25K though:

 

https://golfzon.co.uk/golfzon-vision-premium/

 

Personally I think that will be both more fun and beneficial to your game. 

 

In terms of LMs, GC3 is the new flavour of the month, as accurate as GCquad for just $7k, looks particularly suitable for sim use. 

Edited October 11, 2021 by hammersia

[BrewingSim]

If you don’t want to take it outside I would go for the Uneekor EyeXO. It’s a ceiling mount, very accurate, plenty of software options, and I don’t think there is anything more beneficial for getting better than the slo mo video of your club at impact. Plus with your budget you could add their 2 other cameras for great feedback on your swing. 

[m_w]

GCQuad or Uneekor are your best bets. The GCQuad has the advantage that you can take it easily outside as well, even on the course if you wanted to. However, that's going to stretch your $25k setup and you'd probably end up closer to $30k all-in

[Stuart_G]

On 10/11/2021 at 10:39 AM, gophers79 said:

I've been disappointed with the accuracy when I've played sim golf indoors with a trackman (distance, direction, and curve seemed off), and I've been fitted using a GC2 in the past that I wasn't so sure about the numbers I saw compared to what I'm used to on the course (primarily distance seemed off).

 

If you weren't happy with either of those,  there is nothing out there that's any better.  And for your target usage, any of the modern LM's > $2k are going to be plenty accurate enough as long as you can configure the environment to meet the LM's needs (and set it up properly).  

 

However before rushing to any judgement, keep in mind that:

1) All LM's are susceptible to set-up issues that can cause problems with the visualized results that has nothing to do with the accuracy of the numbers.   If a ball starts offline - this is the problem, not the accuracy of the LM.

2) Hitting off of a mat will usually change the ball flight results (launch/spin/distance) - especially for irons.   That's more about the quality of the mat than the quality of the LM.

3) Some people just swing differently inside.   Some people just swing differently when they know they are going to see the ball flight numbers.

4) More often than not, it's the person's expectations on what they think they should see that is less accurate than the LM's.

 

The only real accuracy shortcomings come from the radar units and their ability to compensate for gear effect.  Which is only really relevant for the drivers and fairways AND only if you can't hit the center of the club face.   Get good center face contact, and the numbers will be fine.   Although I know Trackman has been working on upgrading thier algorithms to improve that.  Don't know how well it's coming though.

[Indygolf21]

If you have any interest in using outside on occasion, buy a GCQuad with club data and don’t look back. 
 

If it’s solely indoor use, the answer is probably still GC Quad in my estimation but you could also consider the GC Hawk or the Uneekor EYE XO if you or some people you know are lefties and you don’t mind a ceiling mounted device. 
 

Don’t buy a radar device if your primary use is indoor. 
 

(One more thing: honestly, if you’re not super into nitty gritty club data and want to save some money and/or ensure you have plenty of money for the rest of your golf cave, I think  your best bet may be the Foresight GC3 for 7k. That’d leave you way more than enough for a great screen/projector/mat/putting green and the ball flight will still be as accurate as anything on the market.)
 

 

Edited October 20, 2021 by Indygolf21