I'm Overwhelmed - Garage Sim

[paulman21]

I'm looking at putting a "sim" in my garage once my new place is built. For the near future, I'm just thinking a net, launch monitor, and computer/tablet to use as an almost replacement for the range. At the range I really only care about shot shape (window/height, curve, etc)...let's be honest, range balls aren't giving accurate distances. I need to "see" the flight though. Something with short game games/ranges and potential to add club data are a bonus. ~$3K budget.

 

Here are the 3 options I'm considering. I'm pretty overwhelmed with the packages, add-ons, subscriptions, reviews, complaints, etc etc. Please help me make sure my thinking is correct and correct anything that's wrong.

 

-Mevo+: ...assuming I have the space. I can add club data at a later point with the Pro package. It sounds fairly accurate even for higher swing speeds. Silver dots and RCT (maybe?) improve spin accuracy but it's still not fantastic. It can be taken outdoors, comes with 3D shot shapes, multiple ranges, and a few courses in the base price. Indoor captures can be hit-or-miss.

 

-BLP: Sounds like the most accurate option of these 3 for indoor use. Can be taken outdoors. Can be upgraded to add club data. There is a $99/year fee for 2D ballflight and $399/year for 3D ballflight and a few courses.

 

-SkyTrak: good for indoor use, not great for outdoor use. 3D ballflight comes with base price. $99/year for anything extra. Accuracy lacks as swing speed increases.

 

It seems like BLP is most accurate for indoor use but also most expensive and has a subscription model for seeing the ball flight. Mevo+ seems to be fairly accurate (indoor maybe not so much) and has what I'm looking for in the base price. SkyTrak seems like a solid indoor-only option with some accuracy limitations but most of what I need in the base price.

 

Am I in the ballpark?

 

 

[JAM01]

I went with a net, mat, Skytrak, and a tv on a stand with a gaming laptop. Mevo + has some benefits - left and right handed players- can play easily. Comes with some courses. But metal and some types of lights can interfere. Skytrak is good, about a 2 -3 second delay. For me it’s fine, because I’ll hit then look at the tv. So far, Skytrak is giving me distances and shot shape I’d see ion the course. Regardless of your choice, it’s a worthwhile investment, in my opinion. 

[agolfman]

Possibly integrate a projector and screen?  It’s the most realistic part of my garage build and I miss it when I do a quick session/warm up without it. 
 

I also added a Home Depot thin carpet (green, naturally) that I have glued down under my net…I roll it up when I have to put a car in the garage and have it available to putt on when it’s all rolled out. Leaf blower is all it needs to clean it up on occasion.  Just trim it narrower than the cage so it can roll up all the way and keep away from a snow covered car…

[paulman21]

8 hours ago, agolfman said:

Possibly integrate a projector and screen?  It’s the most realistic part of my garage build and I miss it when I do a quick session/warm up without it. 
 

I also added a Home Depot thin carpet (green, naturally) that I have glued down under my net…I roll it up when I have to put a car in the garage and have it available to putt on when it’s all rolled out. Leaf blower is all it needs to clean it up on occasion.  Just trim it narrower than the cage so it can roll up all the way and keep away from a snow covered car…

That's on the list for sure. I'm trying to keep cost minimal for now...helps me justify it to the wife 🙃 What launch monitor are you using?

[agolfman]

Flightscope X2. Been a workhorse, but lacked ongoing investment by Flightscope that really could have allowed them to compete better.  To be fair, they focused on developing Mevo and the Xi, but left this platform behind a little. 
 

After getting on the iPad and launching VX and Skills apps, it just languished. Lacked sim integration choices and was also pretty difficult to to make Sim work at all.  That said, I’ve got 10,000+ shots logged and consider it one of the best golf investments I’ve ever made. Would do it again in a second (I’m in New England and it gave me year round convenience). 
 

 

[Pens #1 fan]

On 12/29/2021 at 10:09 PM, JAM01 said:

I went with a net, mat, Skytrak, and a tv on a stand with a gaming laptop. Mevo + has some benefits - left and right handed players- can play easily. Comes with some courses. But metal and some types of lights can interfere. Skytrak is good, about a 2 -3 second delay. For me it’s fine, because I’ll hit then look at the tv. So far, Skytrak is giving me distances and shot shape I’d see ion the course. Regardless of your choice, it’s a worthwhile investment, in my opinion. 

Are you playing any Sim golf on Skytrak or just range. 
 

 

[JAM01]

10 minutes ago, Pens #1 fan said:

Are you playing any Sim golf on Skytrak or just range. 
 

 

Both, mostly playing sim golf though. 

[Pens #1 fan]

 

45 minutes ago, JAM01 said:

Both, mostly playing sim golf though. 

Which Software are you using to play.

 

@paulman21 I have the exact same setup as Jam01, Skytrak is pretty accurate. I have scene reviews where for faster swings it might be a problem. If you are just looking for range play it’s best for the money you are looking to spend. 

[tocino]

I just picked up a mevo+ for a planned garage simulator. I did some minor rearranging and did some testing with a cheap mat and pop up net. No issues with interference when using a gap wedge and 6 iron so far (I have ~10ft from net to tee and 8 ft from tee to mevo). I chose the mevo+ for the included apps and courses for IOS along with the potential for more accurate data after the firmware update and the pro package.

I eventually want to hang a roll up/retractable impact screen and mount a projector from the ceiling but for now the plan is to invest in a better hitting mat and maybe a new iPad. 

[A.Princey]

I have SkyTrak and TGC, and love it. Accuracy is very good, IMO.

[HockeyDave]

I have SkyTrak and TGC and love it as well ... easy set up ... good graphics ... pretty accurate from what I can tell.

[paulman21]

Well you all have me pretty excited about a SkyTrak right now. My concern is with what happened in the video below...and I trust the TXG guys a lot. My swing speeds are close to Matt's so seeing 3000 RPM less than I should, and a resulting knuckle hook, worries me. Some comments said the skytrak wasn't set up properly (too high off the ground) and it sounds like logo facing the unit (or a TP5 pix ball) will help with spin. I'd like to at least have decent numbers down to a 6 iron (~98 mph swing and 140 mph ba speed). Is that doable with skytrak?

 

 

[A.Princey]

You can augment your speeds with the settings file to boost your driver - woods - and irons, all to fit the exact measurement you get on track man. Just be honest with yourself and don’t expect SkyTrak to be more than 6-8mph of ballspeed off, even at the absolute fastest swings. Not sure when that video was made, but SkyTrak has issued several software patches to eliminate the higher ballspeed issues in the past year or two. 

[DS12312]

7 minutes ago, paulman21 said:

Well you all have me pretty excited about a SkyTrak right now. My concern is with what happened in the video below...and I trust the TXG guys a lot. My swing speeds are close to Matt's so seeing 3000 RPM less than I should, and a resulting knuckle hook, worries me. Some comments said the skytrak wasn't set up properly (too high off the ground) and it sounds like logo facing the unit (or a TP5 pix ball) will help with spin. I'd like to at least have decent numbers down to a 6 iron (~98 mph swing and 140 mph ba speed). Is that doable with skytrak?

 

 

They had a software update that made it better at picking up high ball speed and now their algorithm includes spin decay on the Skytrak range app.  I don't know how it will exactly work for your speed with the updates, but it should be better than the video.  I didn't watch it so I'm not sure if they have the speed update or not.

[A.Princey]

The other thing I do, is aim the unit about 3-4* inside of parallel, so the exit side of the cameras are nearer to the ball. This takes care of the draw/pull bias, IMO. In sim play, you should have “Straight putting” set to  ‘ON’, it will negate the angle bias when putting on a green simulation. You could tell Matt was pulling and overdrawing the ball in most situations. This preset angling of the unit really helps, and since I started doing it, I’ve actually gone to angling the unit within the full metal jacket itself, so the actual metal shield exterior can be set to parallel . Good luck.

Edited January 6, 2022 by A.Princey

[JAM01]

25 minutes ago, A.Princey said:

The other thing I do, is aim the unit about 3-4* inside of parallel, so the exit side of the cameras are nearer to the ball. This takes care of the draw/pull bias, IMO. In sim play, you should have “Straight putting” set to  ‘ON’, it will negate the angle bias when putting on a green simulation. You could tell Matt was pulling and overdrawing the ball in most situations. This preset angling of the unit really helps, and since I started doing it, I’ve actually gone to angling the unit within the full metal jacket itself, so the actual metal shield exterior can be set to parallel . Good luck.

This is some good information. I’m lower swing speed and so far my Skytrak numbers are really close to what I see on the course. 

[paulman21]

Thanks all. It looks like his ball speeds were pretty accurate with his 7 iron. It was the shape that concerned me as accurate shape is more important to me than accurate distance. It looks like maybe a combo of the draw/pull bias mentioned above and the super low spin numbers. I have a hard time believing skytrak can't accurately measure spin at 135 ball speed though. Is there something where skytrak "expects" a 135 mph to come out in a different window than a 7 iron and thus can't measure the spin? Or is it likely just improper setup (height, orientation, logo not oriented toward LM)?

[coreyl]

I made the switch from Skytrak to Mevo+...absolutely no regrets. I don't know if it was my particular unit or not, but I didn't have great experiences with my Skytrak. From missed shots to misalignment (no matter how I had it set), it was a s*** show. Mevo+ has been worlds better for me. It might miss 1 shot total during a full session, and target alignment with the integrated camera is a breeze. Used it outdoors yesterday and shots on the screen exactly matched what the ball was doing in the air. Battery life on the Mevo+ could definitely be better...

[paulman21]

2 hours ago, coreyl said:

I made the switch from Skytrak to Mevo+...absolutely no regrets. I don't know if it was my particular unit or not, but I didn't have great experiences with my Skytrak. From missed shots to misalignment (no matter how I had it set), it was a s*** show. Mevo+ has been worlds better for me. It might miss 1 shot total during a full session, and target alignment with the integrated camera is a breeze. Used it outdoors yesterday and shots on the screen exactly matched what the ball was doing in the air. Battery life on the Mevo+ could definitely be better...

Unfortunately I think I'm on the ragged edge of even the short indoor mode (or whatever it's called) dimensions. I haven't moved into the place yet but I don't think I'll have more than 16' to play with

[Dax279]

Not sure 16 feet will be enough for you. I can’t recall, but thought Mevo+ required 17 feet of length from front of radar to screen. Don’t forget you will lose a few inches from the wall to front of unit and at least a foot for impact screen.  

[paulman21]

10 minutes ago, Dax279 said:

Not sure 16 feet will be enough for you. I can’t recall, but thought Mevo+ required 17 feet of length from front of radar to screen. Don’t forget you will lose a few inches from the wall to front of unit and at least a foot for impact screen.  

Yeah I *think* my garage is 20' long. So factoring in some space for random garage stuff and room for a net, I figured I'd be around 16'-17'. I'll have to get everything set up and then take final measurements. But even at 17' I feel like I've seen people having issues with frequent missed reads (especially in a garage). Idk if the fusion software addition will help that at all

[Dax279]

It may help, but have seen a few with swing speeds of around 100 mph that had good results when they went to 10 feet of ball flight. RCT balls may help as well, but these are on pricey side. 

[Exactice808]

Hey OP, caught this thread and if you dont mind I would love to chime in, hang in there it might be long but will do my best to keep it short.

 

Mevo+ Owner with Short indoor use ONLY, Have not taken to Range and have not used in regular indoor as I do not have the space.

 

I have 8ft to the screen with 1ft from screen to wall with buffers and baffles.  I have 7 feet from Mevo+ to ball,  +/- 6" depending on where I place the ball on the hitting mat.

 

Super overwhelmed as well but narrowed down and "accepted" my situation.

 

I have used the SC100 which is really just good at capturing ball speeds (accurate), all the rest of the data is calculated for optimization, and if you hit a bad strike it has no idea. It was great out doors just to learn about strike quality and ball quality. But the rest of the data, carry and distance was pretty useless.

 

Moved on to a ES14 which was greatly improved with actual data, LA, Spin, truer carry, BUT NO dispersion, It tracked a 2D flight,  Distance and Height, but no left/right.  It did help on understanding my distances better.  It was HUGE in improving my short game, I used it indoors on the same net as I only needed bout 6ft feet of ball flight to get accurate readings.  I wanted more..... I wanted dispersion, COVID19 hit, and bit the bullet for a better sim, of course it was Skytrack vs Mevo+ (price range)

 

Camera vs Radar,  had the 16ft space and Skytrack overall started to add up.  The lighting also was a limitation for me as well as the intent to eventually setup a projector and darken the room.  So having to spend more money on lighting and modifying the room as its great for golf with Vaulted ceilings but installing lights etc would have been more work and money.

 

Secondly, have used the ES14 which sits 14" forward of the ball and 14" right (right handed golfer, put the unit in danger territory).  Same with the sky track sitting right there next to the ball. with my kids....the would have blown it up by now.  Mevo+ sitting well behind the hitting area...my kids wouldn't kill the machine.

 

*Break*

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 6, 2022 by Exactice808

[Exactice808]

*Tangent*

Short game practice, has been PHENOMINAL with the E6 integration (I am assuming any other decent simulation product should be good as well)  But what I mean is,  there is a short game practice area with E6, where you can practice chipping on virtual greens with stimp control and undulations etc.  I spend nearly 30minutes a day chipping,  10y to 80y..... and I get REAL reactions with my REAL gamer ball.

 

I dont get this kind of practice unless I sneak on the course with a bag of old gamers at 6:30pm before the sun goes down and after the course closes.  I cant do this on the range, its a waste the balls are crap and the range itself is not tailored like a real green so ONLY getting true carry distance is the best I would get at a public range at best.

 

The practice chipping areas are no better than the public parks. he greens are not manicured so really trying to see spin reaction around the hole..... yeah no.  BUT on the Sim integration HUGE in my learning curve.

 

NOW what unit.... Well Mevo+, Sky Track BLP etc etc. especially at the short game distance should not have ANY reading issues, 20y and further,  the 10-19y I noticed it could get finicky.  It reads but might miss a couple.  But still getting practice down from 20y-80y and I mean pounding 50-100 balls a day... is huge.  

 

All the units spit out the numbers its the software that displays it. So Again E6 has worked well for me.  The integrated app like FS Golf for the Mevo+ not so much for short game. As I can only rely on the Carry distances and the Actual Data numbers like LA, spin, but how to see how the ball reacts around the hole, well it doesnt exist.

 

*Moving on*

 

Edited January 6, 2022 by Exactice808

[Exactice808]

Full Wedges, Irons, hybrids and woods. (NOT DRIVER)

 

For these clubs, these units are all solid. I dont recall much issues with them,  They continually update and really work on getting them close.  So any unit should work well, indoor, outdoor, granted limited interference but all things equal.  it should give you accurate data,  LA, Spin, Carry, Total, Side spin, dispersion etc.

 

This question you might have is convenience and portability.  Mevo+ sucks in convenience and portability.  Due to setup, setup location,  app usage (no LED read out) and potential battery life.  If you take it to the Range or even on the golf course the Mevo+ takes time to setup... just not convenient. The unit is smaller than the others, but you still need a phone or a tablet to get data,  the FSK, BLP GC3 has a screen so if you just want simple data its right there, Setup is fast as well from my understanding.

 

 

*NEXT*

 

*Driver*.....OH Driver..........

 

Mevo+ Has struggled for a while....But the .19 firmware update has really addressed it.  The up coming fusion tracking should help a little. the Pro Mode offered likely wont help on accuracy but just additional data points.

 

I have seen on the Tube that Mevo+ has had a couple of LD golfers hitting 170+mph on it and reading relatively accurate.... so unless you are hitting well over 170+mph with any type of consistency..... I dont think Mevo+ will struggle to read.

 

Camera based systems seem to combat some of the indoor Radar issues...  soooo thats the caveat, they seem to work REALLY well Indoors,  but once outdoors exposed to the elements,  live ball data,  wind/weather etc.... the Radar may have the edge there.

 

*Break*

[Exactice808]

What are your ACTUAL needs and acceptance..... Again in my original post, I stated I accepted the MEVO+.  Now that I know I am ONLY using it Purely indoors and never likely ever going to take it outside.  A Camera System likely would have been the best choice especially with the 16ft space I have.... BUT I have accepted it and it works just good enough with barely any issues at all.

 

1) Most Usage, Indoor or Outdoor?

2) Location of Unit, Behind or on the side? You dont think about it till you shank one real close and that $2,000-$7,000 unit becomes an expensive paperweight.

3) Cost and Subscription, I am an absolute cheap..... So 1 time cost is it for me..... no way am I willing for the $99 or $300 per year. ($1,800 Fathers day discount, and looking at the $1,000 pro mode... or not...,  BLP and GC3 is $3,000-$7,000 and depending on subscription? FSK is a no go for now as no Indoor till middle of this year at best.........(sarcasm) 

4) Your location setup, do you have the space or not (16ft+ space etc)

5) App integration and usage,  More putting, more short game, more irons, more drivers.  E6 has be wonderful and the included course are good enough, I dont need to buy $2,000 more courses)

6) Gamer ball, I know there is a HOT thing about the RCT... but to be honest. I do NOT mind putting a metallic dot on my ACTUAL gamer ball as I do NOT play ProV1's so they are not my gamer ball. The $80 per box is not efficient for me.

(CAVEAT)

Real quick..... I eat through golf balls on the sim though, due to the dot location I am striking nearly the same area of the golf ball, due to the dot..... I have never see it happen until now I have split 3 Ksigs in half because of the constant strikes in the same area....  My gamer ball on the other hand has major rough spots on the same location due to the dot. So I likely switch out balls every 300-500 shots or so,  meaning I have gone through likely 1 whole box, 12 balls, 4 sleeves since using the Mevo+. 3 of which cracked in half and the other 9 are so roughed up and peeling I just replaced them. So the caveat to the dot, that singular strike location... beats the ball up pretty good.

 

 

7) For me, the driving range is useless as the range balls are SO messed up..... I really cant a decent ball flight when I strike it well.   But with the sim and my gamer, its REALLY close to on course play.  The only time I go to the range now is to take the kids to mess around.  Or I have a bucket of old gamers to blast away and get so visual flight before a round of golf.

 

 

 

Anyways, so sorry for the RANT.... but I have REALLY enjoyed setting up my sim... it was the best investment I made and relatively in expensive as whole,  probably spent total well under $3,000, closer to $2,500 (projector, netting mats and all etc).

 

I have had a lot of fun teaching my kids on it and getting some really good practice and learning more about my terrible swing overall. Its been a fun Journey.

 

 

GL OP! 

 

 

[coreyl]

3 hours ago, paulman21 said:

Unfortunately I think I'm on the ragged edge of even the short indoor mode (or whatever it's called) dimensions. I haven't moved into the place yet but I don't think I'll have more than 16' to play with

16 feet would really be pushing it. That is definitely an advantage of the Skytrak.

[paulman21]

@Exactice808 thanks for the detailed narrative. The e6 stuff that comes with mevo+ is basically a pared-down version of the full e6 purchased for other LMs. Is that correct?

[greenwavegolfer]

Just chiming in late here as I recently got a setup in my garage with a BLP. It's fantastic. I've long wanted a home sim but until we purchased our first house last year it was an impossibility. I waited on the new Foresight/Bushnell monitor and I'm glad I did. I could've done something earlier with either SkyTrak or Mevo+ but honestly both of those felt like compromising in some way. I know the software costs are a bit higher and it's an extra $1,000 but I'm so glad I went this direction.

 

With SkyTrak, not being able to use the device outdoors would've been frustrating as would the finnicky nature of the setup and trouble reading at high speeds. With Mevo+ the size requirements make it tricky and if it's used mostly indoors then there are some accuracy concerns too. It just really seems like the BLP checks all the boxes. I can use it indoors or outdoors and never have to worry about accuracy. I take it on the course or to the range, I set it up with my mat and net and it just does it all, whether hooked up to a computer or my phone or nothing at all (on the course). Plus I get club data which isn't possible on SkyTrak and will end up making the Mevo+ a similar price. 

 

Not sure how set-in-stone your budget is and if it is, then either of those other options are gonna be a great way to practice as well, but I'm definitely a "buy once, cry once" kind of person and I'm so glad I went up to the BLP and don't feel like I had to sacrifice anything in terms of either functionality, set up, or accuracy. Just my 2 cents and I hope you love whatever you end up going with!

[khalespace]

You need a landing mat under the net. Try to find artificial turf remnants from offerup or craiglist. I was able to buy a new 8x10 artificial grass remnant for $80 which is 1/3 the price of HomeDepot. These remnants are usually leftover from big artificial tuft installation jobs.

 

Where I live there are multiple sellers, example below:

https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/grq/d/westminster-artificial-grass-warehouse/7428560567.html

 

I am pretty happy with my golf sim with Skytrak. Yes, about 5% of shots are misread. I have both Screen and TV but you only need 1 of them. I watch YouTube on TV and hit to the screen. This is my hangout from 10PM to 11:30PM.

 

 

 

Edited January 7, 2022 by khalespace