Cheapest SIM option

[Chilidog]

Hey guys,

 

My 75 year old dad has played the game of golf his whole life but has had some health issues in the last year and hasn’t been able to get out and play that much. I’m thinking of installing a sim in his basement so he can still play and enjoy himself at his convenience. I’ll frame out some walls to enclose it and put some exercise floor puzzle mat material on the walls in case he shanks one. 
 

My question is what is the cheapest sim I can get that still has a course or two to play for a monthly fee. I’ll add a screen, projector and mat as well. 
 

Any advice you can give would be terrific. Thanks guys. 

[JAM01]

My thinking is Optishot 2. Never used it though. 

[Springsteennut]

Optishot is probably your cheapest option. I think it’s between 4 or 5 hundred dollars now. It comes with 15 courses ( you can buy more if you want them) and a driving range. It has minimal computer requirements. It only reads the club head not the ball so it’s not as accurate as say a skytrack but if you take the time to set it up you can pretty accurately simulate your game. It’s not hard and there are plenty of good videos online to help you. My first choice would of been a Skytrack ( about $2000 back then) but once our basement was finished the space was tighter than I originally envisioned. The net is right next to a finished wall and water pipes in the ceiling were a little too close for comfort. I decided real balls would be a bad idea. The reviews for Skytrack and similar products using foam balls weren’t very good. I really didn’t want to spend that much money if they didn’t read foam balls well. Optishot reads the club so you can use real or foam balls. I picked up the unit, a mat for the Optishot and net for just under $700. I use an old computer and a tv. I went in for a wedge fitting and to get the lie angles check on my irons last week.I was getting very similar distance and ball flights on their launch monitor as to what I was getting on the Optishot. It is fun and the club head information it gives has helped my game.

[Chilidog]

I was hoping for something more realistic in real world results than Optishot. I’ve read and watched some horrible reviews for how unrealistic the yardages are. 

[JAM01]

Rapsado R motion, but I’m not sure about that one. 

 

next level up would by Skytrak or Mevo+. 

[Springsteennut]

21 hours ago, Chilidog said:

I was hoping for something more realistic in real world results than Optishot. I’ve read and watched some horrible reviews for how unrealistic the yardages are. 

Like the previous poster said if you want better accuracy Skytrack and Mevo + are your next step up. They will increase your cost. I have used a Skytrack and it’s pretty accurate. I find I’m about 10 yards short on irons and a little longer than normal on woods and drivers. Ball flight is pretty consistent to what happens when I play outside. I played in sim leagues and on more expensive sims everything is pretty similar to what I’ve seen when I’ve used a Skytrack. Back to Optishot for a second. My first impression when I started using it was that It read my irons and wedges well. I just just had to adjust the distance settings to get my distances correct. Woods were a different story. Fortunately with the 3w and hybrid I tried the ones in my travel bag and it actually read those well. Again I had to adjust distance settings. Driver was more difficult. I found some videos about taping the driver. I covered the bottom of my backup driver with blue painter’s tape then I took a some of that silver tape they use on duct work and cut a 4 inch by half strip and put it on the front bottom edge. My driver readings improved dramatically. Again I still had to do distance adjustments. The thing to remember is the optishot is a simulator not a launch monitor and it takes a little time to have it simulate your game. Plenty of videos out there to help you do that. 

[rlefig]

The Garmin R10 might not be a bad option either at $600. I have one. It comes with Home Tee Hero which has thousands of courses and a driving range and 5 free E6 courses and range

[soxflyer80]

Skytrak should be a good option. Haven’t tried the Garmin R10 yet, but I’ve heard some good things about it. 

[shanerbanner10]

Realistic options in order of price are: R10, Skytrack, Mevo+. All under 2k. Can find Skytrack and Mevo+ for ~$1500. They both will spit out pretty good info.

[IPlay4Keeps]

Check FB marketplace. I got my Skytrak for $1550 from a guy who said his sim made him worse, haha. Either way you could maybe even find a use Garmin. Going used route and you can easily do this for sub $2500. You can also DIY the mat with the gel insert. Good luck!

Edited April 19, 2022 by IPlay4Keeps
Double typo