Golf Simulator on a budget for my garage

[sm_watts]

A quick internet search led me to a lot of confusion, so I'll ask the real experts out here: what's the most budget-friendly home golf simulator that I can hook up in my garage?  I'm not looking for spin rates or anything, just something to do with my family in the winter for entertainment.

[Billfitz]

I've had an OptiShot for some ten years. I use it in my living room, without a ball, with my 55 inch TV as the monitor. It's great for exercising those muscles you use in golf that you don't otherwise. Come spring I have a net and mat on my rear deck, with a Swing Caddie to fine tune things before the course opens.

[PNW]

If you want an actual simulator mode vs only launch monitor, then maybe the Garmin R10 is the cheapest. After that Mevo+. You'll need a PC or iPad to hook up as the screen. 

 

If you just want launch monitor then standard Mevo or Rapsodo MLM. Then you just need a decent net and mat. 

[Dr.Potat]

Optishot 2 would be your cheapest, but I wouldn't call it a simulator as it won't give you accurate ball flights.   It just measures club speed and tracks face angle and path to guess what your shot would look like.  Since it doesn't track any ball data, if if you missed the ball it would still assume you made solid contact if you club path and face angle was ok.

 

The above mentioned Garmin R10 seems to be very promising and would be my choice for a budget setup...one day!

[m d g]

-- Worn welcome mat

-- Large carpet remnant on wall

-- Plastic film canister for tee

-- iPhone duct-taped to a paint can

-- Go crazy

[lefthack]

The R10 is my plan once they are more available and I make room in the garage. 

[Springsteennut]

Optishot is is a pretty inexpensive option. I actually find the ball flight pretty accurate with irons and wedges. I was about a club short on distances but you can make adjustments to get it right. You do get away with thin shots but fat shots you do lose distance. Driver and woods are where a lot of the ball flight inaccuracies come in. I took some of that blue painters tape and covered the bottom of the driver. I then took some of that aluminum tape for duct work and cut a 4 inch long by half inch wide on the bottom front edge. Since doing that the driver ball flight is very similar to what I do outside. You mentioned you wanted this as a family activity. One nice thing about Optishot is you don’t have to use a real ball. You can use a foam or even no ball because it only reads the club head. My neighbor has a Skytrack setup in his garage, he is trying to teach his wife and daughter and they have done some damage to things in the garage. I don’t think there are launch monitors that read foam balls very well. At least not two years ago when I was looking. That’s why I ended up with Optishot. My space is pretty tight. A wall right next to the net and my furnace and water heater to left about 10 ft beyond the net. Real ball weren’t an option. It comes with a driving range and 15 courses. There are plenty of good videos on YouTube that show you how to set it up and make it pretty accurate. Golf all year is a good one. I like it more than I thought I would. It is fun and it has helped my game. I improved my handicap by 7 shots since I got the thing. 

[Billfitz]

The only limitation I've found with OptiShot is that with no ball it can't tell if you've hit the ball thin, perfect or fat. Otherwise it does a good job. Where distance is concerned you enter the distance and swing speed that you normally hit with each club, calibrating it to the club you're using. You could use different clubs, but IME that's more bother than it's worth. You also need high ceilings to use longer clubs. I use a wedge.

[sm_watts]

4 minutes ago, Billfitz said:

 You also need high ceilings to use longer clubs.

This will be going in my garage that does not have a finished ceiling, plus my entire family is vertically challenged (at 5'5", I'm the giant), so not a concern!  We will be hitting into a 7'x10' net off a 4'x5' mat that I already have on order through amazon.  And the lighting in our garage is pathetic, so no concerns there even with a fairly cheap projector.

Edited February 11, 2022 by sm_watts

[sm_watts]

1 hour ago, lefthack said:

The R10 is my plan once they are more available and I make room in the garage. 

Looks like they're sold out right now... how long have they been out?  Is there much hope of them coming in before spring?

[sm_watts]

I guess I should clarify, I want something that we can "play" a simulated round of golf with a projector showing a course on the net/screen that we are hitting into.  Being able to use decent foam balls vs. real balls is a plus because I have kids and a wife...

[Sandman-]

Surprised no one has suggested SkyTrak yet, thought that was meant to be good?

[sm_watts]

4 minutes ago, Sandman- said:

Surprised no one has suggested SkyTrak yet, thought that was meant to be good?

They should be good at 4x the price of the Optishot!  I'll be honest, the Optishot is much closer to my budget 🙂

 

[Sandman-]

3 minutes ago, sm_watts said:

They should be good at 4x the price of the Optishot!  I'll be honest, the Optishot is much closer to my budget 🙂

 

Haha fair enough! I'm with the others though on the R10 looking interesting.

[lefthack]

31 minutes ago, sm_watts said:

Looks like they're sold out right now... how long have they been out?  Is there much hope of them coming in before spring?

 

They sell out as soon as restock happens. I figured in a cycle or two there should be some available, but you never know. 

[Springsteennut]

2 hours ago, sm_watts said:

They should be good at 4x the price of the Optishot!  I'll be honest, the Optishot is much closer to my budget 🙂

 

One thing to think about if budget is an issue. Skytrack and similar devices you will have to get a yearly subscription to get courses. Optishot comes with 15 pre loaded courses and you can add new ones for $30 if you want to. If your looking for for a quality foam ball look at “ almost golf balls “. They hold up much better than the regular foam balls for a few dollars more.

[tocino]

i got an optishot as a gift a couple years ago. used it a handful of times but never really got into it so its literally collecting dust in the corner of my garage. I too want a budget garage sim but i wanted something a bit better for the actual launch monitor, was thinking of pulling the trigger on an R10, too but ended up going a wee bit more expensive with a mevo+ when it was on sale back in november =P. I like the fact that it comes with e6 and 5 free courses and that i can run it off of an IOS device instead of springing for an additional gaming laptop plus simulator subscription. It also helps that i have just enough space for it in my garage (need about 8' from mevo to the ball and 8' from ball to screen in short-indoor mode, minimum). I probably would've been better off with a skytrak but again, didn't want to buy a laptop for sim purposes and i like the fact that my wife/kids/friends wouldn't be able to shank one into it and i do have a left handed buddy so there's that. Really, you get what you pay for. I don't think i would've been happy with the optishot in the long run due to how it works.

 

Anyways, good luck with your build! i'm still slowly accumulating pieces myself. Still need to purchase an impact screen, side/ceiling protection, and a short throw projector

[Exactice808]

My quick 2 sense, I am cheap mofo.

 

built a small net with foam balls to practice indoor.  

 

1-1/4" PVC pipe 7'x6' (to fit the net below) (left over pieces

6'x5' 1/2" hole net ($20 on ebay)

12"x24" Hitting mat. (had a long time ago)

$20- Total Above

 

 

built up a full size net,  

 

1-14" PVC Pipes  9'x9'  ($50 worth of piping)

10'x10'ft Net ($25 Amazon special)

ES14 (used Ebay- $300)

 

$375 - Total Above.

 

Stepped up another level

 

Mevo+ (Fathers day sale, $1,800)

6'x9' Canvas Tarp ($18 amazon)

5'x3' Hitting mat - ($50 amazon special)

left over plyboard to build a hitting mat base

Benq MX819st Projector - ($90 Ebay, used lamp didnt work)

Extra projector Lamp -($30)

Impact/projector Screen 64"x64" - (Amazon $42)

Projector mount ($11 used Amazon)

3X 12"x24" Hitting mat cutouts ($30/$10 each)

 

$2,071 Total Above.

 

 

Reaching the Final build

 

New Wooden Frame - ($40 local hardware store)

Frame support -($20 local hardware store)

Full Simulator screen 96"x96" ($211 - Ebay)

Optoma GT1080 Projector ($540 ebay) 

4, 6packs of 1" gym rubber mats($120 amazon)

1 roll artificial grass -12'x8' - ($60 home depot)

Pin Spotight - ($16 Amazon)

Odds and Ends cost ($50)

 

$1,057 Total Above.

 

 

 

After all said and done, after 3 projector/sim rebuilds.

 

$3,523.00  This was over the course of 2 years.  Evolving as I went.

 

This final build is likely the end of it, I would say throw in maybe another $100 for odds and ends stuff.

 

 

But I could have cut 1/3rd of the price if I bought all the good stuff up front, but a 2 years ago I was not sure how committed I was to the build,  But finally some extra money and commitment, I spent the money for a good screen, good projector and good flooring.

 

Just some thoughts

 

 

 

[aramirez24]

16 hours ago, Exactice808 said:

My quick 2 sense, I am cheap mofo.

 

built a small net with foam balls to practice indoor.  

 

1-1/4" PVC pipe 7'x6' (to fit the net below) (left over pieces

6'x5' 1/2" hole net ($20 on ebay)

12"x24" Hitting mat. (had a long time ago)

$20- Total Above

 

 

built up a full size net,  

 

1-14" PVC Pipes  9'x9'  ($50 worth of piping)

10'x10'ft Net ($25 Amazon special)

ES14 (used Ebay- $300)

 

$375 - Total Above.

 

Stepped up another level

 

Mevo+ (Fathers day sale, $1,800)

6'x9' Canvas Tarp ($18 amazon)

5'x3' Hitting mat - ($50 amazon special)

left over plyboard to build a hitting mat base

Benq MX819st Projector - ($90 Ebay, used lamp didnt work)

Extra projector Lamp -($30)

Impact/projector Screen 64"x64" - (Amazon $42)

Projector mount ($11 used Amazon)

3X 12"x24" Hitting mat cutouts ($30/$10 each)

 

$2,071 Total Above.

 

 

Reaching the Final build

 

New Wooden Frame - ($40 local hardware store)

Frame support -($20 local hardware store)

Full Simulator screen 96"x96" ($211 - Ebay)

Optoma GT1080 Projector ($540 ebay) 

4, 6packs of 1" gym rubber mats($120 amazon)

1 roll artificial grass -12'x8' - ($60 home depot)

Pin Spotight - ($16 Amazon)

Odds and Ends cost ($50)

 

$1,057 Total Above.

 

 

 

After all said and done, after 3 projector/sim rebuilds.

 

$3,523.00  This was over the course of 2 years.  Evolving as I went.

 

This final build is likely the end of it, I would say throw in maybe another $100 for odds and ends stuff.

 

 

But I could have cut 1/3rd of the price if I bought all the good stuff up front, but a 2 years ago I was not sure how committed I was to the build,  But finally some extra money and commitment, I spent the money for a good screen, good projector and good flooring.

 

Just some thoughts

 

 

 

This is spot on. I'm about $3k into mine and I absolutely love it. Would be willing to share any suggestions on the mistakes I've made. 

[aramirez24]

I will say that budget and simulator don't go together that well. My list of things to do in here is even longer now that I have an actual set up. 🤣

[Exactice808]

2 minutes ago, aramirez24 said:

This is spot on. I'm about $3k into mine and I absolutely love it. Would be willing to share any suggestions on the mistakes I've made. 

SAME HERE, if someone has some questions specific I can try, I made some mistakes so surely could cut some effort and save some money,  couple of PSA's.....

 

 

1) 1-1/4" PVC doesnt do it, for stability.  @ 9ft the pipes were NOT strong enough to maintain a taught screen it would bow a little.  Switching to 2"x2" lumber did the trick  I also secured it to the wall with braces. 

 

2) projector spec, vs Output device.  I WENT CHEAP, I got the Benq MX819st as super deal and a chance.....  the contrast ration was 13,000 which was not bad, the lumens was 3000 which was great  BUT the resolution was 1028 x 762.  at 4:3 aspect it was OK... but surely pixelated at washed out at the corners.

 

2a) I bucked up a little more and got the Optoma GT1080 (Still cheap)  But, 1920x1080 which was Way better in resolution.  I set it up last night and its full screen now and LOOKS beautiful!

 

 

I will take pictures shortly of the new setup.  I think I have some old ones  let me go dig a bit! 

[Exactice808]

OMG! Digging up some ghetto pics,

 

Foam balls, 6'x5' net with the 1-1/4" PVC and ghetto hitting mat

 

(real balls) 6'x9" setup (vertically)  With the Projector, PVC pipe and the 5'x3' hitting mat on the 3/4plyboard base.

 

 

IN a couple of days I should have the new setup almost done. LOL  it was ghetto!!!!

Edited February 16, 2022 by Exactice808

[sm_watts]

35 minutes ago, Exactice808 said:

 

 

There is NO WAY I trust my swing enough to hit real balls into that net in my garage!!!😂🤣

[Exactice808]

Just now, sm_watts said:

There is NO WAY I trust my swing enough to hit real balls into that net in my garage!!!😂🤣

Trust me took about 2 months of confidence building.  BTW, do you see that cardboard box middle far right of the screen next to the net.....yeah there are a couple.........ok.... a lot of ball imprints on that box LOL!  I have an additional net there as well to protect the wall to the far right.. but yeah it took a while 

[sm_watts]

I envy the space you guys have... I have a small-ish 2 car garage out here in Wyoming, which means my wife wants 1/2 for the mini-van during the winter, plus the table saw, drill press, smoker, motorcycle, & snow blower.  I'm still trying to figure out if this is humanly possible!

[rlefig]

My one car garage is only 12x18 and it is the process of being redone to accommodate a simulator. I already have the Garmin R10 and used it outside last fall but want something permanent

[Springsteennut]

Just promise your wife the minivan will always be warmed up before she used it. A remote starter should do the trick and that you will always clean the snow off it for her. You really really promise. Really 

[Simpsonia]

Simulators don't have to be permanent with enclosures either. I've got an 18x18 detached garage in urban Chicago, which we use for our one car, because we're definitely not parking on the street. But I can move the car out, and get the simulator setup within 6-10 minutes whenever I want.

 

I made a DIY version of the SportsScreen so I can roll it up whenever not in use. Just used some 1" EMT, a couple connectors and then this guy to act as the worm drive roller clutch (https://shop.coolaroousa.com/roller-shade-parts/cordless-crank-kit-ceiling-brown-z-13-ckcbr). $200 for a high quality impact screen from the GS forums direct from the factory thread, $40 in roller clutch and other parts to mount to my garage ceiling, and I have a great screen I can project onto that I can deploy or roll up in less than a minute. The rest is just rolling out some astroturf to cover the cement, move my hitting mat and setting up the Garmin R10 and laptop to the projector.

 

Hit me up if you want to know anymore about how I set mine up. 

[denglishdoc]

i had an optishot for 3-4 years. i would say its like a golf arcade game. its fun has a high handicap but as i got better it got a lot less fun. pros its cheap. if you dont take it serious its fine. pretty good for fixing swing path. almost any computer will run the software as it doesn't require a big graphics card. cons no ball data = not accurate at all for anything less than a perfect strike, ie thin/fat etc.

 

i bought a used skytrak with The Golf Club software and love it. its not perfect but gives full simulation with putting. $99 a year subscription is less than 2 rounds of golf and allows me and friends to swing a club for 5+ months of winter. 

[Exactice808]

For my own records,  But here is Generation 3/Version 3 LOL,  as mentioned in my prior Post,

 

85% complete

Wooden Frame, the new Projector, the new flooring, Got the Pinspot light installed.

 

Just waiting on the remainder floor tiles, the full impact screen.  I am researching a black border frame....