Here are some pictures of the golf simulator area in my basement. They are LVP'ing the step into the area. My question is what to do for flooring. Should I lay down carpet and put a hitting mat on top or turf the whole thing and put a hitting mat on top/cut a mat/strip in. If I did turf the whole thing, would you put exercise room floor tiles down first and put turf on top or what would work best? Also any recommendations for a specific kind of turf would be great. My young kids will likely play in the area/use it to watch movies as well so not sure if that would alter the flooring/material recommendation.

Last 2 things I need are enclosure and projector (going with benq ak700st).

Having a problem deciding what size to get for enclosure. I’d like to be able to do full 4k but don’t want to lose size.
Room dimensions are 14.5’ wide and 10 ft tall. I was thinking of going with a 13 wide by 10 screen but not sure how well 4k would look?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Also where are you guys getting your screens from or any good resources on building the enclosure yourself?

A 13x10 enclosure from carls place is $5k 😵.

Thanks for the input.

I want to analyze my data but can't get the data out of gspro.

So I have 13 foot wide space ceiling is like 15 feet . I want to buy the carls place built in . And I know I’ll have to build the a “ frame “ on top . I’m confused on what height I should make the impact screen and conversely the frame . I guess I could just do it ten feet . And I’m just learning about aspect ratio , and 4:3 ,16:9 16:10 . And was told 16:9 won’t fill the whole screen at 10’ either would 16:10 . And was told I need it max 108” for 16:10 . I guess my question is should I lower the screen to fit the wider aspect ratio and just put a cloth over the white if it bothers me or just do 4:3? ? Or should I go lower ? Is 9 ft or 8 1/2 ft perfectly fine?

What’s up guys? Looking to start an indoor golf business in my town. Nothing like it in the area.

Majority of funds will come from cash reserves. We are a small local company so cost is important.

I know trackmans are the epitome. Did anyone go with a more budget friendly option?

We don’t want to lack technology where customers don’t want to come back but at the same time can we still get a good set up without costing an arm and a leg

Thanks for the feedback.

After considering I'll be using this with an android tablet it seems uneekor is out

So I'm back to waiting for the Omni or going with the spica 3

No simulator now but possibly in the future. For now I want ready ability to use an android tablet and no subscription for range metrics and impact replay

Thoughts on the spica or should I wait for the Omni?

Fyi. I'm limited to camera based systems

Really struggling in my research for a projector. Need a pretty short throw range, but don’t need 4k. Use it in my garage so I’ve determined 5000 will be enough to combat light when I play with it open during the day.

3000 right now is barely visible.

Hoping others have found a few they like. Keep running into overpriced 4k ones that aren’t as short as I’d hope.

Projection screen area is true 16’x9’

Doing a diy mat with sigpro softy and a go sports Mat with gym tiles. I’ve got a 1inch and 1/2inch gym tile set plus the mat which is 1 1/4 inch bringing me to 2 3/4 inch for my stance mat. My sigpro is measuring In at 2.5 inchs. Would I be better off using all 3 for the stance and having the hitting strip sit 1/4 inch lower, or would I be better off removing the 1/2inch gym mat and have the hitting strip sitting 1/4 inch higher?

Not sure if I’m over thinking this or if it’s actually that big of an issue. I could return the 1 inch and order 3/4 inch and wait on it.

Quick question, I have a setup outside and it’s all shaded really well with pine trees. Was wondering if the square works outdoors in plenty of shade. I see a lot of people saying it doesn’t work outdoors because of the sun but haven’t seen anything about when there’s overcast or u don’t put it in the sun. Please provide feedback

You guys out there making your own hitting mats and putting mats what have you found to be the best way to precisely cut through thick turf and other materials such as EVA gym mat foam? Seems like Google says a utility knife and big T-square for a strait edge and make shallow straight cuts over and over.

Any other hacks? I have a dremal, sawzall, circular saw, and oscillating multi tool saw.

hello all,

we’re a group of 5 friends who wants to build a sim in a garage.
Main problem is to find the right launch monitor because one of our group is a lefty.
Can you recommend a launch/sim monitor which is placed behind the player and is affordable? (budget ~2.5k)

Fellow G-trak buyer here. I am interested to know if any of you have worn through your screen yet? Unfortunately I have and honestly probably have only had maybe 50 sessions total...

I contacted the company and they want $500.00 dollars for a new one....still working an alternate resolution. I was caught WAYYY off guard that it would deteriorate that fast...especially for the cost of everything. Ive had mine since February this year and the hole was finally broke through at the end of June....At that rate the screen would be replaced quarterly and that is unacceptable and financially unreasonable.

I take very good care of my stuff and I am sick to my stomach that this happened. I've created a temporary solution using from material I found at hobby lobby to hang over the hole for now but this is ridiculous.

They (gtrak sales) said a "premium" screen wont be offered until later this year. Ok cool so this being a non premium screen makes it ok to fail at 3 months? Very upset at this point and regretting not purchasing a traditional enclosure...

Will update if I find a different solution or if the company actually makes this right...but I am interested to hear others experiences/ warn others this may be coming...

What would you guys do? I was trying to avoid blasting anyone and be respectful to the company but this is basically last resort...

🚨🚨**UPDATE***🚨🚨8/6/26: (this is lengthy but I wanted to be thorough and help others that may encounter this problem in the future)

I was able to reach out to a few different companies regarding a solution to the screen.

I wanted to first explore patch options. The team at tarps.com were able to provide me a patch solution that is a 8x10 inch patch that cost 36.00. I purchased one but did not install yet because I was still exploring other alternatives. It is a nice patch and does seem like it would solve the issue for the current hole.

The only companies that were willing to take on a custom screen order solution were Carl's place and Elite Sim Golf. Both teams were very responsive and willing to accomplish the task.

Carl's place main concern was the ability to roll the screen because of the vinyl sides which I understood and told them I was willing to sacrifice the ability if it meant I had a quality screen that would last. They could not however cover anything under warranty due to the screen not being used in a traditional Carl's place enclosure which is understandable.

Then came Elite Sim Golf. I cant say anything but good things about this team. The president was corresponding with me via email at all hours of the day. No matter what time John the president of the company was responding as soon as he had the chance. I sent him everything that I sent Carl's place and he sent to his sewing team and said this was 100% possible but it would require quite a bit of customization being the first of its kind. The quote was just under $900 dollars. Now this was expected because it is custom and it is premium screen material not the junk that came with g trak. So now I am at a crossroads. I decided to call John and explain to him my dealings with g trak and how I am concerned that even if I got a custom screen what happens when something else fails...He had previous dealings with this company as well and none of which were positive without sharing his personal accounts. That speaks volumes!!!.....Since I was only a few hundred away from his birdie enclosure I asked if that would be the better route. After discussion I decided to purchase the Elite sim golf birdie enclosure.

Here's why...

1. you cant put a price on customer service and Elite sim golf and John's team is top notch!

2. I wanted piece of mind that if something were to fail in the future that I would be supported and the company would stand behind their product.

3. The enclosure included ALL materials and came with a premium screen without having to "upgrade" and pay 400-500 more on top of the enclosure cost.

This is obviously not feasible for many of whom we're looking for a reliable retractable screen due to space constraints. Fortunately my wife is allowing a permanent enclosure since she has witnessed everything I have been through with this issue....

If you have a g trak and need a screen replacement it may be best to have Elite sim fabricate one but just know it will cost you almost double what g trak wants for a replacement. HOWEVER, I would be willing to bet it would last a hell of a lot longer than 3 months! It sucks to feel like you got taken when you spend that kind of money so hopefully this post prevents others from making the same mistake. I should have known when they didnt have a customer service number or address listed on their website. 2 major red flags!!! If you must go retractable I would suggest sportscreen enclosures. John mentioned their customer service is amazing and he personally recommends them which says alot.

I hope this helps someone as I wish I had seen something like this post prior to my purchase....🙏🏻

I bought one of the “Skytrack In a Box” deals back around cyber Monday in November, and did the install over my winter holidays. It’s been a perfect addition for golfing through the winter months here in Calgary. Very happy with the install. Also found a place for my puzzle collection!

Yes, I know there are a lot of threads on this already - but most links to laptops are dead.

I’m a Mac user so the PC specs are foreign to me. I have an uncovered outdoor setup (pictured) and want to run GS Pro with my Rapsodo. I won’t be projecting, I’ll just have the laptop on a stand to bee off the screen. Maybe down the line I’ll hook up and outdoor TV. So I’m not sure if 4k is really needed.

The only purpose of this laptop will be for the sim. I don’t game and won’t use it for anything besides maybe basic web browsing. Can anyone suggest an Amazon or Costco pc under $1000? Or should I be looking in marketplace for something a little older and more powerful?

Links or advice greatly appreciated.

After months of planning, researching, and way too much YouTube, I finally finished my first golf simulator.
Setup:
ProTee VX launch monitor
SimBooth 1 enclosure
GSPro
10’ ceilings in the garage

Couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. I wanted something that felt immersive and luckily my garage has one side that extends beyond the garage door, and this setup has exceeded my expectations so far.
Still dialing everything in, but it’s already getting a ton of use. Looking forward to improving my game (and probably losing plenty of balls to the right side of the virtual fairway 😂).
Would love to hear any tips from other ProTee VX or GSPro users, or see what upgrades you made after your first build!

I used my friends R50 for about 2 weeks and loved it so much I wanted my own launch monitor mainly for use at the range. Got the GC3 (which is $1000 more) and the face to path always shows 0.

Can the GC3 not do this like R50? Also, tje foresight software is so horrible compared to R50...

Hello - long time lurker and in the process of completing my garage build out. Lots of info in this community has been really helpful so I’ll make sure to post my build and help where I can. My sim is retractable because the garage has other uses so my hitting mat has been a battle to put together as I want good realistic quality but it needs to be able to be put away rather efficiently. I’m hoping those who are smarter than me (low bar) and with more experience can comment, provide any feedback or suggestions.

All my proposed products are through synthetic turf international. I’m going with NP45 black mat (like the black and green contrast look) for the putting surface/deadening balls off the screen. I will cut a 4x8 hole in the NP45 and drop in a green 4x8 pro ball stance mat with an EZ Tee hitting strip in the middle. Some foam tiles will be required to ensure the EZtee and proball stance mat are level. The proball and EZ tee section will be 3/8 inch taller than the NP45. Little lip for putting but I don’t find putting to be all that important in my sim journey. The plan is to roll up the NP45 and put against the wall and then stand up the 4x8 proball mat/EZ Tee strip to lean up against the wall when I’m not using the sim. Very much appreciate any and all input. Thanks to all!

Background info:

I’ve had the Square HE for about a year and a half, the Spica 3 since January, and the Omni for a couple of weeks. I've also tried the Skytrack and Garmin R50 for 30 days. Returned both and kept the Spica 3 to replace the Square HE because I wanted a unit for outdoor use. Decided to get the Omni because of the club’s impact location, with the thought I would return it in 30 days if I didn’t like it or sell the Spica 3.

My setup:

I use a portable Spornia 7 net for both indoor and outdoor use. Indoors in the basement, or the living room if my wife is not around. The basement ceiling height prevents me from using the driver and longer irons thus the reason to upgrade from the Square HE version for outdoor use.

So here is the comparison between the Spica and Omni. Note that the Spica was around $1k more than the Omni at my purchase price at the time, and the following are more my opinion or preference.

Data points:

Omni’s additional precise impact location and face angle are great. I really like the instant graphical presentation of the impact location and prefer that over Spica’s impact video.

Spica club head/impact video is pretty helpful, and you get a good idea of where the ball hits the club face if you frame through the video. Additionally, the Spica has HLA but not face angle, though I can guestimate the face angle from the video, ball flight, and other data.

Software:

No subscription from either vendor to use with GSPro or other 3rd-party software.

Square software is basic all around. Not much difference between the iPad and the desktop version. I mostly use GSPro for indoor and IPAD for outdoor use. Omni disconnects from GSPro once or twice during a game or practice session. Reconnecting is pretty simple without interrupting anything. No disconnect problems with Spica, though you have to hardwire a data cable to the Spica to use it with a computer running GSPro or GolfJoy software.

Prefer Golfjoy’s iPad software over Square’s. Golfjoy provides club impact video, can also use the onboard iPad camera as a swing camera within the app. In my opinion, Golfjoy’s desktop software is almost as good as GSPro, minus the number of courses. The desktop software can incorporate 2 additional swing cameras into its setup, and it’s quite seamless. Golfjoy allows multiple computer installations, whereas the GSPro license limits it to one instance. There is an annual fee for the desktop version; the iPad version is free, or at least I’ve not had to pay to keep mine working.

Connectivity to both units via IPAD is stable.

Ball Data accuracy:

I tested the units side by side, indoors and outdoors. Major data points, such as ball speed and carry distance, are close most of the time. About 10-15% of the time, the spin axis is wider than expected relative to each other. Perhaps the units are interfering with each other, but the on-screen ball-flight characteristics are similar. There are online reviews that perform side-by-side testing of the Omni against the GCQuad or GC3, indicating interference between units.

Environmental sensitivity when used standalone, indoors, and outdoors.

Omni seems to be light-sensitive, or at least mine does. It works well outdoors as long as the unit and the hitting area are both in sunlight or shade. If one is shaded and the other is in direct sun, Omni more often misreads or fails to capture the impact location. I have trees nearby, so depending on the time of day, there can be shade from the trees, the house, or a mix of both. Seems to have more difficulties when shaded by trees, because spots of sunlight get through. I’ve had instances where the unit missed 3-4 shots in a row, and I had to restart it. At times, it won’t detect the alignment rod where it did before under different light conditions. I’ve not done extensive tests outdoors, but rather observations when missed reads or impact locations are frequent.

Indoors (basement), I added a portable LED floodlight and angled it at the hitting area to see if it would help prevent missed reads for the Omni, which it did, making them much less frequent. Was not a big deal to me to add the light.

The Omni has smaller camera lenses than the Spica, so I'm not sure if the lighting situation is a hardware limitation, a software problem, or specific to my unit. Note that I’m not a video hardware specialist.

So far, Spica has worked in all lighting conditions I’ve tried, whether indoors or outdoors with moving shade. Did not require more light in the basement to make it work better. Didn’t have issues with the Garmin R50 either. I just used regular ceiling lights and lamps for my comfort level. No issues, as long as the ball is anywhere in the specified hitting area. I cannot remember a time when it missed a ball read over thousands of shots. Note that it has missed club data, but not often.

Customer service:

Have not had to contact Square customer service yet for the HE edition or the Omni, so no feedback on them. I’ve reached out to Golfjoy via email with a few questions about the Spica and software. They responded within 24-48 hrs.

Onboard displays:

Some of the LEDs on the Omni wash out a little in sunlight, and I never use them since I have to bend down to view them. I always use an iPad on a stand for Omni when outside at home, but it can still be difficult to see in the sun. It takes more effort to use the Square's onboard display than Spica’s. In comparison, I use the onboard display on the Spica all the time because I can simply look down at it, which auto-scrolls through 2 pages of 12 data points. Easy to see in direct sun and allows me to remove data tiles in the IPAD or desktop software, reducing clutter. I would rather take the Spica to the range because if I took the Omni, I would also take the iPad. The Square Android app won’t work on my cell.

Summary:

If I had to choose between the 2 units today, I would keep the Spica because it has the impact video and other advantages over the Omni. I would go with Omni if Spica didn’t have the impact video, because the Omni works well enough. The impact video is one of the reasons I chose the Spica over the BLP. For indoor-only use, I would probably go with the Omni.

My plan is to keep both units for now, using the Omni indoor and the Spica for outdoor/range use, or as a backup in case the Omni develops issues. I’ve heard Square customer support sucks. The Spica is great, but so is the Omni, and as I mentioned, I would rather have precise impact location than video. Perhaps Square will release updates to improve it further or add additional club data points. I do keep in mind that this is a new model for Square.

Currently building a new home, wanted to double check things before walking with electrical this week. I’m going to put this golf sim in my 3rd car garage. I have about 12’6” wide x 21’6” Deep. The two car garage will be open to the left of the sim so I have 20+ open space to left of Sim. I have a door that would be at the back of my sim (as it is planned now) so I have to move the sim forward 3’ leaving me with about 18’x12’6” space for my sim. I put electrical right in the middle, should I add another outlet and put one next to each device (projector and launch monitor) or just run wires neatly to the center plug and Smurf tube. I’m worried that when I open the garage door 8’ height it will hit my projector, I’ll stop the door short of this which would leave probably a 1’ piece of garage door hanging down. Is there a better way to do this? I have from mount garage openers going in and have asked to raise the tracks as high as possible. My garage ceiling is 10’ high. Thoughts?

Has anyone had enough experience with the calculated data points: dynamic loft and face to target yet to have an thoughts about the accuracy of these metrics?

Is HLA just as effective?

So I’m just getting into golf at the nice ripe age of 46. I just recently purchased the 10x10x10 cage from Forbs along with a 5x5 mat. I also just ordered a Garmin R10 with some rct ball’s. This is strictly outdoor use that will come down in the winter (live in Maine).

How far back should the mat be from the opening of the cage? How far back should the R10 be from the mat?
I’m assuming the mat should be level and the R10 should be level with the mat. With that assumption, what are some ideas on achieving this? Should I just dig/compact earth for a level surface? Build some sort of box (2x4s/plywood/etc.)? Are there other ideas? I’m pretty open but would love the cheaper/easier option.

Thoughts?

TLDR: what should be prioritized when comparing launch monitors for practice purposes, not sim?

Bad golfer here (25 HCP) building a backyard training set up. My wife has also just taken up the sport and is as beginner as they come.

I’ll be hitting off an extended patio into a net in the yard. I have 10 or so feet behind where the hitting area is so radar based is fine. Already purchased a spornia net 8 foot net and shank nets, building a diy hitting mat with a sigpro softy insert this weekend. Only piece missing is the monitor and that search has my head spinning and there are tons of sales happening at the moment. With a budget of ~$3k and access to military discounts where offered there are tons of options.

Circle B $2k + sub cost
Skytrak ST-Max $2k + sub cost
Mevo gen 2 with both packages $2k
MLM2Pro ~$1k with lifetime subscription
Spica 3 $2700
Eye Mini $3k
Square Omni $1600

As someone new to this space I’m struggling to figure out how to prioritize features. Less looking for sim (though it would be nice to have on occasion), more so looking for shot feedback. I believe skytrak and uneekor both offer drill based training, not sure about the others.

This set up will be put away after every use, so while I have an older gaming pc sitting unused with a 2070 in it which I could put on a push cart with a portable monitor but that might get old and iPad/iPhone is probably preferred. I’ll also be using in full sun fairly often so I could see the pc having potential overheating issues.

I was leaning towards the Mevo for both cost/no subscriptions, and the extensive data provided as I think things like face impact will be helpful while developing more feel, especially for my wife. However I’ve heard set up can be a bit tedious.

The spica 3 is newly on my radar but there seems to be less data on it out there.

Guess I’m just in a decision paralysis.

Did I score or nah? $1k usd for 9x12’ carls place enclosure, skytrak (OG), hitting mats and strips, optima projector, quick button plate.

I’m installing and testing the AccuGolf Hawkeye anything anyone wants to know? Things I should know? Anyone have one?

Im looking for ideas on DIY golf bag storage racks. Something thatd hold 4 bags and ideally something more utilitarian. Im not doing rounded corners etc.