There has been some interest in simulators lately so I thought it would be good to have a dedicated thread so people can find this info in the future.

Recently I started putting one together. Here's a list of what I bought:

Skytrak with protective case, $1100, bought it used from a friend of mine. I think they're like $2400-$2500 new.

SkyTrak Game Improvement Plan (1 year), $99.95, need this software subscription so save setting and connect other software to the Skytrak


TruGolf E6 Connect Expand - Annual (PC/iOS), $600, gives me 90+ courses including Pinehurst #2, Bandon, Bayhill, etc. I think the perpetual license was $2500, but I decided to do the annual because I didn't want to spend that much and I may or not switch software in the next 5 years. Could have bought the Basic version for $300/yr, but I wanted to additional courses. I also considered TGC 2019. It's cheaper, but I read some stuff that the company that makes TGC 2019 has other priorities and rarely makes updates. E6 is focused on golf simulator software and has 6-7 updates per year.

Hitting mat, $149.99, I like this because it's 5'x4'. But I've noticed I'm already wearing footprints in it. Not sure how long it's going to hold up.

Indoor tees, $18.99

Ball tray, $29.99

BenQ TH671ST 1080p Short Throw Gaming Projector, $806.77 Got it on sale. Reading a lot of golf simulator forums and websites it seemed to be high quality and popular. I also looked at 4K projectors, but those are crazy expensive and I was concerned it might drive me to spend even more on computer hardware.

Ceiling mount for projector, $14.99

Dell G15 Gaming Laptop, Just using my current laptop for now. Eventually, I'd like to get a dedicated computer for the sim because bringing in the basement every time I want to hit is a pain. But it's not a big enough pain that I want to buy another gaming laptop right now. Read up on the requirements for SkyTrak and E6, you want to make sure you have a decent GPU.

144" x 105" screen and frame, $699, A friend of mine turned me on to these folks from Ebay. They provide the screen and the pipe fittings and other associated hardware. Then you have to buy 3/4" x 10' long metal pipes and some PVC pipes on your own. Their instructions sucked pretty bad...... I also failed to notice that I had an i-beam that limited me to 120" wide, so I kind of wrapped the screen around the side and made some other modifications to get it to fit. Eventually I might figure out how to notch it and expand to the width to 12'.

Pipes, fittings, hacksaw, mitre box, and misc stuff from Home Depot, $308

3/4" foam gym matting, $453 This will go between the concrete floor and the putting carpet, building it up just enough that I can cut some shallow cups in it for putting.

4x 1" deep cups, $46

15'x16' TFD Putting Elite Turf, $673

Right now I have most of the rubber flooring in, need to put down the rest and figure out how to get the putting turf into the basement. The roll is 15' long and weighs 240 pounds. I'm doing to try to get it down one of the window wells. The screen is all set up and I have the projector installed, have been hitting in it for a couple of weeks so far and it works great. I can post more photos of how it looks so far tomorrow.

This is not my normal ball speed, but the accuracy is pretty typical:

Solid deal on the Skytrak, I haven't seen one for less than $1700 yet. Looks like there is some chatter about a new model coming, hopefully that drops the price on used. Actually of all the components the one that's probably going to be the most inflated is the graphics card since I don't have a gaming PC. Could push me to look at a different system but doing some research yesterday Skytrak seems to be the best option in the <5k range.

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i don't know if your mat has holes in it like a typical driving range mat, but i have a few of these for teeing the ball with a 'normal' tee and they work well.
tee holder

It does, and I have some of those. The problem is I break tees a lot using it, and I would need to move the SkyTrak to hit irons, which is a pain if I'm playing a round and not just doing the driving range.

Bookmarked

CFW with the disguised barg post of benching 3 wheels

Need to find a spot for this. My basement doesn't have the clearance and garage is like a 1.5 car garage only.

Like to figure this out. We have a nice setup at my club but this would be so much better

First rough draft of what I need with estimated cost:
Skytrak & GIP, $1800 used
Mat $300 - looking at Fiberbuilt and CCC
Impact screen, netting and frame $750+ - multiple options to review
Cheap ass projector (for now) $100
Carpet remnants, hopefully $0 or close to it
Miscellanous $500

So ~ $3,500. Not going to worry about putting stuff or sim software just yet, will basically run the stock range software off my phone. Sim would be in the next round of improvements but definitely planned.

Seems to be a pretty common issue. Seeing a decent number of people doing garage builds that slide/retract/lift out of the way when not in use.

I don't have that many plates, I think that was 155#.

I guess I have no need for a simulator in Florida but it still would be cool to have one. I could fit it in my family room with the vaulted ceilings.

I grew up in Florida, it could come in handy in August, or when it's pouring

Subbed.

I wouldn't be able to do something like this in my current house but if we moved, I would almost certainly prioritize a lot size that would allow me to build a garage or add-on of some sort. Essentially something big enough for a sim and a workout area.

So is the idea that you use the putting turf for playing a true sim round, so you can putt the ball off the driving mat and into the screen? For putting does the tracking monitor just sit beside the tee box?

guys I'm thinking about making a place to hit balls during winter.

Do You have any recommendations about mats?

havent found any info about it on the forum, just some here. That fiberbuilt is not available in EU.
Is it worth to invest in something like TrueStrike ?
what else is worth looking at ?

I ended up getting this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1. It's held up well over the past year or so, but I have no idea if its available in EU.