Setting up a home simulator for golf

My home club is thinking about options for this moving forward, starting small but then the possibility of going larger, I've done some research on simulators, nets, etc. But any advice on items or suppliers would be great.

I’ve done a fair amount of research and just set up mine. Depends on budget. My only advice is to not skimp on the LM.
 
I just put a Skytrack setup in my garage last month.

Posted here:
https://www.thehackersparadise.com/forum/showthread.php/111602-My-Skytrak-simulator-build-has-begun

One of the best choices I have made.

I practice 100+ shots a night. I have improved greatly and the SkyTrak is pretty darn accurate. I take lessons about once a week, and when I hit in the sim at GG, the results are very close to what SkyTrak shows, so I am confident in what I am seeing.

I put in a 10x10x10 cage. The one thing I didn't think about enough is, in a 10x10x10 cage, I am really hitting in a 5' wide area. I thought I could put the hitting mat in the middle of the cage, but no way. Put it there and you are hitting the vertical post behind you with every club. My hitting area is more like 7' from the post behind me, so I am in the right 3' of my cage when hitting. NBD, but something to be aware of.

I would do it again in a minute, but I would make the cage wider.
 
How loud is hitting the ball indoors? Can your whole house hear it?
 
I've done some of the homework, but don't have a good space to set anything up at the moment.

I'll definitely be going the Skytrak route when I have the room.

Same here. Requisite ceiling height will be a requirement next time I move.
 
I've been obsessing over this ever since it got cold here in NJ! I dream of having something in my home but the only room with vaulted ceilings is the living room and turning it in to a golf sim won't be happening while Mrs Jints is around. I'm to the point where I am in research mode on building a he-shed big enough to accommodate a sim, haha. Anyhow, I have done a ton a research as well and as others have said it seems for the money that Skytrack is the way to go if you can live without club head data. The cost is dramatically more if the club-head data is an absolute must as then you are talking GCQuad, Trackman, etc.. Even though I don't have the space for a sim I am still rooting for Skytrack to add a sort of HMT add-on like Foresight did with the GC2, only more (much more) affordable.
 
Really wish I had room for one of these. I feel like adding an extension outside my sliding glass door in the basement just for this purpose. I doubt Mrs Nut would fall for it though.
 
How loud is hitting the ball indoors? Can your whole house hear it?
For me, I haven't had that problem but the garage is on the side of the house below the master & master bathroom. My youngest daughter's room is the closest and it has never woken her up and I normally hit once the kids are in bed. If I had this installed in a living room it might be different but the garage setup is working well.
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I assume the net to the right is for a possible el-shanko?
 
I assume the net to the right is for a possible el-shanko?
That is the exact reason it is there.. Lol. To protect that window!!

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That is the exact reason it is there.. Lol. To protect that window!!

No doubt!

Man if I wasn't in the middle of building a car I would have one of these STAT!
 
I set up a home simulator using an Optishot 2, it seems to be accurate if you take the time to set up everything correctly, including led lighting, tape your clubs and calibrate your clubs. I have played hundreds of rounds. Courses are very cheap compared to other systems, actually just got the champions tour lifetime package for $199. Has about 45 courses and allows entry into all tournaments. I will add pics when I figure out how to do it(sorry, this is my first post on this forum).
 

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I was going to build one when we moved last year but my new club that is 10 minutes from home has 2 indoor simulators that I have unlimited use of for $400 per year. My daughter and I have been there the lat 3 days and they are plenty to get we through the winter.
 
I set up a home simulator using an Optishot 2, it seems to be accurate if you take the time to set up everything correctly, including led lighting, tape your clubs and calibrate your clubs. I have played hundreds of rounds. Courses are very cheap compared to other systems, actually just got the champions tour lifetime package for $199. Has about 45 courses and allows entry into all tournaments. I will add pics when I figure out how to do it(sorry, this is my first post on this forum).

I love my Optishot. You can absolutely adjust individual club settings to get to pretty accurate distances. But if you're expecting it to be a simulator, that's going to be essential because out of the box, it is not accurate. Since it's not measuring ball speed like most simulators, instead relying on club speed and angle, you have to adjust every club for distances you would normally get with a solid swing. I am not 100% sure how accurate the club head speed and other readings are on the Optishot (since I don't have a good handle on my actual speeds). I can tell you that it is VERY accurate in terms of open/closed face and that's the key to it's general accuracy on where your ball ends up. If you are hitting irons with an open face, you're going to see the ball travel accordingly. And as you work on closing it up, you'll absolutely see the results on the screen. If you struggle with not squaring the clubface, this is a great tool to fix that.

I love mine although I'll confess I use it more as a game than a simulator. Buying a 3rd party mat for it is a must. I made mine and it came out great.
 
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