Choosing The Right Golf Simulator In The UK
Golfers of all ages and abilities need not worry about missing out on golfing practise during lockdown. There are many indoor golf simulators available in the UK to choose from, and you are bound to find one to suit your budget and available space.
There are a number of things you need to consider when picking your ideal set up. Golf simulators, although for home use, are often aimed at businesses as well, as they make a great addition to golf establishments, corporate buildings and leisure facilities..
Whether your club is shut because of the lockdown, or you always wanted to perfect your swing but kept finding excuses not to, a home golf simulator can be a sensible investment for your money and time. You will need to make sure you have a budget as they can be costly, but once you have worked out the features you need, you will know roughly how much your chosen system will cost.
Whether you’re planning for the new golf simulator for your home to be housed in your garage, a shed, its own room or be brought out on demand, there will be a suitable system for you. From a simple screen and driving mat set up to a dedicated monitor with entire courses at your disposal, what you choose depends on the available space and your budget. You could go for one of the home golf simulators that simply makes practicing your swing fun, or something a lot more serious that the PGA pros use.
Golf Simulators Height
The available height in a room or space is probably the first thing you need to take into consideration for your indoor golf simulator in the UK. A golf swing should ideally have space to swing, after all. The best swings are perfected with a clearance of around three metres, so a shed, garage or any room with a high Victorian ceiling would be preferable. The general recommendations are 9.5 to 10 ft (2.8 to 3 metres clearance). You also have to factor in the projector mounting. It’s better if your projector is mounted straight down from the ceiling. This minimises the shadow on the screen and means the image is square on the screen, which helps develop your style. This does mean the system will not be portable though.
Golf Simulators Width
Likewise, you will need to take the width of the space into account. The best width is around 9 ft (2.7 metres wide) so you’re looking at a square space, more or less, for your new driving mat or indoor golf simulator.
Golf Simulators Depth (length of room or space)
Your space should be a minimum of 16 ft long (4.5 metres). Converted garages make ideal golf simulator enclosures, as long as you have somewhere else to park your car, of course. You will also need to ensure you have enough space for the screen, which has to be around a foot (30cm) from the back wall.
Where do I tee up?
Your tee should ideally be a minimum of 8 ft (2.5 metres) from your screen. Some of the systems use radar which only recognises a shot when there is a distance of at least 5 metres between the simulator’s sensor and the screen, so you should bear this in mind when choosing the best system for you.
What is a golf enclosure?
In bigger areas you will often see golf simulator enclosures in use. These are framed structures with a roof, sides and back wall, which will keep your practice in its own space and minimise the risk of broken fixtures, fittings or other damage.
How do I choose an indoor golf simulator system in the UK?
There are many different golf simulator systems available and the choice simply comes down to personal preference. The projector should be suitable for the space in which it will be used, offering sufficient brightness, adequate size of image and fitting into the right position in the room to give you a clear picture that’s wide enough for you to tee up accurately.
Projectors have three ratios, 4:3, 16:9 and 16:10. Any screen not in those ratios will have gaps around the projection (think letterbox style film projections). However, most projectors, when hung from the ceiling, are capable of producing a 4:3 ratio image which will fill a 13½ ft x 10 ft screen. In addition, the ceiling mounting works with a golf enclosure too.
Technology
Of course, these golf simulators for home use come with all kinds of connectivity and inbuilt technology. Some of the simulator systems, like the Skytrak Launch, connect to your tablet and display your shot’s vital statistics – launch and flight data – as soon as you’ve hit the ball. The Skytrak system is easy-to-use and portable as well, allowing you to use it at home, or when it’s open again, at your golf club. Others are designed for more advanced players and are the kind of set up you might find in golf clubs or pros’ practice areas.
The Trackman 4 system uses radar technology to recognise the trajectory of your shot, as long as it is more than 5 metres from the screen. FlightScope’s technology wants you to give it 7 metres of room. The system that you choose should make the most of the space you have available, whether that is a room, garage, shed or barn.
Golf Simulators Features
Each manufacturer has a slightly different way of designing their home golf simulators, so you could go for one which is entirely portable, one which offers a floor installation rather than an overhead frame or one which has the course designs you like the best. The way the shot is tracked varies between designs too, as do the training packages on offer, the camera quality and the availability of a multiplayer option. It depends how you want to use the golf simulator and how many extras you need or can afford. FlightScope tends to be aimed at beginners, while ProTee gives free remote installation support and free software product lifetime updates, with a price to match.
Quality
Of course quality will play a part in the cost of the product too. The camera, tracking software, driving mat and analytics will all be part of the cost, and if you are after a good quality example of any of these, you will have to factor that into your budget.