indoor golf simulators?

[4thand11]

So with the cold weather dragging on here in the northeast I was actually thinking of trying one of the local simulator places to at least play a "virtual" round.

 

Has anyone ever played on one of these? Just wondering how closely it approximates actual golf. Does the ball generally go the distance/direction you would expect it to based on the feel at contact?

 

It's rather pricey around here (like $45 an hour) so just wondering if anyone has played these type of machines.

[Kave in80]

My father-in-law has an older FullSwingGolf simulator out in his garage. Thing is probably 15 years old but it seems to be fairly accurate. I'm sure that the course graphics are much better on up to date machines, his graphics leave a lot to be desired. The only realy complaint I ever have with the thing is putting accuracy. I like playing a round on the thing with him or the brothers in law. You aren't ever going to get it confused with being on the course but it's definitely a good way to get some practice in and keep the rust away.

[dlygrisse]

If they are calibrated right I think your results are pretty similar to real life. The big difference is you are always hitting off of a flat/perfect lie. They are good fun if you are "jones-ing" to play, but certainly not a substitute for the real thing. The cost may seem expensive but when you consider how much these things cost (upwards of 50K in some cases) for a quality machine plus the overhead on the space you can see why they charge that much.

I have some personal experience running and operating these machines and am speaking from first hand knowledge.

[wetdogsmell]

Here is a thread discussing aboutGolf PGA simulators: http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/780087-aboutgolf-pga-tour-simulator/

I have been relying on these a couple of times a month to get me through winter

[dmalli]

[quote name='wetdogsmell' timestamp='1360949447' post='6434653']
Here is a thread discussing aboutGolf PGA simulators: [url="http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/780087-aboutgolf-pga-tour-simulator/"]http://www.golfwrx.c...tour-simulator/[/url]

I have been relying on these a couple of times a month to get me through winter
[/quote]

Read the title, read the post, then was going to respond that I just asked about them recently. Beat me to it. OP, theres some good info in that thread. Ive gone every weekend since that thread was made and I really enjoy going. Not a replacement for the real thing, but fun enough to spend some money on it when you cant go outside due to courses being closed.

[pingB]

Lots of great simulators now days. GSA, Protee, GC2, About Golf, trugolf. .

They are all VERY accurate using a mixture of sensors and cameras to get ball path, club data, vertical launch. Then based on all those readings using physics to calculate the ball flight almost to a T. Assuming they are configured properly sims are a very good choice for practice, coaching, and winter use.

There is a fast growing community of people who set them up at home for these purposes.

[makingitbig]

It's worth giving it a try. $45 an hour is a bit high, however you might really enjoy it. And in my experience they are very accurate!

[dmalli]

The one here is $30 during super slow hours, but most of the time it is $40.