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If you are a serious golfer and you live in a climate that doesn’t offer year-round golf, you have probably seen or used a golf simulator before. In today’s post, we will be breaking down the most expensive Golf Simulators that money can buy and the companies that make them.
The basic components of a golf simulator are a projector, projector screen, hitting net, simulator, computer and simulator software. The following companies have created the best golf simulator set-up that money can buy.
Full Swing Simulators revolutionized the golf simulator in 1986 when founded by Floyd Arnold. Now the largest US-based producer of multi-sport simulators. Full Swing is also the official simulator partner of Golf Channel & Topgolf SwingSuites. Full Swing boasts ambassadors made of PGA TOUR Players Tiger Woods, Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, the LPGA’s Brooke Henderson & the NBA’s Steph Curry.
The Full Swing Simulator is one of the most popular brands on the market. The various setup options can cost anywhere between $20,000 and $100,000. So you would expect their technology to be top of the line. Full Swing Simulators come pre-loaded with around 85 of the most popular golf courses in the world: Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black, Torrey Pines, Oakmont, and many others. The experience is as real as it gets. The technology behind this is the ION 3 high-speed camera system. This camera provides a HD playback of your golf club and provides precision accuracy and analysis. The ball flight tracking is impeccable as well. As the golf ball crosses the two infrared light beams, the simulator technology measures your ball speed, launch angle, and direction at the speed of light. The technology is said to be one of the most accurate when capturing ball flight characteristics. Full swing also provides more than just golf simulation with 12 other sports to choose from.
Most famous for their launch monitor technology, Trackman also offers a state of the art golf simulator experience. The company recently released an update called Virtual 2 which is said to redefine what is considered possible with golf simulators. Virtual Golf 2 by TrackMan is packed with great new features that have been designed to make your game more fun, rewarding, and informative. Utilizing TrackMan’s combined radar- and camera technology, your experience will be as accurate indoors as it is outdoors. The ball flight model has been updated, as well as improved ball spin measurements for a truer simulation. The graphics are state of the art, and all the courses were mapped out for accuracy using drone technology. You can challenge your friends to games like “closest to the pin” or hit the driving range at the practice sessions. The courses mapped out for play on the Trackman is right around 50. With the latest technology in the simulator industry, you will pay anywhere from $40,000 to $100,000
HD Golf has made a bold statement saying: “We make the best simulator you can buy. Incredible realism, accuracy, and ease-of-use create an indoor golf experience with no comparison.” Starting out with a price tag of $35,000 and can go up to $70,000, HDGolf pride themselves on designing, building, selling, and installing everything themselves. They patented and are the first to use CVT or computer vision technology. This technology is said to take more measurements and be more accurate than anything on the market today. HD Golf uses at minimum 4 cameras to capture your swing then can analyze spin, clubhead speed, launch angle, swing path, object contact (heel/toe), club face (open/closed), efficiency and smash factor. The company also uses its own golf course 3D modeling software which combines drone data, high-res digital imaging, and satellite images to create a super realistic playing experience. Another perk of HD Golf is their Pro Golf instruction studio. This is where you can use their software to analyze your swing, get virtual lessons, and tools to share your swing videos with your golf instructors. Some PGA Tour Pro’s who are ambassadors for HD Golf include Bubba Watson, Fred Couples, Bryson Dechambeau, and Tommy Fleetwood.
AboutGolf is another pioneer in the golf simulator industry and has been around for over 25 years. They run their technology on the aG platform for a modern golf experience. The aG platform is a unique approach to combine social networking and on-demand competition allowing you to play anywhere with anyone. The aG platform comes with a mobile app called aG Locker which stores all your swing statistics and analysis so you can bring this information anywhere. Their simulators come in a few varieties such as a flat-screen, curved screen, or aG Max which allows for many participants to hit at a time (think of it like a virtual driving range).
Their 3Trak 3Dimentional camera and tracking system leverages Machine Vision technology to extract precise club and ball data and dozens of images for every swing. AboutGolf also offers a teaching platform called aG Fix. aG Fix leverages 5 cameras to record your swing and to analyze from many different angles for instruction. The aG Balance measurement is a unique feature as well that measures the weight on each foot in real-time to understand transitions and shifts in your swing. The aG setup can cost anywhere from $40,000 to $90,000 depending on which option you choose. With that kind of price tag, the company has attracted Former NFL quarterback Eli Manning and professional racer Dale Earnhardt as ambassadors for AboutGolf.
TruGolf has Innovation in their DNA and have been creating amazing golf games and golf simulation hardware since 1983. E6 CONNECT is the highest-quality, most lifelike and customizable golf software platform ever created. E6 CONNECT features stunning 4k graphics and more flexibility, customization, and control than ever before. What makes their new generation of golf software truly revolutionary is its massive network designed to connect golfers around the world, from private peer-to-peer play, and as large entry global tournaments. The E6 platform comes with up to 96 different courses to choose from. They also have the TruFlight launch monitor system that is composed of 3 cameras to capture club and ball data at 3,200 Frames per Second. TruGolf also offers the patented TruTrack 3 row sensor system which captures critical data at the point of impact such as club path and clubface angle. TruGolf offers a wide range of options for simulator setups from portable, to freestanding, to built-in. Like some of the other simulators mentioned in our list, TruGolf offers a multi-sport option that comes loaded with 8 different games. For the TruGolf set-up you can expect to pay between $30,000 and $70,000 depending on the option you choose.
Founded in 2000, this Asian-based Golf simulator manufacturer is focused on leading the convergence of golf, technology, and culture. The company is one of the most popular choices for golf simulators and invests around 6% of annual revenues in Research & Development. They also hold over 250 patents and have over 375 patents pending. The GolfZon Premium also won the Golfers Digest Top Golf Simulator in 2017, 2018 and 2019. GolfZon technology provides real-time ball flight, so there is no timing delay from the point when you hit the ball to when the ball hits the screen. Their unique moving swing plane which will match the slope and terrain of the course giving you a realistic feel. Another great feature is the auto-tee up which collects and dispenses the golf balls for each shot automatically. GolfZon also has a social networking function called GolfZon Live Festival which allows you to connect with your buddies and play in leagues against other squads. The company has gone way beyond the average with over 190 different courses to choose from. You will drop anywhere between $40,000 and $70,000 to get a GolfZon of your own.
XGolf was founded in 2005 out of Los Angeles, CA and was the first in the industry with features like the variable lie stance platform and their automatic ball teeing system. Since their founding they have sold over 3,000 units and now XGolf offers a franchising opportunity to open up your own XGolf facility. Their Research and Development team has spent over 15 years to perfect the combination of laser, light, impact and sensor technologies to make sure the data collected around your swing is as accurate as possible. The team has secured over 19 patents and their hardware and software innovations such as dynamic weight balance, short-game playability, 3D Collision are all examples of how XGOLF has listened and adapted. XGolf claims they are 98% accurate when measuring ball and swing data. If you are looking for swing analysis, they provide XBirdie, which captures complex swing data, XBirdie can measure club speed, club path, launch angle, ball speed, side spin, backspin, trajectory, carry, and distance. For an XGolf setup, you will have to pay anywhere from $40,000 to $70,000.