Assessing Different Types of Golf Simulator

The typical dimensions of a golf simulator are about 4 × 6 meters in the area and just over 3 meters in height, allowing freedom of movement whilst swinging.
A computer calculates the expected trajectory of the golf ball from data gathered on the swing, which can be obtained by infrared, ultrasonic, high speed camera or radar measurements. The image of the golf ball is then simulated on the screen via a projector. Different systems obtain different data measurements using any of these techniques, or by combining them.

Simulator Mats

Earlier golf simulator systems used a sensor mat, which is essentially a rectangular mat containing several infrared sensors and microchips that can monitor the speed of the club as it passes the back sensor, the angle of the club and club speed as the ball and club pass the second sensor following impact and the direction of the ball as the club passes the third sensor. This technology is pretty outdated now, as new technologies have improved accuracy. With that in consideration, these simulators should be the most affordable. In fact, they are not. A second hand simulator will still cost you £8000 or more, and a new one around £15,000. Yes, they are at the lower end of the simulator price list but consider this: 1. If a club comes into contact with the hitting mat and breaks it, how much will that cost to replace? Well, it will be between £2000 and £3000, if you can still even get one. 2. The simulator mat will always come into some contact wit the club, so, you will need to service it regularly. Even without heavy use, the grass surface will need replacing from time to time and this can set you back between £500 - £800 a time, so keep that in mind. 4. If you want to putt on this system, you will need a separate putting mat. Its very similar, a row of infra red sensors. Add this to your running costs, because these get damaged too and cost around £800 to replace. 5. Last of all, consider how much usage time and return on investment you will gain by using technology that has now been surpassed by most modern simulators.

Radar Systems

Radar systems are complex beasts. They sit aside the player and are typically about 60cm high by 30cm wide. The way they work is by emmitting a microwave that reflects off any moving object which returns to the sensor. The system can then record trajectory, launch angle, speed and direction. Additional physics is applied to these figures to calculate spin, axis and tilt. These types of system can be used indoors or outdoors and are traditionally expensive pieces of kit. They are very useful as launch monitors, and they work very effectively. Several professionals make use of them to analyse their game in real environments. Although these systems are great as launch monitors, they are not so good at picking up short game shots such as short pitches and putts. In addition, they are not really golf simulators. They are training aids. You would need additional software, a simulator cage, projector and screen to incorporate these into a simulator solution. So, if you are looking for an indoor golf simulator, this is probably not the sort of kit for you as the total cost would be considerable.

Optical Sensor Systems

This method uses two banks of IR sensors that scan accross the bay in both X and Y directions.The ball passes through the first set of sensors and its XY coordinate is captured. The ball then passes another set of sensors and the second X and Y coordinates are captured.  The two co-ordinates are then compared to determine the vertical launch angle, ball path and speed. The system is very accurate but ridiculously expensive to construct as you need hundreds of optical sensors and emitters to catch the coordinates of the ball in both sensor positions. The main disadvantage is that the ball must always pass through both sensors with a fast shot so that there is no downward curve in the ball's trajectory before hitting the screen.That means that chipping and putting will not work too well. Expect to pay around £40,000 for one of these.

Camera Systems


Cameras are becoming the the norm in golf simulation. In general, one, two, three or four cameras are used that continously monitor the play area. The downward swing path, impact, club face angle, launch angle and ball speed are all captured by the high speed cameras, normally running at around 100 to 150 frames per second. Camera data is processed using complex physics algorithms to produce a multitude of data such as back spin, side spin, trajectory, club face angle, swing path, loft, distance, carry and roll. One of the most accurate systems in the world that use this method is Sports Coach Systems who manufacture and sell golf simulators worldwide. They also happen to be our manufacturer of choice - see Cowlens Golf

We have done a little research for this blog entry as its pretty hard to find solid details about any golf simulator. Two really good sites will show you more detail. Special thanks to Martin gardiner of GSA Golf who has an excellent piece that explains how they work in more detail, and GolfWRX who take you through lots of golf simulator variants.